Patriot Player’s Airport Gun Arrest May Put Him in NFL Crosshairs
New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones was arraigned in a Boston court on Tuesday on nine charges he entered Logan Airport last Friday with a Glock box containing two loaded guns and magazines.
Jones, 25, pleaded not guilty and posted $30,000 bail. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 18 for a probable cause hearing. Depending on the judge’s schedule and Jones’ willingness and ability to negotiate a plea deal with prosecutors, the case could remain on the docket through the 2023 season.
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How long Jones remains a member of the Patriots is a toss-up.
The Patriots have limited their public comments to a confirmation that Jones is the accused individual and that team officials are “gathering more information.”
The controversy arrives on the heels of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s suspension by the NBA last Friday for 25 games following an incident involving the display of a gun while on an Instagram Live video. Unlike Jones, Morant did not face criminal charges.
Jones is accused of possession of a concealed weapon, possession of ammunition without a firearm ID card, carrying a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a large capacity feeding device, which under Massachusetts law includes a detachable magazine that holds more than 10 rounds of ammo or more than five shotgun shells.
The Glock box was inside a carry-on duffel bag, allegedly with Jones’ name on it, that underwent routine X-ray screening by TSA personnel.
If convicted on all charges and sentenced to the maximum term for each conviction, Jones could spend more than three decades in prison, unless the sentences are served concurrently. Jones realistically would not face anywhere near that worst-case scenario. Still, two of the charges carry mandatory minimum sentences that contemplate several years behind bars. This is significant should Jones attempt to negotiate a plea deal: To avoid prison time, he can only plead guilty to certain charges.
Jones, a five-star high school recruit whom the University of Southern California later dismissed because of poor grades, is no stranger to legal controversy. In June 2018, he was arrested for breaking into a Panda Express in Santa Paula, Calif., at 3:45 a.m. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor burglary and served a 45-day house arrest.
The Patriots drafted Jones, who transferred from USC to a community college and then to Arizona State, in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Older than most rookies, Jones quickly became a valued member of the defense, though was suspended for missing injury rehab appointments. Until the airport incident, Jones was expected to start for the Patriots in 2023.
Jones’ attorney, Rosemary Scapicchio, spoke outside the courthouse on Tuesday. She blasted “social media and the media” for portraying Jones as “a thug.” Scapicchio said the coverage reflects “institutional racism that we deal with every day in the court system” and insisted that Jones did not intend to bring guns into the airport.
Jones will have an opportunity to rebut the allegations and plead his innocence. He could offer several defenses or excuses that attempt to at least mitigate his situation. They include:
The guns belong to someone else, and he inadvertently took someone else’s bag containing those guns to the airport.
While his bag was out of his possession, the guns, belonging to someone else, were put into his bag.
The guns belonged to him but had no intention of taking them to the airport; perhaps he rushed to pack and grabbed the wrong bag or forgot to inspect the bag’s contents.
Jones would need corroborating evidence and testimony to bolster those types of narratives. One hurdle for Jones is that even if he didn’t intend to bring the guns, he may have lacked proper licenses for them.
Other NFL players have been arrested for guns at airports and some continued their careers. For instance, in 2020, New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was charged with two felonies for bringing a Glock 19 handgun in a carry-on bag at LaGuardia. He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a $250 fine.
Jones could be disciplined under the NFL’s conduct policy or be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, which is akin to administrative leave or a paid suspension, while his case plays out in court. Although Jones’ Panda Express legal matter may be relevant to a judge should Jones be convicted and face a sentence, it occurred before his NFL employment began and therefore shouldn’t be a factor in any NFL disciplinary action.
