Remorseful J.C. Jackson Reveals Reason For Patriots Suspension
J.C. Jackson took responsibility for the off-the-field mistake that prompted the Patriots to leave him behind for their trip to Germany.
The cornerback told MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels on Tuesday that he missed multiple bed checks at the team hotel before New England’s Week 9 loss to Washington, which got him benched for the first two series of that game and told to stay away from the team until after it returned from Frankfurt the following week.
Jackson called his missed curfew a “mistake” and a “reality check”
“I’m here now, so hopefully that won’t happen again,” Jackson told MassLive. “It was all my fault. I made a mistake. That’s what you’re going to get from Bill (Belichick). That’s one thing about him. He’s going to discipline no matter who you are.”
Jackson added: “It was nothing major. I wasn’t out that night doing anything stupid. It was just I wasn’t where I was supposed to be on time. Little mistakes, man. I’m a professional. I know better than that. I’ve been around. I’ve never missed a bed check. Things happen. If I knew what that was going to cause, I would have never done it.”
The 28-year-old said the punishment drove home the point that he’s “not bigger than the team.” He said he only wants to play for the Patriots, who re-acquired him from the Los Angeles Chargers last month after a wave of injuries decimated their cornerback group.
Jackson started for the Patriots in Weeks 6, 7 and 8 before his bed-check mishap.
“I’m not bigger than nobody in here,” Jackson told MassLive. “This is a team sport, and I have to do whatever everybody else is doing. I want to be a part of the team. This is my team. This is home for me, man. This is where I want to be. I don’t want to go nowhere else. I want to finish my career here, also.
“I’ve just got to continue to build that leadership each and every day. It just stinks for me — I kind of played a lot of football. I know what to do at this point.”
Multiple reports indicated second-year cornerback Jack Jones also missed curfew before the Commanders game, though Jones denied those reports. The Patriots released Jones upon their return from Frankfurt, where they lost 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts. He was claimed off waivers by Las Vegas and made his Raiders debut on Sunday.
Jackson, who spent his first four NFL seasons in New England, has participated in both Patriots practices since the team returned stateside. He could make his return to the lineup when New England visits the New York Giants this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.