Getty Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates his touchdown in the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Arlington, Texas.
Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones might only just be breaking onto the scene in the NFL, but he already seems to be a master of waiting through childbirth.
Jones’ longtime girlfriend, Crystal Molina, shared a hysterical picture Friday on Twitter of the 25-year-old running back in the delivery room during their son’s birth back in April. In the picture, Jones is planted in a hospital chair in front of a monitor, plugged in and playing PlayStation 4 online with some of his friends.
As Molina joked in the caption: “all his boys on the headset heard my whole labor & delivery.”
Many fans were quick to share and celebrate Jones’ lead-in approach to fatherhood, while some wondered (and hoped for the sake of his online teammates?) that he muted his microphone while Molina was in labor. Jones dispelled those rumors, though, telling one fan “I sure did not!!”
In other responses, Jones explained how he brought his own monitor and system into the hospital and used his cell phone’s hotspot — not the hospital’s WiFi — to connect to PlayStation Network. Even some of his Packers teammates had to admire his creativity.
@MVS__11 @CrystalMolina_ 😂😂 i had to bring the monitor too 💀
Now, if you’re imaging Jones quick-scoping or making callouts while his girlfriend is delivering their son, don’t worry; Molina cleared things up after some fans got upset. She reiterated “labor is long” and assured people Jones wasn’t playing through the entire thing, adding also that she was studying during portions of the labor.
Molina did say, however, the headset and PlayStation remained on, but only because their families were listening through the online connection to share the moment with them.
@melibean_ Family was on the headset we left it on so they can hear
And in the most important of news: Jones and Molina’s son — Aaron Jones Jr. — is doing well two months after coming into the world, as Jones shared in a moving piece for The Players’ Tribune entitled “Two Fathers.” (Read it, it’s good.)
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Jones Faces Bigger Challenge in 2020 After Breakout Year
On the football field, Jones is facing more challenges than ever in 2020 even after becoming a breakout sensation for the Packers in 2019.
Jones finished his third year in the NFL with 1,202 rushing yards, 505 receiving yards and an NFL-leading 23 touchdowns, but the expectations will be set high for his follow-up efforts in 2020 with him entering the final year of his contract. Jones has expressed interest in signing an extension that would keep him in Green Bay, but the Packers’ end of the situation has only gotten more complicated since last year.
The Packers will have some tough decisions to make next offseason in regards to their cap space with Jones, left tackle David Bakhtiari, center Corey Linsley, defensive tackle Kenny Clark and cornerback Kevin King all set to become unrestricted free agents. The impact of COVID-19 on the league’s revenue during the 2020 season is also expected to have implications on the 2021 salary cap, which could make things even more challenging to work out.
Beyond the financials, the Packers also drafted Boston College rusher AJ Dillon in the second round of the 202 NFL draft, adding a dynamic and affordable option to the backfield that poses direct competition to Jones. How the Packers deploy both Jones and Dillon — as well as Jamaal Williams and Tyler Ervin — throughout the upcoming season could be telling of their intentions for the future.
“I know it’s the NFL,” Jones said during last week’s appearance on NFL Total Access Thursday. “They’re bringing in guys every day to compete, so I mean it’s just gonna raise my game and I’m excited to have (Dillon) there and start working with him, teaching him the playbook and everything.”
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