Dominic Jones (born January 18, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive back. He played college football at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

before being dismissed from the program and transferring to

Otterbein College Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Bre ...

. He attended Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Ohio.

Early years

Born the son of Keith Jones and DaMona Lipsey, Jones played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the Brookhaven High School Bearcats. As a senior in 2004, Jones helped lead the Bearcats to an Ohio Division II State Championship. Jones received scholarship offers from

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

College career

University of Minnesota

Jones chose to continue his football career for the

. Jones saw playing immediately for the Gophers, appearing in all 12 games as a true freshman. He was 6th on the team with 55 tackles on the season, while also leading the team in punt return yards. As a sophomore in 2006, Jones was the starting strong safety for the Golden Gophers, starting at 13 games. He tied for second on the team with 82 tackles, while also serving as the team's primary kickoff and punt returner.

Sexual assault conviction

In July 2007, Jones was charged. He was acquitted of the rape charge against 21 year old Katherine Iannito and eventually convicted of criminal sexual conduct. In July 2009, an appeals court upheld Jones' conviction, but reduced his four year prison sentence, which was even higher than the usual recommended guidelines the felony, to time he already served.

Otterbein College

After serving one year in a

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapo ...

workhouse, Jones enrolled at

, where he was given a chance to join the football program. Jones earned first team All-America, All-Region, and All-

Ohio Athletic Conference The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) was formed in 1902 and is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States. Its current commissioner is Sarah Otey. Former commissioners include Mike Cleary, who was the first General Manager of a profe ...

in his lone season with the Cardinals.

Professional career

Cleveland Gladiators

Jones was assigned to the Cleveland Gladiators on October 20, 2011.

Orlando Predators

Jones signed with the

Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played its ...

on November 5, 2012. He returned 88 kicks for 1,751 yards and four touchdowns during the 2013 season, earning Second Team All-Arena honors as a kick returner.

Return to Gladiators

Jones was traded to the Cleveland Gladiators on February 18, 2014.

Coaching career

Jones was named the defensive backs coach of the Cleveland Gladiators on March 3, 2016. In December 2016, he was promoted to assistant head coach and director of football operations.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Dominic Living people 1987 births Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio American football defensive backs Minnesota Golden Gophers football players Otterbein Cardinals football players Cleveland Gladiators players Orlando Predators players Cleveland Gladiators coaches Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio