Letter from Gerald Jones says it all

The stepfather always told the stepson he had a gift, and anyone who ever saw Gerald Jones on the football field agreed. Great athlete. Natural leader.

"Be a good steward of God's gift," Steve Davis told Jones. Don't take it for granted. Stay humble.

And if you somehow lose that humility, it will come and find you.

Humility found Gerald Jones on Jan. 11. Humility and embarrassment and despair.

Knoxville police charged the University of Tennessee flanker, a 2007 graduate of Millwood High School, and a teammate with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Worse yet, the football players were hosting a recruit, Muskogee's Jameel Owens, guaranteeing that Jones' transgression would get big play back in Oklahoma.

"Gerald felt horrible," Davis said. "He was humiliated. He was embarrassed for us."

Truth is, Jones wanted to leave Tennessee. Wanted to go somewhere he could start over. Somewhere he hadn't ruined his good name.

But today, Jones' status with Tennessee football isn't so bad. Maybe the lessons imparted by a stern stepfather took hold.

A week after his arrest, Jones wrote a letter. Nothing fancy. Nothing groundbreaking. But effective.

Dear Coach Fulmer, Teammates, Volunteer Fans and Parents:

I am sending this letter to each of you in order to express my sincere regret for embarrassing the University of Tennessee and the football program because of a most unfortunate, well-publicized situation last week. Even more importantly, I have let my parents, coaches, teammates, fans and myself down. Please accept my apology for my lack of judgment. There are no excuses.

I have been abundantly blessed in my life with a wonderful family and the unbelievable opportunity not only to play football, but also to get an education at one of the premier universities in America, the University of Tennessee.

Finally, I want to thank Coach Fulmer for the opportunity he has given me. Please know I have learned a hard life lesson, and I am committed to making sure it never happens again. I accept the responsibilities for my actions and will now move forward.

Respectfully,

Gerald Jones

Solid letter. Short and to the point. Jones could have had help writing such a letter and for all I know, he did. But as long as he means it, the sentiment holds.

We have seen our share of exalted football players find trouble in recent months. Shoplifting. Assaulting a peace officer. Theft. Sexual assault.

We don't really know how the guilty or the accused responded. They are off limits to the press. Heck, so is Gerald Jones.

But his stepfather shared the letter with The Oklahoman. And Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer returned a call within the afternoon after being told the nature of the inquiry, though we missed connections.

"I was terribly disappointed," Jones' mother, Camille Davis, said of the arrest. "The last thing I would have imagined. He was terribly embarrassed. He decided he wanted to make his wrong right. I was proud of him for doing that."

Jones isn't the first football player in trouble to express regret and promise to do better. Some of them even mean it. Maybe Gerald Jones means it. I like his chances.

He seems to have received good raising. Steve Davis is a minister at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Oklahoma City and was a chaplain for the NBA Hornets when they were in town.

Davis admits he and his stepson didn't always get along. Jones himself said a year ago one reason he signed with Tennessee was it was far from home and it was time to get out and see the world.

When Jones was in high school, his father died. Camille Davis wonders if her son adequately grieved. And Steve Davis admits he has been rough on his stepson.

"I rode Gerald hard," Davis said. "I saw Gerald had a great gift. I saw a lot of young African-American men doing dumb stuff, with the world in their hands, literally throwing it away."

When others praised Jones, his stepfather would offer instruction. Ways to be better. Ways to improve.

Before Jones left for Tennessee, he had a poignant conversation with the man who helped raise him.

"I had moments where I hated you," Jones told Davis. "I prayed and asked God, 'Why are you in my life?' But I appreciate you for how hard you were on me."

Some of that guidance came to fruit when Jones found trouble in Tennessee.

"When this situation came up, I was disturbed by it," Davis said. "He was so embarrassed. He wanted to leave. But I told him, a real man faces his obstacles. You deal with it, hold your head up and keep on moving. I told Gerald to pray about it."

Davis wanted his stepson to blame no one else. To accept responsibility.

Jones decided to write the letter.

"When he chose to do that, my heart flooded," Davis said. He told Jones, "I see you maturing as a young man."

Who knows if further trouble awaits Gerald Jones? But the letter seems a good place to start on the right road.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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