Ex-Gopher Dominic Jones: 'My name now is Inmate'

Former Gopher Dominic Jones, once an admired team leader, says he is accepting full blame for his crime.

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Former University of Minnesota football star Dominic Jones offered some high school football players $100 recently if they could come up with his previous jersey number and his current one. One raised his hand and said Jones was No. 2 as a Gopher. Correct. Nobody knew his current number. "Number 00425759. That's my number," Jones said. "My name now is Inmate. It's not Dominic Jones."

In the past year, the 21-year-old Jones has gone from an admired team leader with realistic NFL dreams and a college diploma within reach to a sex offender serving a one-year sentence in the Hennepin County workhouse. "I am not blaming a white man. I am not blaming a prosecutor. I'm not blaming a judge. I'm blaming me. That was hard for me to do at first," he said. "I'm human. I made a mistake."

Jones had a full-ride football scholarship to Texas Southern University. Instead, he reported to the workhouse on July 7, after the state Court of Appeals declined a stay pending his appeal. He can get out during the day for work or studies. (An appeal of the guilty verdict is still pending.)

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The Skinny...

The state Appeals Court says former Minnesota Gophers football player Dominic Jones must still report to the workhouse pending his appeal. Jones had filed a motion to remain out of the Hennepin County workhouse while he appealed his fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction. To win, Jones had a prove there was no "substantial risk" that he would not appear at the conclusion of the appeal.

However, Appeals Court Judge Edward Toussaint ruled that with Jones' family in Ohio and his acceptance to Texas Southern University meant there was such a risk. In May, Jones was sentenced to a year in the workhouse after being convicted of performing a sex act on a drunken 18 year old woman that was recorded on a cell-phone camera by a team mate.

The all-star defensive back "starter" was offered a full ride athletic scholarship by new Texas Southern University head coach Johnnie Cole, who's Tigers ended 2007 with an 0-11 record. Jones was a junior strong safety from Columbus, Ohio, prior to being expelled by Minnesota. He was one of the Gophers' best defensive players, a two-year starter who was a standout kick returner and high school All-American.

Jones had faced up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine on the initial charges. The three other football players who had sex with the woman have not been charged with a crime, but are still suspended from the Minnesota football team.