Jones’ special treatment moves him closer to regaining UFC belt
By Lance Pugmire | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
There are rules for the rest of us, and then there are those reserved for the likes of Jon Jones.
After testing positive for cocaine in December, he fought in January.
He then ran his car into one driven by a pregnant woman and on Tuesday he walked out of court a free man, troubled only by the details of probation.
Take away his Ultimate Fighting Championship light-heavyweight title, make him give some speeches over the next 18 months — heartfelt or not — and save him a space in the octagon.
Jones, 28, issued an apology Tuesday after a New Mexico judge accepted his guilty plea to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury and sentenced him to 18 months of supervised probation.
“I am very happy to now be able to put this incident behind me,” Jones said in a statement his public relations agency posted on his Twitter account. “My actions have caused pain and inconvenience in the lives of others and for that I am truly sorry and I accept full responsibility.
“I have been working hard during this time away from my sport to grow and mature as a man and to ensure that nothing like this happens again. I have learned a great deal from this situation and I am determined to emerge a better person because of it.
“I apologize to those who were affected by my actions in this incident and I am hopeful that I will be given the opportunity to redeem myself in the eyes of the public, my family and friends as well as my supporters. I am not sure what the future holds for me but I plan to continue to do the work needed to be productive and successful in every aspect of my life.”
All powerful words, just like those that Jones uttered to Fox after the UFC allowed him to beat Daniel Cormier in January, days after the organization learned he had tested positive for cocaine in a test looking for performance-enhancing drugs.
UFC President Dana White said then that he was effectively powerless to stop the fight, since Jones had a signed contract and the drug test wasn’t intended to detect street drugs. White spoke of Jones’ interest in rehab treatment.
But that enabling and money-grabbing came back to bite both. Jones spent just one night in rehab, then was involved in the crash near Albuquerque, N.M., in April.
The woman in the other car suffered a broken arm. Jones fled the scene, only to return quickly — not to help the woman, but to retrieve a bundle of cash from his vehicle. An eyewitness identified Jones, and the next day, after a marijuana pipe was confiscated from Jones’ car, he turned himself in to authorities.
That was enough for the UFC to strip the belt from Jones (21-1), its No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter at the time, while Reebok also revoked its sponsorship deal with him.
But it’s fair to wonder now if they would’ve done so if they had known no jail time was coming.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Jones was accompanied by White, who, along with UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta didn’t immediately respond to questions from The Los Angeles Times.
The UFC released a statement Tuesday announcing that the organization and its attorneys “will thoroughly review the agreement before discussing Jones’ possible reinstatement to return to competition.”
They’ll have appropriate time.
Current light-heavyweight champion Cormier will defend his belt against Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday night in Houston. Gustafsson gave Jones his toughest fight yet in 2013.
Here’s betting Jones gets first crack at the winner.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Jones’ sentencing judge, Charles Brown, said this in comments relayed by reporters inside the courthouse:
“Mr. Jones, you got real lucky, and in a number of ways. I think you need to talk to young people because making one stupid decision changes your entire future.”
Maybe so. But, as Jones knows, having the right people in your corner can make the consequences of those stupid decisions go away.
