J.J. Jones was a QB for the New York Jets. He was Joe Namath's back-up during the 1970's. He was one of the first African-American QB's in the NFL.
He died in a fire yesterday. He was renting a basement apartment of a house. The fire was most likely an arson.
I tried to look for something about his death on ESPN, but found nothing. That surprised me considering his place in NFL history. I just think this is part of a bigger issue.
We need to honor and take care of our NFL Veterans. Once they are out of the league, they are forgotten, and left to suffer the leftover physical pain of their NFL years. They have little health insurance, and end up, at times, living without the help they need to deal with the ongoing effects of the injuries they suffered.
We need to make sure the young players coming into the league know the history of the game.. they need to know about the players who blazed the trail.. whether it was for racial equality, or for financial security.. or if it was just a player who was a journeyman player, but was an integral part of the team.. Because football is a team effort. There is no one player or coach who could win a game by himself.
My thoughts go out to JJ's friends and family.
I belong to a Jets online community and below is a note that JJ Jones posted on the forum (Jetnation.com) in March, 2008. Some very interesting stuff.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Answer to "Where Is J. J. Jones Now?"
Thank you JetNation.com for the interest that has been taken to find out what happened to John "J.J." Jones. I am alive and well and still involved in minority business and community development activities around the world, as you can see from the news and information attachments below found at my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee’s The Mid South Tribune Newspaper’s web site www.blackinformationhighway.com.
As far as my football career is concerned, I forfeited it when I shared with the New York media and the whole world the private words told me by new Head Coach Lou Holtz that He had never had a Black Quarterback play for him that and he never would. I left New York City headed for the Calgary Stampeders Canadian Football League Team to replace their Quarterback Joe Pisarchek just one week before General Manager Andy Robistelli of the New York Giants called for me to come play Quarterback for him with the Giants. So, you know the infamous history of that story of Joe "P" and the Philadelphia Eagles’ last play of the game fumble return for a touchdown that took Joe "P" to Philly.
In any case, my sports career reward can be summed up in a statement made by National Football League Hall of Fame Quarterback Warren Moon when he gave credit to former Los Angeles Rams Quarterback "James Harris" and a "couple of others" for his being able to play Quarterback in the NFL. I met Warren Moon when he visited Mount Zion my church home in Seattle and I told him I was one of those "couple of others!" The other Black Quarterback pioneer in the National Football League was the Late "Jefferson Street" Joe Gilliam from Tennessee State University, which by the way was one of only three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football teams in 1973 that was undefeated and untied. I was Quarterback for the 1973 undefeated untied Fisk University Bulldogs located on that same "Jefferson Street" in Nashville, Tennessee.
I gave up my professional football career in the National Football League so that other African American Quarterback/Athletes that followed me from the likes of Doug Williams, Randle Cunningham, Rodney Peete to Vince Young and even Mike Vick could a real chance to play QB in the NFL like, the only man to win championships in the old American Football League and the National Football League, Weeb Ewbanks gave me with the New York Jets. Weeb was like a father, who in-fact died just two days after my Father Negro National Baseball League Memphis Red Sox Catcher Clinton "Casey" Jones.
Find at: http://www.blackinformationhighway.com/BIH%20Lanes.htm
And:
http://www.blackinformationhighway.com/JP%20Morgan%20Letter.htm
and: http://www.blackinformationhighway.com/Fed%20$200%20Bil%20letter.htm
and: http://www.blackinformationhighway.com/Kerry%20Millions%20Small%20Business.htm
and: http://www.blackinformationhighway.com/Editorial%20Fed%20Reserve%20Mandamus.htm
and: http://www.blackinformationhighway.com/Federal%20Reserve%20Complaint.htmand: http://www.blackinformationhighway.com/Banking%20Letter%20of%20Protest.htm
Best regards,
John Eddie "J.J." Jones, Second Vice President
Pacific Northwest Chapter National Black Chamber of Commerce
Pacific Rim Development Group LLC
Housing, Development and Construction Management Services
University Place, Washington 98467
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