Projo Sports Blog

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Former New England Patriots safety Tebucky S. Jones is facing criminal charges following a fight in a hotel lobby at the Mohegan Sun casino involving a woman, her boyfriend and another man.

State police said around 1 a.m. Friday, Jones, 33, had "inappropriate contact" with the unnamed woman. Her boyfriend, Nikolaos Papathanasiou, 24, of Quaker Hill, then got into an argument with Jones, which escalated into a physical fight.

According to a police report, Jones knocked over the woman and punched her boyfriend in the face, causing multiple injuries. A third man, Mark A. Chichester, 36, of New London, stepped in and punched Jones, before police arrived.

Jones, of Farmington, was arrested and charged with breach of peace, third-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual assault. He was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond. Both Chichester and Papathanasiou were charged with breach of peace and released on $250 non-surety bonds. All three men are scheduled to appear in Norwich Superior Court on Aug. 21.

Papathanasiou was taken to William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, where he was treated for his injuries.

Jones graduated from New Britain High School in 1992, where he was a phenomenon with 4,541 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns, the New Britain Herald reported. He went to Syracuse University, where he switched from defense to offense.

The Patriots selected Jones in the first round, 22nd overall, of the 1998 draft.
He appeared in 72 games over five seasons with New England, from 1998 to 2002, helping the team win a Super Bowl title in the 2002 upset against the St. Louis Rams. The 6-2, 218-pound safety was traded to New Orleans in 2003. He moved to Miami in 2005. New England re-signed him in April 2005 as a free agent. However, he spent the entire 2006 season on injured reserved with a leg injury and was released from the team in February 2007.

Jones had a career 420 tackles and six interceptions.

He began the Tebucky Jones Foundation, which works with at-risk youths in Connecticut. A call was left seeking comment with an organization that works with Jones' foundation.

Jones has delivered graduation speeches for youth programs, held football camps for local youth and performed other charity works.

He is married to Janet Jones and has a daughter and two sons.

 Tags  Mohegan Sun New England Patriots police Tebucky Jones

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