Colts' Art Jones fesses up, vows to rebound
ANDERSON – It was supposed to be the day he moved one step closer to retaking the field, a development nearly a year in the making.
Colts' Art Jones fesses up, vows to rebound ANDERSON – It was supposed to be the day he moved one step closer to retaking the field, a development nearly a year in the making. Check out this story on IndyStar.com: http://indy.st/2aj9GDo
Stephen Holder, stephen.holder@indystar.com Published 3:06 p.m. ET July 26, 2016 | Updated 6:31 p.m. ET July 26, 2016
Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones arrives for Indianapolis Colts training camp Tuesday, July 26, 2016, morning at Anderson University in Anderson IN.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)
Wednesday at training camp: Practice, 1:55-4:40 p.m.; Colts City: 12:30-5 p.m.
Instead, when the Indianapolis Colts reported to training camp on Tuesday, the occasion was yet another frustrating milepost for defensive tackle Art Jones.
Two years marked by injury setbacks and, now, a four-game PED suspension that will keep him off the field until Week 5, at the earliest.
"Obviously, it's not how I wanted to start off my camp," Jones said of the suspension, announced last week. "I did a poor job going through my supplements and making sure there wasn't a banned substance in there."
Jones didn't identify the substance he tested positive for, but it clearly was one prohibited by the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. And that failed test puts Jones in a more precarious position. Just like he did in admitting his original mistake in using a banned substance, Jones didn't hide from the reality of where this leaves him in relation to the final roster, either.
Two years removed from signing a five-year, $33 million contract that made him the centerpiece of the Colts' 2014 free-agent efforts, Jones is in jeopardy of not making the team depending on how he rebounds physically.
"It's the NFL. There's no guarantee in the NFL," he said. "What I can do is come out here every day and grind and bust my butt and show why I belong here."
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But whether he can even immediately do that remains to be seen.
"I feel great. I'm ready to practice," Jones said. "I'm with the trainers right now and whatever they tell me I need to do, whenever they tell me to (get) out on the field, I'll be ready."
The decision to return to the field won't be up to Jones, but, rather, the medical staff and coach Chuck Pagano. Jones sat out all of the team's offseason practices.
Asked about Jones' status, defensive coordinator Ted Monachino was noncommittal.
"Right now," Monachino said, "we're just in a mode where he just has to get as far down the road as he can healthwise and get back to the point where he's practicing full speed and practicing with us every day."
For now, it does not appear Jones is at that point. He was not put on the preseason physically unable to perform list but continues to recover from last year's season-ending ankle surgery.
Still, he's coping rather well. He was in good spirits Tuesday and expressed optimism about his future with the team. He talked of coming back ready to give the defensive line "a boost" and offering perspective: "This is just a mild bump in the train track, but I'm not derailed."
"I'm on a mission. I came here to dominate and play at a high level," Jones said. "I apologize to the organization. More importantly, to my teammates and the fans. I appreciate all their support. It's a small thing, another thing I have to get through. But I'll get through this. When October comes, I'll be healthy and ready to dominate.
"You better believe that."
So long as he makes it to October.
Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.
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