Adam Jones tears up talking about Bengals owner, appreciates support
— -- CINCINNATI -- An emotional Adam Jones said his motivation is "through the roof" because of the support of Bengals owner Mike Brown. The Bengals cornerback had tears in his eyes as he spoke to reporters about Brown, who publicly stood behind Jones after his January arrest.
"When you have a guy upstairs that stands up for you, that sticks up for the players -- I haven't been around a guy like that in my lifetime, speaking of Mr. Brown," Jones said. "So I'm very eager to be the best and make sure our group is the best. As you can see, it's a little touching for me."
He later added: "The respect and the love that I have for Mr. Brown is undeniable. Words can't express the gratitude of how I feel about him. ... Words can't explain. I can't explain ... that I have somebody that understands me as a person and that's not quick to judge."
The NFL gave Jones a one-game suspension without pay for the season opener after he was arrested in January on charges of assault, harassment with a bodily substance, disorderly conduct and obstructing official business. Jones pleaded guilty to the obstructing official business charge as part of a plea deal that resulted in the other charges being dropped.
"I take all accountability for what I did and my actions and my words," Jones said. "So I accept it, the one-game suspension. I'm ready to move on, man. I'm happy to be here, I'm happy to be part of the 50th season here. I think it's going to be special."
Jones, who will be 34 in September, said he knows his career is winding down, but he would still like to play four more years.
"I feel really good; I feel great. I'm 182 pounds and probably about 3 percent body fat," Jones said. "So I'm on borrowed time, as I know. But I love playing football and I'm eager for the camp and I'm ready."
Playing for Mike Brown is one motivator for Jones, but he said he's always thrived on reading the negative things written about him.
"I've always been the one that thrived off the little things, and I'd be sitting here lying to tell you all I didn't read half of the s--- that you all write, and I do because at the end of day I have this thing in the back of my head that tells me to prove every last one of you all wrong. Motivation comes in all different forms of factor. At the end of the day, I like winning. I've always been like that. I love to compete to prove you guys wrong to make you write something different. Of course, the record had a lot to do with it, but you guys have a lot to do with motivation, too."
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