Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson took responsibility for being benched and explained why Bill Belichick disciplined him.
Jackson played in two possessions against Washington in Week 9, but Belichick insisted afterward that Jackson and cornerback Jack Jones were not benched. Jackson then remained at his home as a healthy scratch while the team traveled to Germany.
Jackson told masslive.com’s Mark Daniels on Tuesday that he failed to check his bed multiple times at the Patriots’ team hotel Saturday night before the game in Washington.
“What happened was, did not travel with the team To Germany. It was a punishment on my behalf and that was what it was,” Jackson told Daniels. “I didn’t take this any other way than to say, this is a punishment, and I hope you learn from it and grow from this mistake that I made.” And I’m here now. I hope it doesn’t happen again. It was all my fault. I made a mistake. That’s what you get from Bill.That’s one thing about him: he’s going to be disciplined [you] No matter who you are. “
Jackson appeared in two games for the Chargers this season before being benched due to his performance. The Chargers traded Jackson to the Patriots on October 5, allowing him to return to the team that made him a Pro Bowl player.
Jackson said she wasn’t out on Nov. 4 and didn’t do anything “stupid,” but for the first time in her career she missed checking her bed and arriving on time.
“Reality check: I’m not greater than the team. I’m not greater than anyone here,” Jackson said. “This is a team sport, so you have to do whatever everyone else is doing. I want to be part of a team. This is my team. This is home for me, dude. This is me. This is where I want to be. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I want to finish my career here too. I have to continue to build that leadership every day. It just stinks for me. I’ve played a lot of soccer. I know what to do at this point.”