New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones has cleared up his legal situation with Week 1 on the horizon. The second-year pro moved up his court date to Tuesday morning where he agreed to a deal that has his weapons charges dropped, according to MassLive.com. In exchange for the charges being dropped, Jones has agreed to serve one year of pretrial probation and 48 hours of community service.
The nolle prosequi from the Suffolk County District Attorney that was obtained by MassLive says, in part, that "it cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Jones had knowledge that he possessed the firearms in his bag at the time of the incident."
Jones' attorney, Rosemary Scapicchio, told NFL Media that "Jack is grateful to have the case resolved and is looking forward to playing football."
Jones, who was reportedly traveling to Arizona at the time, was arrested in June at Logan International after two firearms were discovered in his carry-on luggage, according to Massachusetts State Police. The second-year cornerback was then charged with two counts of a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport, possession of ammunition without a Firearm Identification Card, unlawful possession of a fireman, carrying a loaded firearm, and possession of a large-capacity feeding device.
Jones was later arraigned in East Boston Municipal Court, pleaded not guilty, and posted $30,000 bail. Scapicchio, said following his arrest that he had "no intention" of bringing guns into the airport that day and added that "the evidence is going to show that he had no knowledge of what was going on." Jones initially had his hearing pushed to Sept. 15 after previously being scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 18.
It is worth highlighting that Jones is still be open to punishment from the NFL under the league's personnel conduct policy. However, coming to this agreement does give Jones the best avenue to avoid being cut by New England.
Jones has practiced with the team throughout training camp and has even seen time working with the first-team defense at one of the outside corner positions. When asked about his arrest during his lone availability to the media this summer, Jones declined to comment on the situation and simply said, "When I get out here on the football field, it's all ball."
The Patriots selected Jones with the No. 121 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Arizona State. In 13 games played (two starts) for the team during his rookie year, Jones totaled 30 tackles, broke up six passes, and recorded two interceptions. The 25-year-old was also suspended by the team at the end of the regular season.
