J.C. Jackson did not suit up for the LA Chargers in Week 3 as Brandon Staley opted to make Jackson a healthy scratch. Staley doubled down on his decision to bench Jackson after the game, saying that the cornerbacks who were active gave the team its best chance to win.
When asked if Jackson had a chance to work his way back into the cornerback rotation Staley was non-committal. After struggling immensely both in 2022 before his injury and to start the 2023 season, Jackson has to work his way back up the depth chart to get playing time.
That journey back into the Chargers' CB rotation just got murkier, though. Per Chris Mason of MassLive, Jackson has a new arrest warrant in the state of Massachusetts. Jackson was meant to appear in court this past Friday for a 2021 arrest for criminal speeding. He did not appear.
Also according to the report, Jackson did not complete his court-mandated program nor paid the $300 fine that he was required to pay. Jackson now has a "straight warrant out for his arrest" per Mason.
Chargers CB J.C. Jackson violated the terms of his probation, and a Massachusetts judge today issued an arrest warrant after he failed to appear in court Friday.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) September 25, 2023
J.C. Jackson's arrest warrant further complicates Chargers situation
Staley was adamant multiple times in his post-game press conference that benching Jackson in Week 3 was a coach's decision. It was not yet public knowledge that Jackson would have a warrant out for his arrest. If fans are to believe Staley, this situation off the field did not impact his decision on Sunday.
That being said, the Chargers have historically been a team that does not welcome off-the-field distractions, especially in the legal sense. The Chargers were the only team in the NFL to not have a player who was arrested on the roster from 2017 through 2022.
MassLive reached out to Jackson's attorney and did not receive a comment. We will continue to update Chargers fans here at Bolt Beat with new developments when they become available.