FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots defensive lineman Chandler Jones broke his silence on Thursday and said “I made a mistake” that led to his hospitalization over the weekend.
Jones appeared in the New England locker room with 2 minutes left in the media availability. Asked if he felt the need to apologize to his teammates, he said: “I feel the need to apologize to everyone.”
Jones showed up at a local police station disoriented on Sunday. Police escorted him to the hospital, where he was admitted and released the same day.
A timeline released by the town of Foxborough Thursday states that an officer smelled burnt marijuana in Jones’ home while helping with a medical assist call Sunday evening.
This was in response to Jones showing up shirtless in the parking lot of the Foxborough police station, confused and in need of medical assistance, according to police. One officer said the shirtless NFL player appeared to be “actively praying” at the back door of the station and told police officers he had “been told” to come to come there.
The town released the official timeline from Sunday evening as well as Officer David Foscaldo’s account, though some of it is redacted.
Jones was not available during the 45 minutes that the Patriots locker room was open to reporters before practice on Wednesday. He was seen on the field during the stretching portion of practice. The team said in a statement that he has not missed practice or any team meetings.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick coach said Thursday his primary concern is Jones’ health. Belichick began his news conference with a statement expressing support for Jones.
Asked if the incident would affect how Jones will be used in the Patriots’ playoff game against Kansas City, Belichick said: “We’ll find out on Saturday. I can just Xerox you a copy of the game plan, you can send it over to Kansas City. That might be easier for all of us.”
Belichick then refused to answer any more questions about Jones.
The coach also declined to comment again on how he got a black eye earlier in the week.
To see the full police report, click here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
