Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee addresses DWI charge after Sunday night win

Dallas Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee addressed his DWI charge for the first time after Sunday night’s win over Minnesota.

“I apologize to my family, my teammates, my coaches and to the owner, who gave me a job,” Kazee said. “I’m happy the Lord helped me get out. I didn’t hit nobody. I didn’t hurt myself. Just thankful I’m here now.”

The first-year Cowboy was pulled over early Tuesday morning in Texas during the bye week. A spokesperson from The Colony police said that an officer reported noticing physical signs that Kazee had been drinking.

The Cowboys defensive back failed a field sobriety test and was detained. He was charged with DWI, a class B misdemeanor for a first offense. Kazee posted a $2,500 bond.

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kazee spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons. He signed with the Cowboys in the offseason, reuniting with Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who was the head coach for Atlanta from 2015-2020.

Prior to his arrest, Kazee started all six games and recorded 17 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and three passes deflected. On Monday night, the safety out of San Diego State played a season-low 44 snaps. He posted two solo tackles.

Henry Ruggs charged with DUI resulting in death

Damontae Kazee and the nation got a reminder on Tuesday of what can happen when you choose to drive while impaired. Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs was in a serious car crash in the Las Vegas area on Tuesday morning, per TMZ Sports. The Las Vegas police charged Ruggs with DUI resulting in death.

A source close to Ruggs said the wide receiver is likely going to be OK, however, the LVMPD shared there is one fatality from the crash.

The initial investigation shows Ruggs was driving a Chevrolet Corvette and hit the back of a Toyota Rav4. Officers found the Toyota on fire with a deceased victim inside. 

According to law enforcement, the accident happened around 3:40 a.m. PT.

“On behalf of our client Henry Ruggs III, we are conducting our own investigation as of this writing and ask everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered,” Ruggs’ attorney David Chesnoff said, per TMZ.

Ruggs, 22, has previously discussed how his high school best friend Roderic Scott inspired him to play high school football. Scott died in a car accident when he was 17. To this day, Ruggs honors his friend with a three-finger salute every time he scores a touchdown because his basketball number was 3.

He has 24 receptions, 469 yards and two touchdowns this season for Las Vegas. He has started all seven games the Raiders have played this year and leads the team in receiving yards.

The Alabama native was a first-round pick out of Alabama in the 2020 NFL Draft. Alabama won the national championship in 2017, Ruggs’ freshman year.