Jones is fined another $23,976
Christmas Eve was especially costly for Mac Jones.
The Patriots quarterback was fined a total of $23,976 by the NFL for a pair of unnecessary roughness infractions in last weekend’s 22-18 loss to the Bengals, a league source confirmed Saturday.
Jones was hit with a $13,367 penalty for his low block on Cincinnati cornerback Eli Apple ,a play in which Jones was not flagged.
He was fined an additional $10,609 for his skirmish following running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s late fumble. Jones was flagged for unnecessary roughness on that play, in which he dived into the scrum for the ball after officials had already deemed the play over.
Jones defended his actions following the fumble.
“I think obviously there’s a little bit of a pile there and then the ball squirted out actually into another pile,” he said after the game. “I went over there and tried to grab the ball to save the game. So, at the end of the day, you’ve got to take your chance and try to get the ball, got to compete for the ball because it’s a live ball until somebody holds it up in the air. You’ve got to go get it, and that’s what I tried to do.”
The latest fines come two weeks after Jones was hit with a $10,609 league penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after he tossed a ball that hit Buffalo
Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa.
The dollar amounts for the fines are determined by a scale agreed upon in the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
Apple called out Jones after the game, calling his block “a dirty play.” Jones faced criticism from other NFL circles during the week, including Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay and former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back turned ESPN analyst Ryan Clark.
“I think obviously that’s a big part of it, is everybody has an opinion and the biggest thing for me is focusing on being the best teammate I can be and earning the respect of the people in this building and the people I care about,” Jones said Wednesday when asked about the criticism. “Obviously, I have respect for everybody around the league. It takes a lot to get to this league. There’s really good players out there, and we’re all playing hard and trying to win. At the end of the day, you have to keep that in mind. It’s a game and you want to just have fun, enjoy it, and compete against each other. That’s something that I’ve always done, and I know my teammates appreciate that about me.”
Bill Belichick declined to fuel the narrative that his quarterback is a dirty player, saying Friday his focus was on Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. The coach said he was “comfortable” with the relationships he has with all his players when asked if not specifically defending Jones could lead to problems.
Rookie corner to IR
The Patriots placed rookie cornerback Jack Jones on injured reserve because of a knee issue suffered early in the Dec. 12 game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Jones, who has missed the last two games, had become a regular part of the boundary corner rotation. He has 30 tackles, 6 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions — including a pick-6 against Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in Week 4 in his first career start.
His place on the roster was taken by defensive back Tae Hayes, who was signed off the practice squad. Hayes has played in 11 career games, including five with the Carolina Panthers this season, and registered 13 tackles and two passes defensed.
In addition, the Patriots elevated cornerback Quandre Mosely and tight end Matt Sokol from the practice squad. Sunday’s game would be Mosely’s NFL debut, while Sokol was elevated in Week 5 and played against the Detroit Lions.