Storm

Arena ball energizes ex-Bull

Out of the NFL, USF's Kenyatta Jones revels in playing for the Storm.

By Keith Niebuhr, Times Staff Writer
Published March 7, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Injuries have derailed Kenyatta Jones' NFL career.

TAMPA - Because Kenyatta Jones wasn't sure what to expect when he took the field during the Storm's 51-49 season-opening win at Kansas City last week, he was pleasantly surprised by the rush that surged through his body.

"I didn't know it was going to be that exciting," Jones said.

For a player who once started for the Patriots and earned a Super Bowl ring, such a feeling might seem odd. That is until you consider where Jones, a starting offensive tackle, has been - and how he got there.

"My past," Jones said, "haunts me every day."

Seven years ago, the Patriots drafted Jones in the fourth round, making him the first USF player ever selected. From 2001-02, he played 18 games and started 11 before being slowed by injury. One kneecap was broken; the other was cracked. Surgery was performed, and he began a difficult rehabilitation.

By the fall of 2003, Jones was nearing his return when he was charged for scalding a roommate with hot water and, according to the Washington Post, "received a year's probation from a Massachusetts court." He told the Post the incident was a prank gone awry, but the damage was done.

Later that month, the Patriots released him.

"At the end of the day, everything is your fault for putting yourself in that predicament," Jones said.

NFL teams weren't scared by his New England exit. In fact, ESPN's Len Pasquarelli wrote that Jones was "arguably the top tackle available in free agency." Eventually, he landed with Washington, but because of a severe ankle injury, Jones was released in 2004 and didn't play again until last week.

After his final NFL release, Jones bounced around, living in California for a while then in Virginia before finally moving to Orlando. All the while, he thought of getting back to the NFL but admitted his life seemed "lost." The Arena Football League, in his mind, was not a possibility.

"I didn't feel it was my thing," Jones, 29, said.

But unable to fight the itch to play any longer, Jones contacted the Storm and signed in January. Whereas some former NFL players believe they walk on water, Storm coach Tim Marcum said Jones, 6 feet 3, 295 pounds, "has worked his butt off."

And fit in nicely.

"He's a good protector," said Storm lineman Ernest Certain, one of Jones' longtime friends. "He's doing very well."

Jones still dreams of an NFL return. But for now, he's enjoying the feeling that goes with being back on the field, far away from his troubles and injury-free.

And perhaps most important, he says, "I have a center" in life.

[Last modified March 6, 2008, 22:39:33]