Dallas Cowboys reportedly try to get their Pro Bowl kicker out of jury duty — but he refuses



Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey missed practice Wednesday and was later revealed to be attending jury duty during that time.

Aubrey, a second-year kicker who went to Notre Dame, was listed as a nonparticipant at the most recent Cowboys practice after being selected for a 12-person jury in Tarrant County, Texas.

The felony assault case pertains to a second-degree strangulation charge against the defendant.

Football reporter Nick Harris broke the news and noted that the Cowboys tried to get Aubrey out of the jury duty stint, but the kicker refused. Aubrey reportedly insisted that he fulfill his civic duty on Wednesday — and moving forward — despite the possibility of missing pivotal regular season games.

Aubrey is expected to return to court Thursday and Friday, but the judge reportedly will take his football schedule into consideration.

"There's not a clear timetable for how long the case will last," Harris wrote.

The reporter added, "This case does not require jurors to be sequestered."

With jurors being released for nights and weekends, Aubrey will be available for this Sunday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers, which has a 7:20 p.m. CT kickoff.

This case does not require jurors to be sequestered, meaning he will be available for Sunday’s game in San Francisco if the case lasts that long.
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) October 23, 2024

At the same time, Aubrey could end up missing several more practices and even a game if the case persists on weekends. The Cowboys play afternoon games on both Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, visiting the Atlanta Falcons before returning home to play the Philadelphia Eagles.

Media members began questioning Aubrey's whereabouts when he was not seen during the media portion of the Cowboy's practice Wednesday. Later that day, multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing Aubrey serving on a jury in a Fort Worth courthouse.

Juror information has not been made public.

Aubrey played in the United States Football League prior to the NFL; he already has an NFL record of eight-straight games with a field goal over 50 yards. He made the Pro Bowl in the 2023-2024 season, his first with the Cowboys.

'We've all got a civic duty to do'

Aubrey isn't the first Cowboy to insist on fulfilling his jury duty.

Former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten in 2012 missed morning meetings and his scheduled physical before arriving late to a preseason minicamp due to serving on a jury in Denton County.

"We've all got a civic duty to do," Witten said at the time, according to ESPN. "Proud to be a citizen and held up my end. It went a little longer than we thought, but it was a good experience. I was just glad I was able to get back in time for practice."

Then-coach Jason Garrett stated that Witten is a "good citizen" who "cares about the judicial process" and never considered trying to get out of jury duty.

"Guys, when you get your summons, don't be skipping out," Witten reportedly said.

The tight end donated his jury pay.

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Nurse serving jury duty renders aid to fellow potential juror in distress



A Dallas-area nurse is being hailed as a hero for rendering aid to a fellow member of a potential jury pool who took ill in a courthouse last month.

Katherine Kreis, who has been a nurse for over twenty years, arrived at the Frank Crowley Courthouse in Dallas, Texas on June 27, in response to a summons for jury duty. She and about a hundred other people gathered in the Central Jury Room to find out whether they would be selected to sit on a jury.

However, while waiting her turn, Kreis noticed the man sitting next to her begin to exhibit signs of medical distress.

“I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting to be called, and I happened to notice the gentleman next to me was shaking and threw his phone,” Kreis recalled.

The man then began convulsing, and witnesses reported that someone shouted that he was having a seizure.

Kreis knew just what to do.

"At that moment, I got up and went over to him to help stabilize and make sure he wasn't going to injure himself," Kreis said.

"I've been a nurse for about 20+ years now, and cardio-thoracic surgery, cardiac telemetry, neuro patients, seizure patients, those are my kind of patients," she added.

Other members of the potential jury pool helped lay the man safely on the ground while a bailiff called 911.

The man is said to be recovering well from the episode.

Kreis also works as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas, Arlington School of Nursing, so she has lots of experience rendering emergency medical aid. She noted that the unnamed man had on him a list of medications and a list of emergency contacts, which helped her and other emergency medical professionals assess his condition and alert his loved ones.

Kreis believes that divine intervention may also have played a role in the sequence of events that led up to that day.

"I think I was supposed to be there for that reason. I’ve never been summoned to jury duty before so it was my first time to do that," she said. "And I wasn't real sure what to expect, and I really feel like it was a right place right time kind of thing."

Several judges and court staff members have since honored Kreis for her act of service, giving her a plaque and flowers to commemorate her good deed, which got her out of serving on the jury.

She hopes to be called to jury duty again some day.