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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
DETROIT – Veteran receiver Marvin Jones Jr. announced Tuesday on Instagram that he is “stepping away” from the Detroit Lions to “attend to personal family matters.”
In a procedural move following his announcement, the Lions announced they had released Jones, who had five catches for 35 yards in six games this season.
Jones, 33, did not travel with the team due to its loss at the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday for personal reasons not related to the injury.
“I just want to say that I have a lot of love and respect for the Ford family, the city of Detroit, my teammates and my coaches,” he added. He wrote in his post. “To be brief, I am leaving the team to take care of personal family matters. Although this was not an easy decision, I cannot be the person/player I need to be for this team and also take care of my family.” far.”
“This organization has been amazing at showing love and support to myself and my family over the years, and this time was no different. I appreciate it. And to my brothers and coaches, I will support you every step of the way! This is the year! Go get it!!!”
After Detroit’s 38-6 loss to Baltimore, coach Dan Campbell said it was “hard to say right now,” when asked if Jones’ absence would be long-term.
“That’s all I can tell you, it’s a personal matter,” Campbell said.
This season marked the return of Jones, who spent the previous two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars after four seasons (2016-20) with the Lions.
He has 547 receptions for 7,421 yards and 58 touchdowns in 151 games during his 12-season career, which began with the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft.
He posted his only 1,000-yard season in 2017 with the Lions, when he caught 61 passes for 1,101 yards and led the NFL with 18.0 yards per catch.