The Dallas Cowboys had a new name for their injury report with kicker Brandon Aubrey on Wednesday: “NIR-Other (jury duty).”
One of the top players in the NFL missed practice Wednesday after being selected for a 12-person jury for a Tarrant County felony case, according to the Star-Telegram. The case reportedly centers on a charge of second-degree strangulation.
Aubrey’s missed training apparently won’t be a one-off either. He will reportedly return to court on Thursday, Friday and possibly even longer, as there is no clear timetable for the duration of the trial. The Cowboys apparently tried to pull Aubrey away from jury duty, but he insisted on doing so.
The good news for the Cowboys is that a typical tryout schedule won’t hinder Aubrey’s availability on Sunday, barring special circumstances. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports that Aubrey is not expected to miss the Cowboys’ game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The situation is an odd bit of background noise for a player who has become one of the best kickers in the NFL over the past season and a half. A former football player at Notre Dame and in Toronto FC’s feeder system, Aubrey decided to give football a try while working as a software engineer and reached the NFL after two seasons with the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL.
Aubrey was named a first-team All-Pro as a rookie in 2023 after making his first 36 field goal attempts and continued to impress this season, shooting the second-longest field goal in NFL history last month. He is 17 of 19 on field goals in 2024, and 8 of 9 on attempts of at least 50 yards.
So the Cowboys will hope that some missed practices don’t faze him.
