MADISON, Wis. >> Former NFL head coach Jack Del Rio stepped down Monday from his role on Wisconsin’s coaching staff after he was arrested near campus for operating a vehicle while intoxicated last week.

Del Rio, the former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, had joined Wisconsin’s staff in August as a senior adviser to head coach Luke Fickell.

“I’m grateful to Coach Fickell and the University of Wisconsin for the opportunity to work with such a talented coaching and support staff and some of the best young football players in the country,” Del Rio said in a statement. “I have decided to step away from my position with the team, so they can focus all their attention on the remainder of the season.”

Madison police said Del Rio was arrested early Friday for a first-offense OWI after a vehicle hit a stop sign and broke a fence before resting in a yard. Police said Del Rio was walking away from the area and showed signs of impairment when they arrived at 12:35 a.m.

“He’s going to move forward and he’s going to resign and move on,” Fickell said. “It’s a tough situation. Decisions that all of us have to be able to take full responsibility for. So that’s what Jack will do, and we’ll continue to move forward.”

The 61-year-old Del Rio came to Wisconsin after spending the last four years as the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator. He was fired 12 games into the 2023 season.

Del Rio had a 93-94 record in a 12-year NFL head coaching career that included stints with the Jaguars (2003-11) and Raiders (2015-17). He played linebacker in the NFL from 1985-95 after a stellar college career at Southern California.

Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) has lost its last two games heading into Saturday’s home matchup with No. 1 Oregon (10-0, 7-0, No. 1 CFP).

Smart rips ‘idiot’

Georgia backup safety Jake Pope issued an apology on Monday after a video of him appearing to celebrate following the Bulldogs’ 28-10 loss at Mississippi on the field with Rebels fans drew sharp criticism from Georgia coach Kirby Smart.

Pope said in an explanation he posted on X he was surprised to see longtime family friends from his hometown of Buford, Georgia, on the field. He said his friends, including one wearing the jersey of Ole Miss offensive lineman Reece McIntyre, also from Buford, “were extremely excited to see me after the game. I was also surprised to see them as well. And that’s why you saw the reaction that I gave via the video.”

In the video, a smiling Pope jumped up and down with his friends.

When asked about the video on Monday, Smart said: “What an idiot. I mean just stupid. I didn’t see it until today, but he’s embarrassed about it. He’s upset about it. That’s obviously a childhood friend of his that he grew up and played with there at Buford and he knows him, hadn’t seen him in forever, but just not real smart.”

Georgia dropped nine spots to No. 11 in The Associated Press Top 25 following the loss. The Bulldogs return home to play No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday night.

Pope posted his apology soon after Smart’s news conference.

“I want to say sorry for the way it was taken out of perspective and has caused distractions/commotion for my teammates and coaches,” Pope said.

Player dies in crash

A Mississippi Valley State University football player who was a passenger in a car involved in a police chase was killed in a crash that left the driver injured, authorities said.

Ryan Quinney, 20, of Mobile, Alabama, was killed Friday as the car he was in was fleeing the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers said Monday.

The chase started in Flora and continued into Yazoo City, where the driver lost control of the car, WAPT-TV reported. Shivers told the television station that the car left the road, went through a ditch and hit a parked vehicle before going airborne. It then took out a light pole and flipped several times before coming to rest in a yard, he said.

Authorities used a Jaws of Life tool to rescue the driver, whose name was not released. The driver was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Their condition was not immediately available.

Quinney, a junior linebacker, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Briefly

>> Alabama’s defense suffered a major blow heading into the final games of the regular with edge rusher Que Robinson out for the rest of the season with a left arm injury. Robinson was injured in the second half of No. 9 Alabama’s 42-13 victory over then-No. 14 LSU on Saturday night.

>> Dana Holgorsen will take over as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator with Marcus Satterfield remaining on staff, coach Matt Rhule said.