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This year, Ja Morant became the latest in a long line of professional athletes who’ve metaphorically (or, in the case of Plaxico Burress, literally) shot themselves in the foot (or leg) thanks to their affinity for guns.
While New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones is innocent until proven guilty, he’s still facing the incredibly stiff punishment that the state of Massachusetts could dole out if the legal system ultimately determines he was responsible for the litany of charges he’s facing after he was allegedly caught with the two unregistered (and illegally modified) firearms he supposedly carried through a TSA checkpoint at Logan International last week.
According to CBS News, Jones was arraigned at East Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday morning and was released on the $30,000 bail he posted following his arrest after pleading not guilty to all of the charges against him.
The New England CB didn’t have anything to say after exiting the courthouse, but the same cannot be said for his attorney Rosemary Scapicchio, who went scorched earth on the members of the media who’d gathered outside to greet them.
Scapicchio made it very clear she believes this particular case is linked to her client’s race; while I’m having trouble finding any mainstream media outlets that have described Jones as a “thug,” she attempted to shove that narrative into the forefront, saying:
“This is no different than any other criminal case. As far as Mr. Jones is concerned, it’s social media and the media who have turned him into a thug—who’ve labeled him a thug—with no evidence whatsoever…
Mr. Jones never wanted to be thought of as a thug, but because he’s a young Black man, all of a sudden he’s a thug. That’s what’s happened here.
There’s no evidence to that whatsoever, and it’s disrespectful to Mr. Jones and everyone else—every other Black man in America who’s young and Black—to be called a thug because he happens to be Black. This is the institutional racism we deal with every day in the court system. “
Scapicchio also danced around questions concerning the specific details of the case, and while she placed a fair amount of the blame on social media, she also attempted to argue the reporters outside the courthouse were responsible for promoting the “thug” label (a claim a number of the journalist audibly contested).
Jones is scheduled to appear back in court for a probable cause hearing that will take place on August 18th.