Newly acquired Washington Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones literally flew into the College Park Airport in Maryland on Tuesday, where he greeted a few dozen fans gathered at the aviation museum.
The point was to inspire people, especially young people, to become pilots.
Jones, 31, has been flying for three years and is a private pilot capable of flying on instruments. He uses the discipline he has learned from playing football while flying.
“I can remember the first time they let me take the controls, it was a feeling like I should have been here before … so I just fell in love with aviation at that point,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of pressure (playing football), there’s a moment that you have to block all of that out and focus.”
Jones, who played college football at Auburn University, signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He was picked up by the Commanders in the offseason.
“Since I was a kid, I always had this dream of becoming a pilot,” said 16-year-old Abdur Rahman, who is originally from Sudan. “Is there any advice that you can give me?”
“You understand the opportunity that you have,” Jones responded. “Don’t ever forget that.”
The College Park Airport and its associated museum is the oldest continuously operating airport in the world.
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