Former NFL first-round pick Matt Jones faced an
uphill climb to stick on the Jacksonville Jaguars' roster this year
amid a glut of receivers. Jones has been a disappointment in his three
seasons, producing only 1,392 yards and 13 TDs.
No one doubts the
former Arkansas quarterback's athleticism - he's 6-foot-6, 238 pounds,
runs a 4.37 40-yard dash and has a 39.5-inch vertical leap, but there
always have been questions about his work ethic, even in college.
Well,
now Jones' spot on the roster appears moot, as he was arrested by
Fayetteville, Ark., police early Thursday and charged with possession
of a controlled substance.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office
says officers arrested Jones and two other men as they sat in a Toyota
4Runner in an unlit parking lot in a known drug area.
The
preliminary arrest report shows an officer saw Jones sitting in the
back seat of the car with a white card with a white powdery substance
on it, and a credit card in his other hand. The report said that Jones
told one of the officers that the white powder was cocaine (six grams
of the substance later tested positive for cocaine)
The officer said he opened the door and asked Jones to "put his hands where he could see them."
Authorities
say Jones didn't comply right away and hid his left hand. The officer
drew his gun and ordered Jones out of the vehicle. Jones got out and
the officer put him in handcuffs.
The Jaguars are raving about
2007 third-round pick Mike Walker, and former Vikings castoff Troy
Williamson also has been having an excellent offseason with the team.
Having a reputation for dropping balls, Williamson has caught virtually
everything thrown his way this offseason. But he did the same thing
last offseason in Minnesota, only to follow it up with a regular season
plagued with drops.
With Walker and Williamson now assured of
roster spots along with Jerry Porter, Reggie Williams and Dennis
Northcutt, it would have been hard seeing Jones stick on the squad.
Now, however, his NFL career could be over because of this arrest.
That's
a shame, because teams like the Cowboys or Browns might have taken a
flier on a guy whose base salaries are only $625,000 and $565,000 in
2008 and 2009, respectively, and who could be a third quarterback in a
pinch.
Jaguar fans should be outraged that their number one pick
is now facing drug charges. As a sports fan, your voice should be
heard. Fortunately, sports related web sites are popping up all over
the internet for sports fans. For example, Sportsfananza is one of the
major online sports fan video sites and this would be the place for
Jaquar fans to voice their sports opinion about how pissed they are at
Mr. Jones.