Football

Defensive lineman Datone Jones baptized after 'living for all the wrong reasons'

By Joshua Doering Feb 27, 2019
Datone Jones baptized in February 2019. (Photo Courtesy: Sports Spectrum)

After what he described as “living for all the wrong reasons,” defensive lineman Datone Jones decided to give his life to Christ. On Tuesday, Jones posted a video on Twitter of him getting baptized in front of a crowd that included his wife, Lauren, and fellow NFL players.

Jones was selected 26th overall by the Green Bay Packers out of UCLA in the 2013 draft. He spent his first four seasons with the team, recording nine sacks in 59 games.

Hours after the Packers lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the 2014 NFC Championship Game, Jones was ticketed for marijuana possession. Two weeks later, he learned Lauren was pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Laila Jones — named after Laila Ali, the daughter of Muhammad Ali — arrived in October 2015. Jones told packersnews.com after Laila’s birth that her arrival forced him to become more mature.

“I want her to pull me up in 18 years and see all of the great things that I’ve done, all of the things that I do in the community here and back home,” Jones said in the piece. “I just want to show her that her dad is a superhero, and it’s not how you start, it’s all about how you finish, and I’ve overcome so much adversity. I’m a family man, and whatever my wife or she needs, I’m going to provide for her.”

After brief stints with the Vikings, Lions and 49ers, Jones signed with the Dallas Cowboys in November 2017. Knee and hamstring injuries limited him to one game last season.

Jones will be a free agent when the new league year starts on March 13.

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