Why Chiefs star went in Dolphins’ locker room after win: ‘There was no disrespect’
Kansas City Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones made his way to an unlikely place following his team’s 26-7 playoff victory over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night: the opposing locker room.
As reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Chris Perkins, Jones was seen laughing in a corner of the locker room for “perhaps three or four minutes” with reporters present Saturday. He was having a conversation with Dolphins edge rusher (and former Chief) Justin Houston and retired Chiefs pass-rusher Tamba Hali.
Jones spoke about the interaction with reporters during his scheduled press conference Wednesday, saying he saw the Sun-Sentinel article and had nearly posted on X (formerly Twitter) to explain what had happened.
“There was no disrespect,” Jones said Wednesday.
Jones said he knew a lot of the Dolphins’ defensive players. That includes defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, who also is from Mississippi, and linebacker Melvin Ingram, who was with the Chiefs in 2021. Miami linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah also played for the Chiefs (2019).
“The game was over. I waited until I was dressed. I showered. It takes me, like, 45 minutes to get out of the locker room,” Jones said. “No disrespect to the Miami organization. I figured everyone was gone, and Justin Houston was still there and Tamba was going there. I went to see my troops.”
Perkins reported Monday that at least one Dolphins player wasn’t pleased that Jones was there.
“I would have told them to get the (expletive) out,” one offensive player told Perkins on Monday. “That would have had me hot.”
Another defensive player told Perkins he was surprised Jones and Hali were in the locker room, but he said it made sense.
“It was just respect,” the player told Perkins.
Jones said Wednesday he could understand why what he did might be seen as disrespectful. However, he said, most Dolphins were already out of the locker room.
“And the guys that were there,” Jones said, “were the guys I knew.”
Perkins said the gathering was loud at times in front of reporters, saying for a moment the Dolphins’ locker room “had such a raucous buzz you’d have thought they’d just won their first playoff game in 23 years.” Perkins later said in his coverage of 15 NFL seasons, he’d never seen an opposing — and winning — player inside the losing locker room.
Davis told Perkins on Monday that Jones simply was showing respect for Houston after the game.
Houston, who was signed by the Dolphins just four days before Saturday’s playoff game, also was asked Monday by Perkins about Jones’ locker-room appearance.
“When it’s over, it’s over,” Houston said to the Sun-Sentinel, speaking about the season. “You still show love.”
This story was originally published January 18, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Why Chiefs star went in Dolphins’ locker room after win: ‘There was no disrespect’."
