FRISCO, Texas -- Players in the NFL live different lives than most, but sometimes they still have to live like regular people.
Dallas Cowboys All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey wasn't spotted at the team's practice on Wednesday, which is unusual. He typically spends time during the early special teams portion outside kicking and assisting with the Cowboys special teams unit going through variations of field goal and kickoff setups. Then, he'll go inside to Dallas' indoor practice field to continue kicking.
The reason why he wasn't present at practice Wednesday was because he had jury duty, according to the team's official practice report from their public relations staff. Typically people can get out of jury duty for work or school reasons, but Aubrey opted to not delay his civic duty after being selected to be on a 12-person jury for a felony assault case (third-degree felony strangulation) in Tarrant County, Texas, per The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Star-Telegram also reported that the case doesn't require for jurors to be sequestered, which means he will be available for Dallas' Week 8 game at the San Francisco 49ers on "Sunday Night Football." The team's plan to get their kicker ready for Sunday will involve Aubrey coming late to the team facility to kick after his jury sessions. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said his understanding is that Aubrey will be on the team's charter to the Bay Area on Saturday.
"Brandon is serving his civic duty, but we have a plan," McCarthy said Thursday. "[Punter/holder] Bryan [Anger] and [long snapper] Trent [Sieg]and [special teams coordinator] John Fassel. We have a plan to make sure he'll be ready to go for Sunday. ... Hey, just when you think you've seen it all at this place [the Cowboys], you've got something else to do."
The second-year kicker is off to another strong start to 2024 after he led the NFL with 36 made field goals in 2023. Aubrey has made 17 of his 19 field goals this season, and his 17 makes are tied for the third-most in the league. His eight made field goals from at least 50 yards this season are the second-most in the NFL this season, and no one has made more field goals from 50 or more yards since Aubrey (18 made field goals from 50-plus yards since 2023) entered the league.