In a Painful Revelation, Chris Jones Said His Aunt Passed Away Watching Him Play Against the Giants

NEED TO KNOW

• Chiefs’ defensive tackle Chris Jones revealed his aunt Angela died while watching his game against the Giants on Sept. 21
• Jones told reporters his aunt “meant a lot” to him and was a “huge supporter” of his football career
• He attended her funeral hours before playing in the game against the Ravens one week after his aunt’s death

Chiefs’ defensive tackle Chris Jones is remembering his aunt two weeks after she died while watching his game.

Jones, 31, spoke to reporters about his aunt Angela at the Chiefs facility on Friday, Oct. 3, sharing that he was “very close” with her because he “stayed with her” for about five or six years during his childhood. “She meant a lot,” he said.

The longtime Chiefs player revealed, “She was actually watching my game when she passed away.”

Angela was a “huge supporter” of Jones’ football career, he said, and he learned of the sad news after the Chiefs defeated the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 21.

“I actually got the news after the game…It was very unexpected,” he told reporters.

Jones said his family will usually call or text him after a game if he gets a sack, and after he took down Giants quarterback Russell Wilson in the game, “I was calling everybody, like, ‘hell yeah!’ and then, you know, everyone was like, call your mom, call your sister,” he said.

“And unfortunately, she had a heart attack watching the game,” said Jones.

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The funeral services took place one week later in Mississippi, just hours before Jones returned to Kansas City to help the Chiefs beat the Ravens. Jones attended the service in the morning and it was uncertain whether or not he’d make it back to Arrowhead Stadium and suit up in time to play, but he made it just before kickoff.

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Jones told reporters he spoke to head coach Andy Reid about attending his aunt’s funeral, which was his priority, and he said Reid and the organization “completely understood” why he needed to attend. “We made a plan around it,” he shared.