Jon Jones posted a lengthy message on Instagram today to comment on recent racism complaints again the police officer that ticketed him for drag racing recently.
Jon Jones has gone through a lot of adversity during his training camp for UFC 197. Multiple driving infractions, losing his bout with Daniel Cormier and getting a new opponent on short notice with only an interim title on the line are just some of the things he has endured. Perhaps the biggest was a recent disagreement with a police officer who ticketed him for drag racing, something Jones flatly denies. It led to a probation violation charge and a few days in jail for JBJ.
Now, there are some accusations of racial profiling being aimed at the officer Jones dealt with that day, and the former UFC light heavyweight champion isn’t all that surprised. He posted a lengthy statement on Instagram addressing the news reports about Officer Jason Brown:
“Officer Brown all over the news in Albuquerque after reporters dig up how many times he has been in trouble for racial profiling in the past. Being a father of biracial children, I’m definitely not one to pull the race card. At the same time, I’m not necessarily surprised about this discovery after the run in I had with him. Having him stand there, look me in the eyes and start accusing me of several things him and I both know I didn’t do made me feel let down by the community, made me feel powerless, he made me feel like what was actually true had no power over him. Now it’s easier for me to understand why so many people hold resentment towards law enforcement. Officer brown almost single-handedly ruined my trust in law-enforcement. The sad thing about it is, I actually went to school for criminal justice, I wanted to be an officer myself. Fortunately I know better than to let one person ruin my views of a whole group. Just glad people are finally bringing light to who I was dealing with that night.”
Jone, who was caught on the officer’s bodycam calling him a “pig” and an “absolute f**ing liar”, pled not guilty to the charge, with his lawyer saying that the idea he was drag racing is “bogus” and that he was profiled.
Despite all this, Jones will still meet Ovince Saint Preux for an interim UFC light heavyweight title on April 23rd at UFC 197.