Byron Jones may be done: ‘I can’t run or jump’
Former Pro Bowler and current Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones took to Twitter on Saturday announcing a potential retirement after eight seasons in the league.
The tweets were hard to read from a fan’s perspective. Jones elaborated on the toll NFL football has taken on his body, as well as the league’s inability to help him.
“It was an honor and privilege to play in the NFL but it came at a regrettable cost I did not foresee. In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities. Godspeed to the draft class of 2023,” Jones said in his Twitter rant.
In the original tweet, Jones found an old video that NFL had shared during the year he was being drafted (2015). The video showed Jones’ long jump stats, one of the best performances of that year’s combine.
“Much has changed in 8 years,” Jones said. “Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications.”
Woah. This is pretty scary stuff. Jones’ body cannot perform anymore at age-30, and he’s warning the new crop of NFL talent to be cautious of what the league tries to give players for pain.
Jones spent the 2022 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list with an ankle and Achilles injury.
This seems like a retirement rant from Jones. How could it not be? It seems he is entirely physically unable to perform at this point in his life.
Good for Jones. He doesn’t owe anybody anything. If it’s his time to go, it’s his time. I would much prefer a player to go about it like this than to continue to play and further damage their physical and mental health.
While I support Jones, this is some pretty dark stuff. It sucks when players have to deal with stuff like this, but in a sport as brutal and barbaric as football, these things are bound to happen.
With no guaranteed money on the table from the Miami Dolphins in 2023, I’d be surprised if Byron Jones suits up again.
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