Jay Ratliff Jason Jeremiah " Jay " Ratliff ( born August 29 , 1981 ) is an American football nose tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for Auburn University , and was chosen by the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft . Early years . Ratliff attended Lowndes High School in Valdosta , Georgia and was a letterman in football , basketball , and track . He earned All - State and honorable mention all - USA Today honors after catching 46 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior . College career . After moving from defensive end to defensive tackle in his senior season , Ratliff started all 13 games and tied his career high with 37 tackles . He also made four tackles for a loss and a sack . He tied a single game career high with seven tackles at Auburn to earn SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors . He helped the Tigers win the SEC Championship and finish 13 - 0 by defeating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl , in which he made three tackles . Auburn finished 2004 second behind USC in the final Associated Press poll . Ratliff played in nine games as a junior reserve defensive end , making seven tackles , including one for a loss . Before his sophomore year , Ratliff moved from tight end to defensive end during spring drills . He started eight of 12 games and tied a career high with 37 tackles , including a career - high 10 tackles for a loss . He also had two forced fumbles and a sack . As a freshman tight end , Ratliff played in all 12 games , including one start , and made three receptions for 38 yards . While at Auburn , " Ike " joined Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity during the Spring of 2002 . Professional career . Regarded as an undersized defensive tackle , Ratliff was drafted in the seventh round ( 224th overall pick ) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cowboys . He made his first NFL start on October 9 , 2005 . Ratliff played his first NFL game at Oakland ( 10 / 2 ) and shared a sack with linebacker Scott Shanle . He made his first start the next week against Philadelphia ( 10 / 9 ) when the Cowboys opened in their nickel package . He was placed on injured reserve Nov . 1 . In 2006 he played 15 games that season in the defensive line rotation . He made 10 tackles ; four sacks , tied for third on the team ; seven quarterback pressures , tied for the team lead ; one pass breakup ; and one forced fumble . He led the team with fumble recoveries , which tied for second in the NFL . Ratliff became the starting nose tackle following an injury to Jason Ferguson early in the 2007 season . He was signed to a $ 20 . 5 million , five - year contract extension on December 14 , 2007 , to stay with the Cowboys through the 2012 season . The deal included an $ 8 million signing bonus . In 2007 , He also was the Ed Block Courage Award recipient . Ratliff was voted to the starting lineup of the 2011 Pro Bowl , his fourth Pro Bowl appearance . Arrest . Ratliff was arrested on Tuesday evening January 22 , 2013 on suspicion of drunk driving . He was arrested 20 miles northwest of Dallas after he sideswiped a semi - truck . No one was injured . However ; Ratliff failed the field sobriety test and spent the night in jail . He was released the morning of January 23 on bond .