Raiders place DE Jones on non-football illness list

HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders placed defensive end Chandler Jones on the non-football illness list, according to the league’s official transactions wire, as the 11-year veteran continues to work through what has been described as a personal matter.

Jones has been away from the team since Labor Day weekend, when he began a barrage of social media posts aimed at the Raiders in general, owner Mark Davis, general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels in particular, alternately saying that he no longer wanted to play for the team and also wondering why he was not welcomed back.

In a Jones post dated Sept. 6, he claimed the Raiders sent a crisis response team to his home.

Throughout, McDaniels has referred to Jones’ situation as “personal” and private and would not comment, even as Jones’ posts became more frequent and accusatory, claiming at one point that a family friend’s daughter was being abused and the team knew of it.

Over the weekend, Jones claimed his account had been hacked.

Jones was inactive for the Raiders’ first two games, a victory at the Denver Broncos and a loss at the Buffalo Bills, though he was still on the team’s 53-man roster.

Earlier Wednesday, McDaniels was asked when a resolution might be reached regarding Jones’ roster spot.

“Again, there’s nothing,” McDaniels said. “I can’t do anything about it at this point. So, we’re just respecting that process and understand the situation, and that’s really all I can say about it.”

Jones, 33, is in the second season of a three-year, $51 million free agent contract he signed with Las Vegas. If he returns to the Raiders, he will have to miss at least the next four games — Sunday vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, at the Los Angeles Chargers, and home games against the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.

Advertisement