National Football League

Jerry Jones hopes Josh Brent learned his lesson behind bars

Published Aug. 26, 2014 11:59 a.m. ET

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IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys are in scramble mode along their defensive line, planning to activate injured end Anthony Spencer, hoping tackle Henry Melton knocks some rust off in time for Week 1 against the 49ers, scanning the waiver wire for bodies that represent upgrades.

But they also have hopes for a return of Josh Brent -- and as stated by owner Jerry Jones, a hope that Brent has learned from his time in jail.

"When you on Monday are given a roll of toilet paper and it's got to last you until next Monday, that's a lesson of discipline," Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. "That's a lesson of life. That's what happened to Josh. When you have someone next door to you that grabs your plate of food and you weigh 340 pounds but you don't mess with him -- he just looks at you, because you know that guy doesn't care if you live or die -- that's a life experience.

"I think there's a chance that Josh Brent may come out here and have a perspective that none of us have seen before, especially from Josh."

Jones may be dramatizing the jail experience of Brent, the defensive tackle who Brent, who spent four months in jail after being convicted of intoxication manslaughter following a car crash that killed friend and teammate Jerry Brown. Toilet-paper rationing? Maybe, though that sounds like something Jerry might've seen in the movies. Physically threatening 340-pound prisoners? Wouldn't that be Josh Brent himself?

But as Brent and the Cowboys hope this week to hear from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on reinstatement and discipline for Brent, Jones' point is made: The player's state of mind figures to be reflective.

"When someone goes through life-changing experiences," Jones said, "he's had that experience. He deserved (jail time) and many people think he deserved more, but the point is he has been through some eye-opening days. We could really benefit from that as a football team. ... If he could really come in and has got his physical conditioning in shape, sooner rather than later on that football field, we could really have an asset there."