Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones is still under contract with the Dolphins, though it sounds like he’s done playing, admitting that years of injuries have left him in chronic pain, unable to run or even jump. A relative unknown coming out of UConn, Jones turned heads with a dominant Combine performance, setting a then-world record with a 12’3” broad jump en route to becoming a first-round pick in 2015. Years later, Jones would become the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, leaving Dallas in free agency to sign a five-year, $82.5-million contract with the Dolphins.
Unfortunately, that deal didn’t age well for Miami, with Jones spending all of last season on injured reserve following a longer-than-expected recovery from offseason ankle surgery. While Jones acknowledges the “privilege” it was to play football at its highest level, the 30-year-old questions whether it was all worth it, sacrificing his long-term health and happiness for a game that didn't love him back.
“I can’t run or jump because of the injuries sustained playing this game,” Jones warned this year’s crop of NFL hopefuls ahead of next week’s Combine in Indianapolis. “DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you.”
Jones wouldn’t go into any specifics, though he’s clearly alluding to pain injections (presumably Toradol and cortisone) and the profound impact they had on his career. Countless former players have shed light on football’s culture of drug abuse, encouraged by teams to numb themselves with addictive painkillers like Vicodin and Percocet. Whether that was his experience or not, Jones seems to harbor plenty of bitterness, resenting his past employers for continually neglecting his health and safety, subjecting him to football’s ugly underbelly with seedy doctors and crooked executives toeing the company line.
“It was an honor and privilege to play in the NFL but it came at a regrettable cost I did not foresee,” said Jones, lamenting his naivety in assuming teams would have his best interests at heart. “In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities.”
Jones’ decline, sapped of the speed and athleticism that once made him a household name, should serve as a sobering reminder that football isn’t forever, though the emotional and physical toll can last a lifetime.
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