Getty Chandler Jones of the Raiders
The disturbing series of events that have unraveled around Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones this year began with a series of complaints just before the opening of the NFL season, with Jones claiming he had been locked out of the team’s facility and could not get hold of coach Josh McDaniels or GM Dave Ziegler.
They’ve meandered through a steady stream of more and more inflammatory social media posts from Jones, including unfounded accusations of child abuse, a claim that he was being hospitalized against his will and, most recently, a teary 25-minute Instagram rant that included Jones making a vague connection between McDaniels (who had been offensive coordinator for the Patriots) and former New England tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was killed in prison.
Now, Jones is himself in police custody, having been arrested on Friday morning. On Saturday, the Raiders released him.
Per the Associated Press, “Vegas-area police arrested the 33-year-old edge rusher early Friday. He’s being held at the Clark County Detention Center with bail set at $15,000, according to online records.”
The cause of the arrest, the AP reported, were, “accusations of violating a domestic violence temporary protection order.”
Jones is scheduled to appear in court again on December 4.
Jones Had Bizarre Incident With Patriots
Thus, what appeared, at first, to be a tiff between a star player and his team has devolved into something much more serious, something with legal ramifications for Jones, who also appears to be wrestling with a mental-health issue.
There’s cause for concern because this is not the first time Jones has had an issue involving the police and bizarre behavior.
The incident will brings to mind another scenario around Jones, back in January 2016. That was when Jones, rather out of the blue, showed up at the Foxborough, Mass., police station shirtless, and, it was reported, began to get on his knees and pray. He reported to officers that he had been told to come to the station (but was unable to explain more), then asked for help and was eventually taken to nearby Norwood Hospital, where he was treated and released.
The Boston Globe later reported that Jones had been smoking synthetic marijuana before the incident. But the incident mostly faded into memory, as Jones returned to action for New England that Sunday and recorded a sack as the Patriots beat Kansas City in the playoffs.
Josh McDaniels: ‘I Care for All’ Players
The two situations may not be linked. Certainly, in the interim, Jones went on to accomplish great things on the football field, earning three All-Pro selections with Arizona from 2016-21, before he signed on with the Raiders for three years and $51 million. But it is not the first time he has had an unusual legal run-in.
As for the Raiders, they have tried to keep their distance from Jones, and McDaniels has been limited in what he is willing to say about the matter. The team released a statement on Twitter saying, “The Raiders are hopeful Chandler Jones receives the care he needs,” and offering, “our thoughts,” for Jones and his family.
McDaniels did speak more generally about the situation, just from the perspective of Jones being one of his players.
“I care for all of them,” McDaniels said. “I think we all do. We want the best for all of our players, former players, etc. So, like I said, that will never change. That part is going to be there now and forever for all the guys we’ve coached and got an opportunity to know and work with. So, you know, just kind of take it as it comes here as we’re going through this, and we continue to try to do the best we can. Like I said, there’s not much we can do other than that.”