Perhaps no one relished in the glory of the Ravens winning Super Bowl XLVII than wide receiver Jacoby Jones. His two-touchdown performance (including a 108-yard kickoff return touchdown) and subsequent end zone hijinx were enough to get him an invite on ABC’s popular reality show Dancing with the Stars.
Jones made it to the finals and finished third in the competition that included olympians, country singers and D-list celebrities. The Ravens will certainly have a broader audience because of Jones becoming a household name, though more so for his efforts on the hardwood than the gridiron. Still, head coach John Harbaugh would now like to see his star receiver back with his teammates for his full-time job.
“I’m am looking for him on the next flight back here to Baltimore, Jacoby,” Harbaugh said while joking. “He should be getting off the plane here any second at BWI.”
Harbaugh did watch his player’s performances and was very complimentary.
“I thought he did great,” he said. “I was proud of him. He represented all of us very well.”
Jones had undergone surgery on his knee and wasn’t able to fully practice for his first routine. Throughout the series, he mentioned how difficult dancing was and how conditioned you had to be. The Ravens expect him to return to the team’s facility in great shape.
Harbaugh replied, “no,” when asked if Jones would need any time to rest. “He’s said he’s in great shape so he gets right back into it.”
Jones will be replacing dance partner Karina Smirnoff with new coworkers, cornerbacks and JUGS machines. Plenty of athletes have competed on the show, but for the Ravens sake, hopefully Jones’ health is able to hold up. Not only did he have to play in 20 football games last season, he hasn’t any time to rest since then. It’ll be interesting to see if his body holds up throughout training camp and into the season.
If it doesn’t, you may not see any more active football players being granted clearance to participate on the popular show in the future.
