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| ==Early years== | ==Early years== | ||
| In high school, Jones was a ] at ] in ], as well as a ] on the school ] team. He was also a member of the drama club at NHS and was an active participant in the "Keep Northside Red" campaign, which is an annual blood drive held on the Northside High School campus. "The Battle of Rogers Avenue" was a key reason why he transferred to Northside due to their rivalry with the crosstown ].{{Fact|date=November 2008}} |
In high school, Jones was a ] at ] in ], as well as a ] on the school ] team. He was also a member of the drama club at NHS and was an active participant in the "Keep Northside Red" campaign, which is an annual blood drive held on the Northside High School campus. "The Battle of Rogers Avenue" was a key reason why he transferred to Northside due to their rivalry with the crosstown ].{{Fact|date=November 2008}} | ||
| ==College career== | ==College career== | ||
Revision as of 06:49, 7 December 2008
American football player| File:Matt Jones Jacksonville.jpg | |||||||||||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||||||||
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| Career information | |||||||||||
| College: | Arkansas | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2005 / round: 1 / pick: 21 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Suspended | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2007 | |||||||||||
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Matthew Jones (born April 22, 1983 in Template:City-state) is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was selected by the Jaguars in the first round (21st overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arkansas.
Jones had not played wide receiver as his full time position until he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Early years
In high school, Jones was a quarterback at Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, as well as a sprinter on the school track team. He was also a member of the drama club at NHS and was an active participant in the "Keep Northside Red" campaign, which is an annual blood drive held on the Northside High School campus. "The Battle of Rogers Avenue" was a key reason why he transferred to Northside due to their rivalry with the crosstown Southside High School.
College career
In college, Jones was a star athlete for the University of Arkansas, where he played quarterback and was also a member of the basketball team. He currently holds the Southeastern Conference record for most career rushing yards by a quarterback.
Professional career
Pre-draft
At the NFL Combine, Jones, measured in at 6' 6" tall, and 242 pounds and recorded scores during the tests that showed speed and explosive ability that had not been seen before in a player of his size. These scores earned him the nickname "The Freak" from the coaches and athletes in attendance. These scores included being timed between 4.37 and 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash, a 39.5" vertical jump, and a 10' 9" broad jump.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jones, a college quarterback, was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a wide receiver in the first round (21st overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. A move that surprised some draft experts such as Mel Kiper Jr., whom thought it was a risky selection as Jones had not been a full time wide receiver at any point prior in his career.
As a rookie, Jones finished 2005 with 36 receptions for 432 yards and five touchdowns. He then finished 2006, with 41 receptions for 643 yards and four touchdowns. In 2007, he saw his production drop. At the beginning of the season, he pledged to not shave his beard until he scored a touchdown. His streak of end zone shutouts ended Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished the 2007 regular season with 24 receptions for 317 yards and was tied for 2nd on the team with four touchdown catches.
Arrest
On July 10, 2008 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Jones was arrested at gunpoint and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance.
Jones and one other former Arkansas football player, Jared Hicks, along with another person, Benjamin Cook, were inside a vehicle that was searched by police. The police found a plastic bag filled with six grams of a white substance that tested positive as cocaine and a jar with possible marijuana residue. Officers questioned Jones and he acknowledged the white powder was, in fact, cocaine, the report said.
Jones' dad, Steve Jones, refuted the allegations that his son was involved in any wrongdoing, releasing a statement which was posted on the web site of a Fayetteville television station, KNWA-TV: "We want to make it clear that Matt was not in possession of any drugs, but that there were drugs in the vehicle and were located in the closest proximity to Matt."
On October 8, 2008, an agreement was reached between Jones and the Washington County Prosecutor's Office. Prosecutor John Threet agreed to send the case to drug court on October 13, 2008. Prosecutors said the felony charge would be dismissed if Jones completes the drug program. A hearing in drug court, rather than in the regular criminal system, allows Jones to keep any conviction off his record.
The NFL suspended Jones for three weeks for substance abuse. He was in the lineup Week 8, pending an appeal.
Notes
- Former UA Quarterback Jones Arrested , Northwest Arkansas Times, 7/11/2008
- http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3654599
External links
| Jacksonville Jaguars first-round draft picks | |
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