Matthew Jones (born April 22, 1983) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

. Jones was selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) in the first round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

, and also played for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. After his football career, he was a sports radio personality.

Early life

Matt Jones was born to Steve and Paula Jones on April 22, 1983, in

Dermott, Arkansas Dermott is a city in Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2010 census. Dermott was incorporated in 1890. Dermott was home to the Dermott Crawfish Festival. Geography Dermott is located in the northwest corn ...

. He spent most of his childhood in

Van Buren, Arkansas Van Buren ( ) is the second-largest city in the Fort Smith metropolitan area, Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is lo ...

, where his parents taught school and his father coached football and track. He attended Van Buren Public Schools from grade school through the end of his junior year. He burst onto the high school football scene as a sophomore

(WR), quickly making an impact for the Pointers football team, leading the team in TD receptions. He helped lead the Pointers to a 5A conference title and was named Super Sophomore by the ''Arkansas Democrat Gazette''. Jones went on to break

Corliss Williamson Corliss Mondari Williamson (born December 4, 1973) is an American basketball coach who serves as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a former player who played for four teams ...

's Arkansas high school basketball scoring record. Jones left Van Buren following his junior year for the opportunity to play

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

at Northside High School in

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...

, as well as be a sprinter on the school track team.

College career

In college, Jones was a star quarterback for the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

, and was also a member of the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team for one season. During his football career at Arkansas, Jones was a part-time starter his freshman season in 2001, and was the full-time starter from 2002 to 2004. In his freshman year, Jones helped Arkansas defeat an

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...

-led

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

team in Oxford in an NCAA record-setting seven overtimes. The Razorbacks lost to the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

in the Cotton Bowl, and finished with a record of 7–5. In his sophomore season, Jones led Arkansas to a share of the SEC West Division championship, with a last-second touchdown pass to receiver Decori Birmingham, in a game against

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

in Little Rock. The game came to be known in the

Arkansas–LSU football rivalry The Arkansas–LSU football rivalry, formally known as the Battle for the Boot but more recently sometimes informally called the Battle for the Golden Boot, is an American college football rivalry between the Razorbacks of the University of A ...

as the Miracle on Markham, making reference to

War Memorial Stadium War Memorial Stadium may refer to: * Ada War Memorial Stadium, in Ada, Ohio, also known as ''War Memorial Stadium'' * War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas), Little Rock, Arkansas * War Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) (former official name 1924–1947), ...

's being on Markham Street. Arkansas lost to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

in the

2002 Music City Bowl The 2002 Music City Bowl was the fifth edition of the bowl game. It was played at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee on December 30, 2002, and featured the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Sponsored by Gaylord Hotels, it was o ...

, and finished 9–5. His junior year in 2003 was his most eventful, and saw Jones lead the Razorbacks to their second consecutive 9-win season. This included another seven-overtime victory, this time at Kentucky. Jones also led Arkansas to a

2003 Independence Bowl The 2003 Independence Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Missouri Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks on December 31, 2003, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Missouri was making their first bowl appearance ...

victory over the

Missouri Tigers The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the "Fighting Tigers of Columbia" who, in 1864, protected Columbia ...

, 27–14, and the Razorbacks finished the season with a 9–4 record. Jones was named Second-team

All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...

at the end of the season. Jones' senior year saw Arkansas fail to reach a bowl game, finishing 5–6. By the time his playing days at Arkansas were over, Jones was the SEC's all-time leader in career rushing yards by a quarterback. His rushing totals have since been eclipsed by

Tim Tebow Timothy Richard Tebow (; born August 14, 1987) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos. Tebow played college football for t ...

and Nick Fitzgerald.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jones, a college quarterback, was selected by the

as a

in the

first round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

(21st overall) of the

. This move surprised some draft experts who thought it was a risky selection as Jones had not been a full-time wide receiver at any prior point in his career. As a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

, Jones finished

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

with 36 receptions for 432 yards and five

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s. He then finished

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

with 41 receptions for 643 yards and four touchdowns. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, 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 in Week 8 against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. He finished the 2007 regular season with 24 receptions for 317 yards and was tied for second on the team with four touchdown catches. In 2008, he had 65 catches for 761 yards in 12 games before being suspended for three games by the NFL on October 20, 2008, for violation of the league's

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

policy. He has not played in a regular-season NFL game since. On March 16, 2009, Jones was released from the Jacksonville Jaguars following substance abuse-related arrests.

Cincinnati Bengals

Jones worked out with several teams during the 2009 season, but none resulted in contracts. After spending the 2009 NFL season out of football, Jones received contract offers from the

and the Tennessee Titans. On February 12, 2010, Jones signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Bengals. Jones was waived on the last day of final cuts by the Bengals and did not make the 53-man roster. On November 2, 2010, it was reported that Jones declined a tryout with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, telling them that he intended to retire.

NFL career statistics

Radio career

Jones worked as a sports radio personality in Arkansas from 2012 to 2016.

Arrests

On July 10, 2008, in

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city ...

, Jones was arrested at gunpoint and charged with

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...

possession of a controlled substance. Jones and one other former Arkansas football player, Jared Hicks, 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 Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

and a jar with possible

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

residue. Officers questioned Jones and he acknowledged the white powder was in fact cocaine, the report said. Jones' father, Steve Jones, disputed the allegations that his son was involved in any wrongdoing and released a statement which was posted on the web site of Fayetteville television station

KNWA-TV KNWA-TV (channel 51) is a television station licensed to Rogers, Arkansas, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Fort Smith–licensed Fox a ...

: ''"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 completed the drug program. A hearing in drug court, rather than in the regular criminal system, allowed Jones to keep any conviction off his record. The NFL suspended Jones for three weeks for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He was in the lineup for Week 8, pending an appeal. On December 9, 2008, the NFL upheld Jones' three-game suspension, which caused him to miss the rest of the season. On March 9, 2009, in Washington County, Jones was arrested again after failing a drug test which showed that he had alcohol in his system, which violated the condition of his probation. He was held in jail after he asked to be imprisoned rather than sent to a six-week residential treatment program that would have interfered with the beginning of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

. He was released on March 14, 2009, after his latest arrest, but returned to court on April 13.Jones Released from Jail
SI.com, March 14, 2009

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Matt 1983 births Living people American football quarterbacks American football tight ends American football wide receivers American men's basketball players Arkansas Razorbacks football players Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Jacksonville Jaguars players Cincinnati Bengals players Players of American football from Fort Smith, Arkansas People from Van Buren, Arkansas Basketball players from Arkansas