Cardale Jones, Former Ohio State Star, Under Fire for Attending Mike Pence Rally in Ohio
Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones, once again, is igniting a social media firestorm.
Unlike Jones’ infamous school-related tweet when he attended Ohio State, the former national champion is in hot water for political reasons. Cameras caught Jones recently attending a rally for Vice President Mike Pence.
Pence and President Donald Trump, of course, are no strangers to attacking football.
So why did Jones, who exploded onto the college football scene nearly six years ago, attend a Pence rally? Let him explain.
Cardale Jones had an up-and-down career at Ohio State
Cardale Jones began his time at Ohio State in infamy, all because of a single tweet.
As a freshman in 2012, Jones famously tweeted, “Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain’t come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS.”
Jones later apologized. But until he took the starting reins midway through the 2014 season, that was his lasting legacy in a Buckeyes uniform.
Everything changed in December 2014, when Jones — a backup for the entire season — started in place of an injured J.T. Barrett in the Big Ten Championship Game. Jones threw three touchdowns in a victory over Wisconsin, which clinched Ohio State’ spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Facing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Jones completed 51.4% of his passes but threw a touchdown and picked up 43 rushing yards. Jones completed 70% of his passes, threw a touchdown, and scored one on the ground in a 42-20 victory against Ohio State in the national championship.
Named Ohio State’s quarterback to start the 2015 season, Jones completed 62.3% of his passes for 1,459 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions in 10 games. Buffalo still saw enough in Jones to make him a fourth-round selection in 2016.
Jones recently attended a Mike Pence rally
Known for his deep arm, Cardale Jones completed six of his 11 passes for 96 yards and an interception in his lone NFL game.
Jones also lost one yard on a rushing attempt in a 30-10 loss to the Jets on Jan. 1, 2017.
Since then, Jones has bounced around the league. He backed up Philip Rivers with the Chargers in 2017 and 2018, then spent the 2019 offseason in Seattle.
Jones most recently played for the DC Defenders in the XFL.
All of this leads to Jones’ most recent public appearance. With him not on an NFL roster, Jones has some extra time on his hands.
Pictures recently emerged on Twitter of Jones at a Mike Pence rally in Ohio. Although Jones posed for photos at the event, he declined to speak with reporters.
Cardale Jones clarified why he went to the rally
Given that Donald Trump and Mike Pence each have attacked professional sports, the sight of Cardale Jones’ attending a Pence rally surprised many on Twitter.
Jones clarified his reason for attending the rally in tweets.
“I was there to support a local business who hosted the event,” Jones tweeted. “No political or social attachment. Just support for the business!!”
Jones received mixed reactions on social media.
“Cardale Jones out there supporting the Vice President who used over $300k of taxpayer money to hold a publicity stunt where he walked out of an NFL game after the national anthem because players kneeled before the national anthem,” tweeted one user. “This is all kinds of gross.”
Others praised Jones for how he handled the situation.
In response to a tweet where Jones said he would continue to “educated (sic) myself,” Jones retweeted a tweet reading, “That’s what u should do, cardale. That’s responsible! We ALL should do that.
In another tweet, Jones said he hasn’t decided who he is voting for.
“As I continue to EDUCATE myself on both candidates and policies, then I’ll vote for who I THINK is best fit to lead our country,” Jones wrote.
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