Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones giving Kelvin Joseph a chance after murder investigation
Dallas Cowboys second-year cornerback Kelvin Joseph has been cleared by Dallas police following his connection to a murder investigation.
Joseph is subject to discipline from the NFL under the personal conduct policy after being a passenger in a vehicle during a drive-by shooting in Dallas on March 18. Under the threat of charges, Joseph was compelled to talk with Dallas police.
A day after Joseph met with Dallas police, Aries Jones, 28, and Tivione English, 21, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were arrested. Jones and English face murder charges in connection with the homicide of 20-year old Cameron Ray.
Joseph has not talked to reporters since the start of training camp.
His presence comes with a strong message from owner Jerry Jones, who said the Cowboys are giving Joseph a chance to clean up his name.
“The point is he’s got the opportunity,” Jones said recently. “He can come out here and put his head to it; he can grind and be a good teammate and it would be nice to be around and all of those things.
“Just get in here, do your job and do that consistently and make a contribution to the team and you will show the worst view of this was not the right view. You can still show that and we’ll see where that goes. I have no idea where the league is on (it).”
Joseph could still face a NFL suspension.
As charges were being deliberated by the police, the Cowboys could have released Joseph. Jones said he chose to let things play out.
Joseph, who was picked in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, has participated in all team activities since the incident.
It’s been so far so good for Joseph.
All remains quiet off the field. While he has yet talk to the media, he has been solid in practice.
He remains behind starters Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown as the primary backup at outside cornerback.
And he is competing with C.J. Goodwin for a primary role on special teams.
It’s not what the Cowboys envisioned when they drafted him in the second round last season but it’s a positive step forward.
“I thought Kelvin, obviously after being involved in the situation, showed humility to his teammates,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “We had internal discussions and so forth. But he was a full participant in the offseason program. I think he’s put forward the energy and the focus that he needs to move forward.”
Jones said the quiet part out loud when he acknowledged that when you mess up in sports and get bruised on and off the field, you often get chances to clean it up. He said the Cowboys are giving Joseph a opportunity to change the narrative.
“We obviously don’t need our players to be involved in situations that make this come up about your character,” Jones said. “I know there was a lot about it he needs to clean up, by being a good player both on and off the field. He needs to do that and everybody associated here with the Cowboys are going to give him a chance. But the main thing is he did do something and we all need to recognize you don’t want to get into that spot and he needs to have good judgment.
Now get in here and be a good player, be a guy everybody depends on, and make your name in a positive way and clean it up.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
