Jack Jones thanks Patriots and New England fans, but says he never showed up late to team hotel

FOXBORO -- It didn't take Jack Jones very long to find a new football home. Just one day after being cut by the New England Patriots, Jones was claimed by the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday.

It was a bumpy 20 months in New England for Jones, whom the Patriots drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But the 25-year-old tweeted out a thank you message to the organization and Patriots fans shortly after he was claimed by the Raiders:

A few hours later, Jones tweeted out another message to clear the air on one of the issues that very likely played into his release. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported last week that Jones -- along was J.C. Jackson -- missed curfew and showed up late to the team hotel ahead of a Week 9 matchup with the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium. Jones was benched for the start of that game.

Jones said that did not happen.

Whether it happened or not is a moot point right now, as Jones is no longer with the Patriots and will now suit up for the Raiders. He was also benched for the start of the New England's loss to the Colts in Germany last weekend, and played only 10 snaps on defense.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wouldn't go into any detail on what led to Jones' release during his Tuesday morning press conference, only saying that the team felt it was time to move on from the player.

With the team on its bye week, Patriots captain Deatrich Wise was one of the only Patriots players to speak in the locker room on Tuesday. He said that he doesn't know all the "ins and outs" of the situation that led to Jones' release, but said that he was hurt to lose his teammate.

 "That's my guy. I will always root for him, and I will continue to root for him, and I pray that he continues to have a great NFL career somewhere," said Wise.