DALLAS (AP) -- Cowboys reserve defensive back Dwayne Goodrich was charged with two counts of manslaughter in connection with a high-speed hit-and-run accident that killed two people and injured two others.
Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokesman Don Peritz said Goodrich was taken to the county jail. A magistrate set bonds of $25,000 for the second-degree felony warrants. ADVERTISEMENT
``He turned himself in today and told them what happened. He's devastated. It was a tragic accident,'' Goodrich's agent, Stephen Zucker, told The Associated Press.
Peritz said Goodrich was to be arraigned in a process that could take several hours.
``We were informed on Tuesday of this tragic situation. It is a police matter, and we will continue to monitor the developments,'' said Calvin Hill, coordinator of the Player Assistance department for the Cowboys. ``We are deeply saddened for the families who have experienced the loss of life.''
Police said a car clipped a tractor-trailer rig and caught fire about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 35 in North Dallas.
As three people came to help the driver out of the burning car, another car came speeding through the scene at an estimated 110 mph. Officers said the driver tried to swerve between the disabled vehicles and hit several people, two of whom were killed.
``While they were doing that, a gray BMW struck all three of them,'' said Senior Cpl. Diana Watts, a Dallas police spokeswoman.
She said the driver tried to weave around the disabled vehicles but could not avoid hitting the rescuers.
The dead were identified as Joseph Wood, 21, and Demont Matthews, 23. The other rescuer had a broken leg. The driver was not seriously injured.
Police said there were no skid marks to indicate the car's speed or that it tried to stop.
Zucker said he last talked to the 24-year-old defensive back by telephone Tuesday night. Zucker declined to discuss the accident.
Goodrich was the Cowboys' top pick in the 2000 draft, taken 49th overall out of Tennessee in the second round. But he hasn't been a significant contributor for the Cowboys through his first three seasons.
After straining his left hamstring during the 2000 preseason, Goodrich didn't make his NFL debut until playing special teams in the ninth game of the season. He played in five games as a rookie, seeing his only action on defense in the season finale.
Goodrich missed the entire 2001 season after tearing his right Achilles' tendon during training camp.
Last season, Goodrich played in 11 games, including his only NFL start on Dec. 21 against Philadelphia. He just completed the final year of his contract.
At Tennessee, Goodrich was the defensive MVP of the 1999 Fiesta Bowl after returning an interception 54 yards for a touchdown in the Volunteers' 23-16 victory over Florida State that won the national championship.
Goodrich was arrested in September 1999, during his senior year at Tennessee, on a charge of disorderly conduct. Those charges were later dropped, but Goodrich conceded that he was ``drinking too much.''
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