From thrilling thousands of LSU fans as a two-sport athlete to wondering if he would ever play football again. That was the fate of former LSU safety and relief pitcher Chad Jones after a gruesome car accident last June in New Orleans mangled his left leg and put his professional future in doubt.
Two months earlier, the New York Giants picked Jones in the third round of the NFL draft. But the single-vehicle accident shattered his tibia and fibula, ripped large chucks of skin from his heel and leg — exposing the damaged muscles — and gashed several nerves and veins. The surgical aftermath focused more on Jones’ eventual ability to walk, let alone play football.
Jones, known affectionately as the “Dreadlocks of Doom” by LSU fans for his flowing mane, said he had no idea the injuries were so severe in the immediate wake of the crash.
“In the ambulance, on the way [to the hospital], I was in and out [of consciousness], but I thought I had a broken leg and would probably be out just a few months before I got rolling again,” the New Orleans native said. “Once I woke up in the hospital and the doctors told me, that changed real sometimes.”
Still, one can hear the excitement in Jones’ voice as he describes the next big step in his recovery. On Oct. 5 — his birthday — he will run his first timed 40-yard dash since the accident.
When and if Jones plays in an NFL game, it will likely be with the Giants, who embraced him at training camp this summer and currently have him on their Physically Unable to Perform list.
As the Tigers prepare to travel to Starkville, Miss., for their Thursday night showdown with Mississippi State, the setting has brought back memories of what was perhaps Jones’ finest hour as an LSU football player.
With LSU locked in a tight battle early in the fourth quarter as a heavy favorite at Mississippi State in 2009, Jones fielded a punt at his own 7-yard line, made a few shifty jukes, shook off several tackles and followed the excitable windmill blocking of former cornerback Patrick Peterson down the right sideline for a 93-yard touchdown.
Minutes later, Jones essentially saved the game with a seemingly superhuman pass deflection near the goal line in the game’s final minute that prevented a probable winning touchdown for the Bulldogs. LSU coach Les Miles tabbed the former safety’s heroics as his favorite moment from the Tigers’ 30-26 triumph.
“The memory that I have is Chad Jones returning a punt and [former defensive tackle Charles] Alexander leading the way with a block at midfield with Patrick Peterson waving his arms, giving directions,” Miles said. “It’s hard to forget that zone.”
Jones said he still keeps in touch with the LSU program, especially through several players he hosted during recruiting visits, like Lavar Edwards, Tyrann Mathieu and Deangelo Peterson.
“I developed a bond with those guys on their visits. I brought them in,” said Jones, who also won a baseball national championship in 2009 as an effective relief pitcher for coach Paul Mainieri’s squad. “They were right there, showing concern after my injuries and seeing how I was doing. But everybody at LSU has been incredible to genuine.”
The younger Jones said he has kept a close eye on this year’s Tiger defense.
“They look real good,” said the 2009 Second-Team All-Southeastern Conference safety. “Defensive backs are flying to the ball. Some of the young guys have popped up real good, and got the defense rolling. They look like one of the best defenses in the country, which LSU should be every year. It’s continuing the legacy. I’m proud to be a part of that