Kitwana Shaloyd Jones (born July 7, 1981) is a former

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He was signed by the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2005. Jones has also played professionally for the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

and

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

. 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 ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

and

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...

Playing career

College football

Jones started his

career at the

(UNC), where he saw playing time as a true freshman in 2000. He played mainly on special teams at North Carolina. He also spent time practicing as a fullback. Jones left the UNC football program for disciplinary reasons and then joined

for his final two seasons of college football. While at Hampton, Jones started 19 games, including 11 in his senior season. After his 2003 season, Jones was named All-Conference (

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and the Mid-A ...

) and Division I-AA All-America.

Professional football

Jones started his professional career in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) when he was signed by the

in March, 2005. He made his debut with the club in Week 10 of the

2005 CFL season The 2005 CFL season is considered to be the 52nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 48th Canadian Football League season. CFL News in 2005 New ownership groups took control of two CFL franchises in the 2005 ...

. He finished his rookie CFL season with 15 tackles (11 on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

) and one quarterback sack. Jones played on defense and special teams for the Roughriders in

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 ...

, finishing the season with 31 tackles and eight quarterback sacks. During the 2006 season, Jones twice recorded two sacks in a game. The Roughriders captured the 2007 Grey Cup, with Jones playing

and linebacker as well playing on special teams. During the Western Final, Jones had two fumble recoveries. Jones played defensive end full-time for the Roughriders in the 2008 season and led the team in sacks with five. Prior to the 2009 season, Jones was traded to the

in return for quarterback

Juan Joseph Juan Joseph (August 26, 1987 – November 16, 2014) was a professional Arena football quarterback who also played American and Canadian football. He last played for the Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL). He wa ...

. Jones played in nine games for the Eskimos before being released. After his release, he had offers to join the Roughriders or the

, and Jones elected to sign back with the Roughriders. Roughriders director of player personnel Joe Womack admitted that trading Jones had been a mistake: " Eric (Tillman, Saskatchewan's GM) and myself and Ken (Miller, the Roughriders' head coach) admittedly probably made a mistake -- and that's OK to admit that; teams do it all the time." Joseph, the player the Roughriders received in exchange for Jones was released by the club after training camp. Jones finished the 2009 season with 14 tackles. Heading into the 2010 season, Jones was not mentioned among the top contenders on the Roughriders to replace departing defensive linemen

John Chick John Chick (born November 20, 1982) is an American former professional football defensive end who played eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL), primarily with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. After signing with Saskatchewan in 2007, h ...

and Stevie Baggs, which suited him fine, "I’m always the undersized guy at my position. There are things that I have to do to remain a Roughrider but I know that I’m in a fight. Then again, I’m always fighting." Jones also sees significant playing time on special teams, where he is considered by some to be among the CFL's best. On Mar 13, 2011, Jones signed with the

. On May 7, 2012, Jones was released by the Alouettes.

Personal

Jones grew up in Wilmington,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, where he was one of ten children. He attended Emsley A. Laney High School, the

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

. Jones also spent a year at

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private school, private, all-male, college preparatory Christian school, Christian Military school, military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is co ...

. He has one son, Tyleke, whom he fathered when he was 14. Jones spends time in the off-season mentoring troubled youth in his home town of Wilmington, and spends time during the season with young fans who have special needs. While Jones was with the Eskimos, he acquired the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

'Batman' after an incident in which he chased down and apprehended a mugger who had stolen a woman's purse. Jones said of the incident, "God just put me in a good place where I could help someone. He knows what kind of heart I have."

References

External links

Saskatchewan Roughriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Kitwana 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Wilmington, North Carolina Hampton Pirates football players North Carolina Tar Heels football players Canadian football defensive linemen Saskatchewan Roughriders players Edmonton Elks players Players of American football from North Carolina Emsley A. Laney High School alumni