A former Dallas Cowboys player is facing charges of driving while intoxicated after he was allegedly involved in a fatal crash on U.S. Highway 75.
Richardson police said on social media that the department was investigating a fatal crash Saturday when the former NFL player, Kelvin Wayne Joseph Jr., 25, called Plano police and said he had been involved in a crash.
Richardson police said a motorcyclist, 27-year-old Cody Morris of Plano, was killed in the accident just before 5 a.m. in the 2400 block of U.S. 75.
Joseph plays as a cornerback for the DC Defenders in the United Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft and played for the team until 2023. He has also played for the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts.
In the statement, police said officers observed “signs of intoxication” while speaking with Joseph. He was booked into the Richardson city jail at about 7:45 a.m., and he faces a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated and a felony charge of collision involving death. It was not clear if he has retained an attorney. An attorney who previously represented Joseph did not answer the phone when called by The Dallas Morning News Saturday afternoon.
Police said Joseph was traveling north in a BMW when he collided with a motorcycle. Police said no other vehicles were found at the scene.
Joseph’s Dallas stint came with off-field troubles. On March 18, 2022, Joseph was a passenger in an SUV from which two people shot into a group of men in a Lower Greenville parking lot. One man was fatally struck in the head.
Police concluded that Joseph was not a shooter.
The NFL did not suspend Joseph for his involvement in the matter. He appeared in 26 games for the Cowboys until his Dallas stint ended ahead of the 2023 season. The Cowboys traded Joseph to the Miami Dolphins in August 2023.
Joseph appeared in nine games throughout the Defenders’ 2025 season
The Defenders are scheduled to face the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL Conference Championship game Sunday.
Joseph is not the first NFL player to face charges for a wreck on U.S. 75. In March of last year, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver and ex-Southern Methodist University player Rashee Rice was involved in a multivehicle crash on the freeway near SMU.
He and then-SMU player Teddy Knox were accused of speeding on the highway in rented luxury vehicles before losing control, striking four other vehicles. They were then accused of leaving the scene. Charges against Rice and Knox are still pending.
