With an extra day to get a jump on his final time off ahead of training camp, second-year New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones made a critical mistake that now has his status for 2023 in question.
According to reports, Jones was arrested on Friday after trying to get through security at Logan Airport with two loaded firearms, which led to his arrest.
He’s reportedly been charged with possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of the airport, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm and possession of a large-capacity feeding device.
The Patriots have since released a statement, saying, “We have been notified that Jack Jones was arrested at Logan Airport earlier today. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not be commenting further at this time.”
This is certainly not great news for Jones, who given his history already came into the league with some question marks.
Prior to being selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, it had been a tough road for the former Arizona State standout.
His career initially started at USC, but academic issues saw him get dismissed from the school, which started a bit of a downward spiral.
He was arrested in 2018 for breaking into a Panda Express after hours, which saw him charged with commercial burglary and felony conspiracy to commit a crime.
Fortunately, his agent, James Tooson, helped get him back on the right track after working to get his charges reduced to a misdemeanor, which saw Jones get placed on probation.
From there, Jones buckled down and started focusing on getting himself back on track, spending a year at Moorpark College, which landed him an opportunity to play football again at ASU.
Looking at Jones’ off-field issues, what’s really apparent is the fact that while some coaches could have given up on him, ASU head coach Herm Edwards went the extra mile with him to give him a second chance, as did defensive coordinator, Antonio Pierce.
That helped lead to his opportunity in New England, and Jones did his part on the football field. He showed flashes during training camp and ultimately emerged as a key piece of New England’s defense in 2022. Jones even ended up finishing with two interceptions during his rookie campaign, including a pick-six against Aaron Rodgers during their week four matchup.
But a late season suspension by the team due to issues surrounding his rehab coming off an injury spoiled his rookie season, which had some already questioning how things might go for him heading into 2023. Bill Belichick had already been questioned about it by reporters, with the Patriots coach instead dismissing it and saying they had moved past it, and was now focusing on the upcoming season.
Now, this latest setback definitely doesn’t bode well. Should Jones escape any legal penalties for this, which remains in question due to the severity of the charges, Jones may potentially at least see a suspension, at minimum, coming depending on how this plays out.
For a player who seemingly had a second chance to get things moving in a better direction, this news is definitely unfortunate. But it also potentially creates a new challenge for New England’s defense, which the team will have to address once Jones’ legal status becomes clearer.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
