Former wide receiver Jacoby Jones said speed came from his dad being a 'crackhead'
Jacoby Jones was, and still is, fast.
The former NFL wide receiver and longtime kick returner was best known for his speed throughout his nine-year professional career — in which he averaged 27 yards per return and twice ran back kicks 108 yards for a touchdown.
Jones, like many other athletes, credits his speed to his father — though not for the reason you’d expect.
“My dad was a crackhead, so all that s— he was smoking was probably in my genes,” Jones told Bleacher Report. “That’s why I don’t do drugs. People say I run like a crackhead. I wonder why?”
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Jones played in the league from 2007-2015, most notably for the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens, where he won a Super Bowl in January 2013. He recorded 2,733 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns in his career. He racked up nearly 7,700 yards and nine touchdowns as a return man, too, the majority of which came when he was with the Ravens.
While the All-Pro receiver may have gotten his speed from his father, Jones said his dad left when he was just 18 months old. He met him for the first time four years ago, when they grabbed dinner and “hung out on Bourbon Street” in New Orleans. Jones hasn’t seen him since.
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Jones is now a receivers coach at his alma mater, Lane College — a Division II school in Jackson, Tenn.
While he obviously wants to lead Lane College to success on the field, Jones said he hopes to teach his players two important rules. The first: Always respect women, because “women rule this world.” The second: Earn a college degree.
And because of his father’s absence, in part, Jones knows he can help make a difference in kids’ lives.
“Life is bigger than football, you know?” Jones told Bleacher Report. “Everybody’s not going to the league. Everybody’s not doing this, not doing that. But what you can do is get your degree and make it in life. For yourself.”
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