EXCLUSIVE: Former LSU safety Chad Jones and his road back to football (VIDEO)
**WARNING** Video contains graphic images at 2:00
Two years ago, Chad Jones' life was changed forever.
The former LSU defensive back, who was drafted in the third round by the New York Giants, was in a car accident where his SUV smashed into a pole, caving in the entire driver's side.
Jones had to be extracted from the car because of a severely broken left leg that included injuries to the muscle, nerves and the vascular system. There was fear he wouldn't keep the leg or, at the very least, never walk again.
The above video chronicles Jones' journey back from that accident. Warning: It's not pretty. The video graphically depicts his injuries and might be difficult for some to see. In the nearly seven-minute clip, Jones learns to stand, walk, run and ultimately teach himself to be a football player again.
He was hoping to return to the Giants this season, but team doctors didn't think he was physically strong enough to play professional football. He continues to work and his goal is to make it to the field by 2013.
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Just by watching the video, it's amazing how far Jones has come from his accident in such a short amount of time. It's hard to fathom the severity of the injury because of the ease with which he does many of the football drills.
It's truly a remarkable story.
Jones was a two-sport athlete at LSU. He was part of the Tigers' national championship football team in 2007 and also was a reliever with the baseball team. In baseball, he was nicknamed "Dreadlocks of Doom" by teammates and LSU fans because of his wicked 90 mph fastball. He helped the Tigers win the College World Series in 2009. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers weeks after the Giants took him in the NFL draft and he decided his career aspirations revolved around football.
Now, he's hoping those aspirations become a reality.
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