Jonas Gray Arrested for Non-Payment of Child Support
TampaBay.com – Three years ago, Jonas Gray had one of the best games by a running back in NFL history, rushing for 201 yards and four touchdowns in a Patriots win over the Colts in November 2014, with his photo gracing the cover of that week’s issue of Sports Illustrated.
On Wednesday, the same day the Patriots arrive in Tampa to play the Bucs on Thursday night, the 27-year-old former Notre Dame star was in Hillsborough County jail for failure to pay child support. After a “cash purge” of $7,924, Gray was released at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, 17 hours after turning himself in.
What a sad but instructive and cautionary tale this is. Like a mini-episode of 30 for 30 about the dangers of handling fame. It’s hard not to hear this and not be reminded of one of the great closing lines in movie history. From the end of Patton: “All glory is fleeting.”
As it is, Gray will go down in history as one of the all time One-Hit Wonders. He’s football’s Ini Kamoze, and that game at Indy in 2014 will forever be his “Here Comes the Hotstepper.” He went into that game with a total of 32 carries over his three game career. And yet he curb stomped the Colts with 201 yards on 37 carries and four touchdowns. A performance that not only made him an instant household name, it actually changed lives. Through Draft Kings I interviewed two brothers from Boston who put Gray on their fantasy roster that weekend and won a million bucks.
But before they even got to collect their winnings, Gray was already proving he couldn’t handle the spotlight. He wasted no time squandering whatever opportunities the coaching staff was going to give him by showing up late for that Friday’s practice and getting his ass benched. Then LeGarrette Blount shot his way out of Pittsburgh and back on the Pats roster, making Gray expendable. The rest of the season he had 20 rushing attempts for 80 yards, the low point being a six carries for five yards “effort” against the Jets. And he didn’t dress for any of the postseason games. He just kind of stood around at Super Bowl Media Day in Phoenix, awkwardly fielding questions about his Open Mic stand up career, a forgotten man among the dozens of storylines. And then like that – poof! – he was gone. A spare part for a few games in Miami and Jacksonville the next season but then out of football. And now his rock bottom has gotten rockier and more bottomy.
Don’t take any of this as me feeling sorry for his arrest, though. Because I have zero sympathy. Yes, guys will tell you the court system is unfair to fathers. They’ll say how rigged the game is against them and how judges make them pay way more than their share and no one will listen to them. Believe me, I know. I’ve seen it first hand because I worked in a Probate court for a while. I can’t count how many times I’d see a father sent off to jail for non-payment and the whole time they’d gripe to me about what a bitch their ex is, how she did him dirty or what she’d spend the money on or whatever. But again, they get no sympathy from me because their sob story isn’t redeemable at the grocery checkout line. Bad mom or not, it’s still your kid. They have to eat. I’m sorry if you planted your seed into the wrong woman, but who’s going to provide for your kid, me? You got laid in the deal, not the rest of us. Pay your own damn obligations. And besides, the fact a guy like Gray was suddenly able to produce almost 8-grand instantly means he had the money all along. But he’s only willing to cough it up if it means getting his ass out of jail, not to provide for his own flesh and blood. So to hell with him.
Again, it’s a sad situation just because this guy wasted so much potential. He was touched by the gods with all the physical gifts to be really good and he squandered it. But it’s all on him. And I have zero sympathy. Take care of your kids.