Reakwon Jones Can Smile Again with Family of all Sorts
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Written By Nathan Comp
LEO.
Love. Each. Other.
When Tom Allen took over as head coach in 2017, he was tasked with more than revitalizing a historically poor football program. He needed to change the culture and the mindset of a locker room filled with negativity towards one another. He needed to create an atmosphere where players would always have one another’s back.
He needed to create a family.
Now, the effects of this family-based culture are taking place – not only in the locker room, but across Hoosier Nation.
Reakwon Jones, redshirt junior linebacker for Indiana, has had much more than the daunting Big Ten conference schedule to manage recently. On October 10th, Jones could only listen through a Metro PCS phone—the only provider that still had service— as the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane, Hurricane Michael, crashed into the Florida Panhandle. On the other end of the line was his family.
“It broke my heart, because I couldn’t be there. I had to hear them go through stuff like that,” said Jones. “I would call them every few hours to check in, see how they’re doing. When I was on the phone, I guess a tree had fell on the house. I heard everyone scream.”
“My mom told me that my little sister was crying the whole time it was going on. It hurt a lot.”
As the storm has now passed, left are the repercussions. Both of Jones’ parent’s homes are destroyed. Clothing and memories have been washed away. The roof of his alma mater high school has vanished.
“The hurricane pretty much destroyed the whole city. I think five schools are completely gone. My mom’s house is gone. All our clothes and stuff in the house are gone. My father’s house got destroyed completely,” said Jones at media availability. “I know the looting, the civil unrest, it’s getting bad.”
Throughout these hard times, Jones has relied on the support of his family. Not just his biological family, but his football family and the family he can find in Hoosier Nation.
“My mom’s really strong. She encouraged me, no matter what. If I’m okay, she’s okay.”
Jones family was fortunate enough to be able to make the 10-hour drive up from Alabama, where they fled for safety, to watch him this past weekend against Penn State. They lacked enough money for a hotel room, so they all crowded into Jones’ 1-bedroom apartment on campus. The setting didn’t matter—what mattered was that they could all be together, safely.
“It was a blessing. I got to see them at ‘The Walk’, which was extremely emotional, and after the game, I got to hang out with them. We made it work. We packed in there. We just hung out, had fun, caught up, talked and just shared feelings and stuff like that. It was just great. It was really good for me,” Jones said with a smile.
He’s also been able to lean on his football family; linebackers coach Kane Wommack, head coach Tom Allen, the Indiana football support staff, and his teammates have all voiced their support as Jones has had to play these past two weeks distracted.
“He’s been through a lot through these last several days with all that,” Tom Allen explained. “So you think about our guys and what they go through, it’s not just football. There’s a lot of other things that go into this.”
Finally, working with the Indiana University compliance department, Jones has been able to see the love and support pour in through a GoFundMe page* set up for his family. Comments have flooded in praising that “Hoosiers help Hoosiers” and “LEO.” The page has already raised over $12,000.
“I’m not looking for big donors. Whatever someone can donate, we’re grateful for anything that happens. We’re just trying to find a way to restart and build on and move on in life and put this in the past. No one wants to hang on to this forever.”
Jones can once again find comfort in his families.
“I can use that to find happiness because football has always been my life and been something that makes me extremely happy. When I go to football, it’s definitely a different mindset.”
“I’m smiling.”
*Those that would like to make a contribution to Raekwon Jones and his family can donate to the GoFundMe page, found here:*