Vanderbilt will be short at least one defensive back for its season-opening game against Middle Tennessee State on Saturday, as sophomore defensive back Zaire Jones has been suspended in the wake of an arrest.
According to a Vanderbilt University Police Department arrest affidavit obtained by The Tennesseean, Jones has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following an Aug. 23 incident in Nashville in which he allegedly hit an off-duty police officer with his car. The affidavit states that Jones was stopped by an off-duty officer who had his badge and firearm clearly visible as Jones was attempting to drive around a traffic barricade. When the officer, Charles Harrison, tried to figure out what Jones was doing, the 20-year-old “refused to completely stop and struck Harrison on the left knee with the front left corner of Jones’ vehicle.”
Jones did not stop his vehicle and drove off to park somewhere else, where police arrested him for aggravated assault. He was booked and later released on $10,000 bond.
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason told the media on Tuesday that Jones will not play Saturday for “disciplinary reasons.” The defensive back appeared in 11 of 12 games last year and started one, and he was expected to have a full-time starting position this season.
