The Patriots might eventually sever ties with cornerback Jack Jones following an arrest on serious gun charges that include mandatory minimum sentences. According to his lawyer, Jones was almost released in the aftermath of the arrest.
Via Sean T. McGuire of NESN.com, attorney Rosemary Scappichio told reporters after Tuesday’s arraignment that Jones was nearly “fired” by the Patriots.
She blamed the near miss on the treatment of Jones by the media and by social media, arguing he was painted as a “thug” and that such a label is “completely unfounded.”
“All Mr. Jones wants to do is play football,” Scapicchio said. “He doesn’t want to be a distraction at all. He wants to support his family and play football. That’s his goal here. But everyone turned him into this thug, this wannabe gangster with no evidence whatsoever.”
Well, no evidence other than an arrest for a fairly long list of weapons charges, including possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport, possession of ammunition without a Firearm Identification Card, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, and possession of a large-capacity feeding device. (That last one is the one that always stands out.)
“We’re suggesting you do your research before you start writing like that,” Scappichio said. “In this case, we’re grateful to the Patriots organization and to the leaders of the Patriots that they didn’t believe and read in, and feed into, what was happening on social media where people were saying he was a wannabe thug and he was trying to get the guns past security. Nothing can be further from the truth. That’s not what happened in this case and I suggest we wait to hear all of the evidence before people jump to a conclusion.”
We’ve made the point that it’s not uncommon for people to accidentally take a bag to the airport that has a gun in it. But a major part of responsible gun ownership includes, you know, always knowing where you loaded guns are — given that there are specific penalties that apply for taking guns into certain places.