Matthew Slater, Patriots Giving ‘Intentional’ Support To Jack Jones

Longtime New England Patriots captain Matthew Slater was in listen and learn mode back in mid-June when Jack Jones was arrested on gun charges.

And Slater continues to keep that approach with his teammate even with the weapons charges Jones faced being dropped Tuesday.

“I don’t think that changes. I think there’s still a lot to learn for all of us,” Slater told the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan on Wednesday. “I think there’s a lot of growth for all of us. So we’ll keep supporting him, we’ll keep learning from the situation and just take it one day at a time moving forward.”

Jones, who allegedly tried to bring two firearms through security at Logan Airport, agreed to one year of pre-trial probation and 48 hours of community service in connection to his charges going away.

Even with Jones’ legal situation behind him now, it still casts a pretty large shadow over him as he gets set for his second NFL season with the Patriots.

It will be at the forefront for Jones when he takes the field in the season opener Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. And it could become more amplified if he performs badly, fueling questions as to why the Patriots decided to hang on to a player with a pattern of off-the-field issues.

But through it all and going forward, Jones has received support from the Patriots locker room as his teammates have made it a point to be there for him.

“A number of guys have been intentional about spending time with him and supporting him,” Slater told Callahan. “So you know, we all do it in our own ways, but I think we’ve tried to circle around him even before this happened. But certainly we’ve been intentional about doing it since it happened.”