Dallas Cowboys starting nose tackle Jay Ratliff was "verbally abusive several times," according to a probable cause affidavit from police in Grapevine, Texas, detailing his Tuesday morning DWI arrest.
According to records obtained by ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon, Ratliff was "cooperative and courteous" to authorities after plowing his black Ford F-150 truck into an 18-wheeler, but his "demeanor changed considerably" after being taken to jail, arresting officer Eric Barch reported.
Barch described Ratliff as having bloodshot, watery eyes and a "moderate odor" of alcohol on his breath. Ratliff refused to respond to questions and would not submit to a breath test, according to the report.
The affidavit states Ratliff exhibited 12 clues of intoxication over the course of three field sobriety tests. The 31-year-old nose tackle told police that prior injuries -- he had hernia surgery in December -- affected the testing.
Ratliff was uninjured in the crash. He told authorities he was "chillin' with a homegirl" in Arlington, Texas, before heading to his home in Southlake. When police asked Ratliff what he was doing on the Irving/Grapevine border -- some distance from the route connecting Arlington and Southlake -- he blamed his truck's navigation system.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
