Packers’ Johnny Jolly Overcomes Addiction, Returns to the NFL

The NFL can be harshly unforgiving to many of its players; nobody is irreplaceable. So when Johnny Jolly was forced to step away from football for three years, it was even a bit of a stretch to expect him to make a 53-man roster, let alone start week one at defensive end for the Green Bay Packers.  Jolly is an anomaly; he has faced more adversity than most players could ever handle and yet there he was week one, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he shouldn’t be there after all he’s been through.

Jolly attended college at Texas A & M University and won the starting defensive tackle job after his breakout sophomore year in 2003 where he recorded 95 tackles along with two sacks and eight pass deflections. Big 12 defenses took notice, and soon Jolly was facing double teams every week; despite this, Jolly still won All Big 12 Honors his junior and senior year.

Jolly was a sixth round draft pick in 2006 and was selected with the 183^rd pick by the Green Bay Packers. In his rookie season Jolly didn’t see much of the field until the final four games of the regular season when starters sustained injuries. Jolly seized his opportunity and was named a starter his second season in the league. Jolly was a promising young player, and things looked especially encouraging for him after he set the club record for pass deflections (11) in 2009.

Despite this breakout season, Jolly’s life wasn’t finding the same success off of the football field. On July 8^th, 2008, Houston police arrested Jolly after he was found with at least 200 grams of codeine; he was charged with intent to sell prescription cough syrup, which is a second-degree felony.  Jolly’s trial was pushed to late October in 2010, and on October 16^th, 2010 the NFL suspended Jolly “indefinitely.”

As a result of this suspension, Jolly missed the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl winning season. March 25^th, 2011 Jolly was again arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with an intent to sell after police found 600 grams of codeine in Jolly’s car. He was detained and arrested again on October 1^st for being in possession of codeine and tampering with evidence by trying to hide his supply of the drug. On November 17^th, 2011 Jolly was sentenced to six years in prison for violation of probation in conjunction with his arrests for possession of narcotics. For Jolly, this was rock bottom, but continued support through fan letters he received during his incarceration helped him through his sentencing. On May 15^th, 2012 Jolly received early release with a 10 year “shock probation.”

Now what? Jolly had a choice before him: relapse into addiction, or give the NFL another shot. In February of 2013 Jolly was reinstated by Roger Goodell and the NFL offices, and was soon signed by the Green Bay Packers. While this was a nice opportunity, nobody expected much from Jolly. Reporters said he had little stamina, and needed to lose weight and seemed to be a long shot to make the team. As training camp progressed however, Jolly shed some weight and began to make noticeable strides in his play. In the Packers’ preseason game against the St. Louis Rams, Jolly deflected a pass that led to an interception, and also intercepted a pass himself in a 17-9 victory.

Jolly still wasn’t completely convinced he had done enough to make the squad however, he told reporters he was “scared up until the last minute.” When Packers’ defensive coordinator Dom Capers called to tell him he had made the 53-man roster Jolly described it as “the best feeling I’ve had… That was a blessing.”

What’s really impressive about Jolly’s story is his refusal to become complacent. After making the roster, Jolly could have celebrated and cheered on his team from the sideline while collecting his NFL paycheck every week. Jolly had other plans. When the Packers’ 3-4 defense took the field to start the season, the defensive line included BJ Raji, Ryan Pickett, and Johnny Jolly- not CJ Wilson. At 6’3, 330 pounds Jolly impressed Packers’ defensive line coach Mike Trgovac, saying he liked his experience and that he was at an ideal playing weight. The Packers need a presence on the defensive line as they gave up 579 yards and 45 points to Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers’ offense in the playoffs last season. Pickett seems to think Jolly could be the spark the Green Bay defense needs saying, “I love it, man, because it’s contagious. You just love going into a game with a guy like that. He will do whatever it takes to win. And then he’ll expect that from everyone around him.” In his first game back Jolly recorded a sack, which is not an easy feat on an elusive quarterback like Kaepernick.

Jolly appreciates the support from the Packers’ fan community and entire organization, but knows he and the team have much more to accomplish. He explained, “I haven’t celebrated because I’ve got nothing to celebrate about… I’ve still got something to prove. As a team, we want to win the Super Bowl.” The NFC is bursting with talented young teams like Seattle, Washington, and San Francisco along with familiar powers such as Atlanta, Chicago, and the New York Giants. Don’t tell Jolly the Packers don’t have a chance though; it wouldn’t be the first time he proved someone wrong.