UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones smashed his car into a pole in the early morning hours of May 19 in Binghamton, N.Y. He was arrested under suspicion of DWI, for which he later plead guilty, accepting a plea bargain.
While fan reaction has been mixed, Jones has received support from his manager, Malki Kawa, and his boss, UFC president Dana White.
The latest addition to the list of those that continue to publicly back Jones is his coach, Greg Jackson, who recently addressed the issue on HDNet’s InsideMMA.
“He’s trying to do the right thing here,” Jackson stated, noting that Jones accepted a plea bargain.
The plea agreement would see Jones receive a fine and a conditional discharge. A conditional discharge means Jones’ sentence will be served as long as probationary conditions are met. If he fails to meet the conditions, the full penalty could be reinstated.
Jones will be back in court for sentencing on June 19, and must complete an alcohol abuse and dependency assessment prior to sentencing. His driver’s license in New York was also immediately suspended.
“As long as you make a mistake and learn from it, I hope people give him a lot of latitude because we all make mistakes,” Jackson continued. “And as long as he takes those positive steps and trying to do the right thing, I think we should all respect that and try and support him.”
Although there were passengers in Jones’ vehicle at the time of the accident, no one involved was seriously injured.
