Former Packers defensive tackle Johnny Jolly is a free man, and now he wants to be employed again.
Jolly told Brad Biggs of the National Football Post, which is co-owned by Jolly’s agent, that Jolly has been sober for eight months and that he has applied for reinstatement to the NFL, sending Commissioner Roger Goodell a letter last week.
The 29-year-old defensive tackle started every game for the Packers in 2008 and 2009 before a string of arrests for illegal possession of codeine, which he said he was addicted to. He also said he was high while watching his Packers teammates win Super Bowl XLV.
“That was most heavy feeling to watch those guys, that was bad,” Jolly told Biggs. “I sat there, it was like, ‘Man, I don’t understand. There is no way I shouldn’t be out there helping those guys go to war.’ They came out with the victory and I was so happy for them.”
Jolly said he hopes to rejoin the Packers if he’s reinstated, and pledged to make things right given a second chance.
“I am dedicated to really make a change in my life and come back and be a positive role model,” he said. “I think I have a great shot at going back to those guys. They’re a great organization. The coaches are very good, the players are good. I know they have supported me 100 percent.
“I want to say that would be a dream come true, but I made it in the NFL before. So, I would say it would be like another dream. It would be a journey and going back to do the things I love and showing everybody you can make mistakes but it’s the way you correct the things you’ve done wrong. I want to make the Packers look good if they want to take me back or not.”
Jolly was released from prison in May, after serving six months of a six-year sentence. We wish him the best of luck in his recovery, whether he gets back to the NFL or not.