JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars released wide receiver Matt Jones on Monday morning, the team's Web site reported.
Jones was cut by the team following his release form three days in an Arkansas jail ordered after violation of probation on a drug charge last summer.
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Jones was arrested for violating his probation after testing positive for alcohol during a random drug test on Feb. 27. His probation stems from his arrest for cocaine possession in July 2008, which also brought a three-game suspension by the NFL.
Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver was asked if this move was sent to send a message to other players.
"It is a message about, you know, we have certain standards, and people that go across that line, we just won't tolerate it."
The Jaguars' move came on the day players returned to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to undergo physical assessments that kick off new strength coach Luke Richesson's conditioning program.
Jones was the 21st overall pick of the 2005 draft and the Jaguars spent the past three seasons trying to convert the standout college quarterback into a high-caliber receiver.
In four seasons with the Jaguars, the Arkansas product has caught 166 balls for 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns in 54 games, including a career-high 65 grabs for 761 yards in 2008.
"We wish Matt well. We hope that he'll get his life together and be very successful," Weaver said. "It was time for him to move on."
"Move on he will. No doubt some other team will try to rehabilitate Matt Jones as a football player," said Channel 4 sports director Sam Kouvaris. "The question is, does it make the Jaguars any better? It doesn't make them that much worse. It's not like they cut Jerry Rice in this situation. Matt Jones is an OK player who proved to be an OK player on a very mediocre team, in fact perhaps a poor team in 2008, who will easily be replaced in terms of locker room presence, ability on the field and the numbers he was able to put up."
Previous Stories:
- March 12, 2009: Matt Jones: His Fault Or Ours?
- March 10, 2009: Jags' QB Continues To Support Troubled Receiver Matt Jones
- March 10, 2009: Jags WR Matt Jones Ordered To Jail
- December 9, 2008: NFL Suspends Matt Jones For Season's Last 3 Games
- October 21, 2008: Matt Jones Facing 3-Game Suspension
- October 8, 2008: Matt Jones Ordered To Drug Court
- July 11, 2008: Jaguars' Matt Jones Arrested In Arkansas
- April 29, 2005: Rookies Take Spotlight In Jaguars Mini-Camp