Former Bills and Patriots wide receiver Donald Jones retired yesterday because of kidney disease, but it took a major scare during a workout for another team to convince him stepping away was the right thing to do.
According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, Jones was working out for the Colts prior to training camp when he realized how serious the situation had become. While on a treadmill taking a stress test, Jones’ blood pressure skyrocketed to 250 over 110, at which point trainers stopped the test, and Jones realized his career was over.
“That,” Jones said, “was definitely a new thing.”
Jones might soon need a kidney transplant because of his condition, and has received support from former NBA star Alonzo Mourning, who had a kidney transplant in 2003, and worked with the same doctors who are treating Jones.
“He let me know what he was dealing with and he let me know everything was going to be all right,” Jones said of Mourning. “Now, I’m definitely handling it well.”
Jones was an ascending player, whose on-field skills were enough to have many teams interested. Now, he hopes to use his platform to increase awareness about kidney disease, and how to deal with it.