Raiders' Chandler Jones says he was hospitalized against will

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Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones wrote in a social media post Monday night that he was taken to a hospital "against my will" by the Las Vegas Fire Department and later transferred to a behavioral health facility last week.



Jones was placed on the non-football illness list last week by the Raiders with what the team has described as a personal matter. He has been away from the team since Labor Day weekend when he began a series of social media posts aimed at the Raiders, owner Mark Davis, general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels.




He wrote in his post to X on Monday night, "First day out but I'm still aligned," indicating that Monday was his first day out of the facility. He attached journal entries plus a statement of "patient rights" from the Seven Hills Behavioral Health Hospital in Las Vegas, highlighting sections of the document he believes were not followed by the facility.



In the journal entries, Jones said that "5 to 7" Las Vegas Fire Department officials came to his front door and told him he had been put on a "court hold" by the Las Vegas Police Department.



"I haven't done anything wrong. The police said people were concerned about me because of my posts online," he wrote, adding that once in an ambulance he was "injected" with an undisclosed substance even though he didn't give consent.



He said he was taken to Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas and "then transferred to Seven Hills where they tried to force me to take meds & injections."



Jones wrote that he called Ziegler "6 to 7 times asking for help and I wondered if he had me put in here, but he never answered." He said he left voicemails with Ziegler and is just trying to figure out why the Raiders won't allow him in the facility or to be a part of the team.



"I'm still confused on what I did wrong. I'm stuck here. I'm very sane," he wrote, adding "I'm to strong of a person to be mentally broken."




The Las Vegas Fire Department, citing HIPAA privacy regulations, said it "cannot confirm patients' identities to which Las Vegas Fire & Rescue personnel may or may not have provided medical care."



ESPN also reached out to the Las Vegas Police Department for comment.



The Raiders have repeatedly referred to Jones' situation as a private matter and declined further comment.



Jones was inactive for the first two games and, after being put on the NFL list, also missed the Raiders' Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.



Jones, 33, is in the second season of a three-year, $51 million free agent contract he signed last year.



ESPN's Paul Gutierrez contributed to this report.

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