James Jones baffled over hoodie buzz
James Jones didn’t intend to start a revolution. The Green Bay Packers receiver just wanted to stay warm on a cold night in Minneapolis.
However, Jones became an Internet sensation this week after his decision to wear a hoodie underneath his No. 89 jersey during Sunday's 30-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The sweatshirt arguably has generated more buzz on social media than the victory itself.
Many teammates and coaches admitted they didn’t know if it was legal, but the NFL has no problem with it since it was team-issued apparel. One potential downside to the hoodie is it’s legal to tackle players by it, though receivers coach Alex Van Pelt said the team is already “working on that.”
Jones, who doesn’t even have a Twitter account, was flabbergasted by how many people took interest in his game-day attire. He often wears turtlenecks during games, but decided to keep on the sweatshirt he wore during warm-ups Sunday with a game-time temperature of 30 degrees.
“We’ve all been wearing them hoodies in practice now forever,” Jones said. “I wear it one game … I definitely did not want it to get the attention that it has gotten. The only point I wore it was to stay warm. The same reason why I do in practice. For it to blow up the way it did, that wasn’t the intent. I’m not even on Twitter and they’re talking about it’s got its own Twitter account.”
Technically, it’s spawned three accounts: @JJHoodie_89, @JamesJonesSwag and @JamesJonesHoody, but who’s counting?
Based on Jones’ production - he popped out of a month-long slump with six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown - fellow receiver Randall Cobb said he hasn’t ruled out wearing one during the Packers’ Thanksgiving game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
In fact, Cobb and Davante Adams joined Jones in sporting hoodies under their uniforms during Tuesday’s practice.
“I might break one out,” Cobb said. “That’s crazy that it got that much attention, but you see how much can happen with those primetime games.”
whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.