J.C. Jackson reportedly refused to play against Raiders

J.C. Jackson stood on the sideline with his shoes untied while refusing to play against the Raiders despite his teammates being hobbled with injuries.

Just when you thought all the drama J.C. Jackson drama was over with following the Chargers trading him back to New England this past week, more details of his troubled timeline have emerged.

According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, Jackson refused to enter the game against the Raiders, reportedly standing on the sideline with his shoe laces untied. Even with his then-teammates being hobbled by injuries, Jackson wouldn’t budge. It was the apparent final straw in an otherwise extremely expensive mistake by the Chargers who signed Jackson to a five-year, $82.5 million free agent deal just a year and a half ago.

Jackson did a lot of lip-service for himself following the Chargers’ decision to keep him inactive in Week Three against Vikings. He reportedly told the media he was “confused” about the decision and never got a true explanation. Following the team’s win in Minnesota, Brandon Staley told reporters there was a direct line of communication with Jackson the entire time.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but there were some who did not believe Jackson was a good fit in Brandon Staley’s system from the start. Reportedly, Jackson would consistently fight Staley on how he should be used, mainly wanting to play more man coverage as opposed to the cover 2-heavy usage utilized by the Chargers.

At the end of it all, Jackson simply was never a good fit both on and off the field for the Chargers. He’ll see the Bolts again on December 3rd when the Chargers visit the Patriots in New England.