Sources: Chandler Jones had reaction to legal substance
— -- FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones had a bad reaction to a substance "that is not illegal" on Sunday, which led to him being admitted to a local hospital, sources tell ESPN.
On Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the situation, the Boston Globe also reported that Jones did not overdose on a drug such as cocaine or heroin. The Globe reported that it was synthetic marijuana, which is not illegal in the state. Jones lives near the Foxborough police station, and he walked there to seek help after the bad reaction.
A source told the Globe that Jones was present at the Patriots facility the next morning at 6:30 a.m. lifting weights.
On Tuesday, after the Boston Herald first reported about Jones, the Patriots released the following statement: "Chandler Jones was admitted to the hospital on Sunday and released that day. He reported to work on time Monday morning and has participated in all meetings and practices since then."
Jones' teammates declined to comment about his situation except to say they are concerned about his health.
"Chandler's got a lot of support in this locker room," receiver Danny Amendola said on Wednesday as the Patriots prepared for their playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. "He's a great football player, and I'm excited to see what he does this week."
"It's a family," said defensive back Duron Harmon, echoing his teammates who said they will give Jones whatever support he needs. "I care for everybody. I love everybody in this organization. We go out and play for each other."
The NFL is also aware of Jones' hospital visit and will review the situation.
In audio of the police dispatch, Jones' condition was described Sunday as a "medical emergency" as he was referred to as a "confused party."
Records obtained by ESPN show that Jones arrived at the police department at 7:42 a.m. Sunday before being transported to Norwood Hospital shortly after 8 a.m. According to police audio, an officer tells a dispatcher: "I got his keys off the kitchen table, I was able to lock the front door. If you want to pass along to the fire, he was definitely involved with Class D delta before this happened, just so they know."
Under Massachusetts law, Class D is a group of drugs including marijuana and phenobarbitol, a prescription drug.
The officer does not specify what the substance was, nor does he mention Jones' name.
When contacted by the Boston Herald, Foxborough police chief Edward T. O'Leary denied that his department and officers had any dealing with Jones, according to the newspaper. According to the newspaper, the records also show that a Foxborough officer modified the dispatch record of the emergency call at 3:02 p.m. Tuesday, shortly after the Herald called O'Leary and received a copy of the dispatch call records.
O'Leary later explained to the Herald that medical information was deleted from the record, and that he initially said his department and officers had no dealing with Jones because "it was a medical call" and he "didn't look at it as a police-specific call."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
