Raiders release DE Chandler Jones following arrest for allegedly violating protective order
The Las Vegas Raiders have released defensive end Chandler Jones, the team announced Saturday, after he was arrested for allegedly violating a protective order.
Parting ways with Jones comes after a string of incidents involving the 33-year-old. He has been away from the Raiders all season and placed on the non-football illness list earlier in September. On Sept. 5, Jones began posting expletive-laden videos on social media, including one that said he was done playing for the team. After saying he was locked out of the team's facility, he made accusations against team owner Mark Davis, general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels.
On Sept. 8, Jones posted that the Raiders sent a crisis response team to his home after alleging he was taken to a hospital “against my will.”
Jones was arrested Friday morning. According to The Athletic's Tashan Reed, Jones has an initial court date set for Dec. 4 after posting bond.
Asked about Jones on Friday, McDaniels said, via Reed, "I don't have much to add to any of that. Nothing's changed on our end in terms of his status and everything else. I'm not up to speed on everything." The NFL released a statement saying they were "closely monitoring the matter" and were "in constant communication with the Raiders."
The Raiders released a statement of their own saying they were "hopeful" that Jones "receives the care that he needs. He, his family and all those involved are in our thoughts. As this is now a legal matter, we will not be providing further comment."
The four-time Pro Bowler was inactive for the first two games and also missed the Raiders' Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two-time All-Pro started 15 games for the Raiders last season in the second year of a three-year, $51 million contract.
