NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback
Adam Jones bought a full-page newspaper advertisement to
print an open letter in which he promised to regain the trust of
his team and fans.
In the ad in the sports section of Friday's editions of The
Tennessean, Nashville's daily newspaper, Jones told his family,
coaches, teammates and Titans fans he must reorganize his
priorities.
"In the past few weeks, I have learned a lifetime of lessons,"
the letter states.
Jones writes of hoping to not only meet, but exceed the
expectations people have of him.
"The first step in meeting these goals is for me to stop making
the poor choices that have put me in this position," the letter
reads.
Jones said he plans to appeal his season-long suspension by NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell, the same person who will hear that
appeal. Cincinnati receiver Chris Henry, a teammate of Jones at
West Virginia, also was suspended. But Henry received an eight-game
ban.
In his letter, Jones said his attorneys advised him to appeal
the suspension to "clarify some of the facts and address the
unprecedented punishment that was imposed." Jones first announced
his intention of appealing last week.
His attorneys had declined to comment since Jones' announcement
he would appeal except to promise that a statement was coming. The
appeal must be filed by April 30.
Jones said he plans to re-enroll at West Virginia University and
finish his degree. he also plans to fund a scholarship for walk-on football players at WVU.
The sixth pick overall in the 2005 draft and the first defensive
player taken that year, Jones has talked with police 10 times since
being drafted, and been arrested five times. He has not been
convicted of any charge since being drafted.
Goodell left open the chance for Jones' return after the Titans'
10th game if he meets a list of stringent requirements. That
included staying out of "adverse" involvement with police and
putting together a plan of community service the NFL must approve.
But Las Vegas police want to charge Jones for inciting a fight
at a strip club on Feb. 19 that led to a triple shooting. Jones
also did not inform the Titans of two arrests in Georgia last year,
and a felony obstruction charge for allegedly biting a
Fayetteville, Ga., police officer was delayed until May.
Titans owner Bud Adams has said team officials weren't sure they
want Jones back unless he changes his behavior and avoids
controversy off the field. Titans coach Jeff Fisher didn't want to
talk about Jones during a radio interview Friday morning.
"We've moved on. I have moved on," Fisher said.
"The words he wrote came from his heart," his attorney, Manny Arora, told The Tennessean. "I don't think he could describe any better what he felt than what he wrote."
According to The Tennessean's advertising rate card, a full-page black and white ad in a Friday edition has a listed price of $11,535.30. It is not clear if Jones paid that amount, the newspaper reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.