gresh and fauria: Why isn't Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson making the trip to Germany?
Things are not going well for J.C. Jackson in his return to New England.
The Patriots cornerback will reportedly not travel to Germany with the team this weekend due to “questions about his reliability” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“The decision was made to have him stay home,” Rapoport tweeted on Wednesday. “Get through the bye and return in a better place.”
Jackson was effectively benched to start last Sunday’s game against the Commanders and then refused to speak to the media following the contest. SI's Albert Breer reported on Wednesday that the benching was a result of him being late to the Patriots' team hotel on Saturday.
Cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino said on Tuesday that the narrative building around both Jackson and Jack Jones’ benching is ‘a little messed up’:
“Everyone’s trying to make it about those two,” he said. “I think the narrative should be more pushed towards, ‘What did Shaun [Wade] do right to earn that opportunity?’ Because Sean has done a lot of great things here for us in this past year and is a different player than what he has been in the past.”
All of this comes on the heels of a report from ESPN's Kris Rhim that detailed Jackson's departure from Los Angeles. After the Chargers signed the cornerback to a five-year, $82 million deal, he proceeded to miss 14 of 22 games and reported "routinely show[ed] that he wasn't as committed as the rest of the team while being one of [their] highest paid players."
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco reportedtly stood in front of the defensive backs meeting room following Jackson's trade back to the Patriots and apologized, calling it "a swing and a miss."
The Patriots, sans Jackson, will travel to Frankfurt Germany on Thursday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s matchup vs. the Colts.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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