Jones Calls Revs Offer a ‘Joke’
- Updated: January 28, 2016
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Midfielder Jermaine Jones may very well be willing to accept a pay cut to remain in New England, but the offer the on table from the Revolution is apparently too low for him to accept based on a recent report.
Prior to Thursday’s training session with the U.S. Men’s National Team, the 34-year-old midfielder told the media at the StubHub Center that he doesn’t consider the Revolution’s proposed figure to be a genuine one.
“I did everything I could do when I came here to the States,” Jones told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I helped New England, with the Kraft family, to put soccer in front. And now, I’m getting an offer that is a joke. There’s still time. I have to make my focus on these two games that come with the national team.”
Jones received an 18-month, $4.7 million contract from the Revolution in Aug. 2014. After trying to work out a new deal to stay in New England beyond 2015, he vented his frustrations via social media when he tweeted that the club had offered him “less 20 percent” of the $3.05 million salary he earned last season.
Complicating matters even more for the out-of-contract midfielder is the six-match ban he received for bumping referee Mark Geiger during the Revolution’s knockout loss to DC United in October.
It was originally believed that the suspension was only applicable to MLS competition, but according to FIFA regulations, all sanctioned leagues must honor the ban. In other words, Jones will have to serve the ban, even if he secures a deal outside MLS.
“It’s a little bit ridiculous, everything. It’s a little bit crazy,” Jones said. “So I get a six game suspension in this league. I told the league that I want to go, I have some opportunities.”
But those opportunities haven’t been as attractive as Jones probably envisioned. With the lengthy ban looming, interest in the 34-year-old’s services hasn’t been as great as he had hoped.
“All other leagues, its half a season played,” he said. “If you have a six-game suspension, its tough to bring [someone] in. I feel like its unfair that you close a window for a player that did a lot for this country, and this sport here.”
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