Former Dallas Cowboys Defensive Back Josh Brent has been released from prison Sunday after his conviction of intoxication manslaughter for a car crash that led to the death of his friend and teammate, Jerry Brown, the Dallas County sheriff's office said.

Yahoo! Sports reported the 26-year-old tackle of the Dallas Cowboys was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years on probation for drunk-driving in December 2012 resulting to the passing of Brown, a Cowboys practice player.

Brent crashed his Mercedes sedan on a suburban Dallas highway on his way back from a night out. Witnesses relayed Brent was trying to pull Brown out of the wreckage of the vehicle. Reports noted he was way beyond the tolerable level of alcohol consumption and registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit.

Prosecutors pressed hard for the conviction of Brent and pushed for 20 years in jail to send a message to would-be drunk drivers. The case softened with the testimony of Stacey Jackson, Brown's mother, who testified she had already forgiven Brent saying "you can't go on in life holding a grudge."

Brent was a defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys and retired from the NFL months before the January trial. He could attempt to be reinstated now that he is a free man.

But it was not clear if the NFL will issue a suspension before he can be allowed on a roster again. Brent and Brown were close since their college days in the University of Illinois where they were teammates on the varsity team and roommates in Texas, where Brown was a practice squad linebacker for the Cowboys.

At least one Cowboys player, Linebacker Sean Lee, attended part of Brent's trial, while owner Jerry Jones has declared of his support for Brent.