NFL
Packers' RB was emotional after an amulet of tremendous sentimental value was found on the eve of his record-breaking game
One of the Green Bay coaching staff members was responsible for finding the necklace containing Aaron Jones's father's ashes on the pitch of Lambeau Field.
After a late-night scoop of a Green Bay Packers committed, Aaron Jones has got his father's ashes back.
NFL news:
The Packers' running back lost a necklace containing the ashes during the course of scoring four touchdowns against the Detroit Lions on Monday night.
Although he was disappointed to be separated from the necklace, Jones said after the Packers' 35-17 win: "If there was any place to lose it, that's where my dad would've wanted me to lose it, so I know he's smiling."
He was optimistic it would be found and was proven right.
Alvin Jones Sr died in April from complications related to COVID-19, having been an important guiding hand behind his son's football career.
The Packers understood the significance of the necklace and long-serving head athletic trainer Bryan Engel set out shortly before 2am to scour the end zone where Jones believed it had gone missing.
"Our trainer Bryan Engel – 'Flea' – he went out there and he found it," Jones told the Steve Czaban Show on 97.3 The Game.
"It's really small. A lot of times it just sits inside my shirt. A lot of people won't even see it or recognize it."
Engel is in his 25th year on the Packers staff and is responsible for managing the team's medical care, but he went the extra mile this time.
Asked how the necklace could prove so difficult to spot on a football field, Jones said: "I'm not sure, maybe because it's so small, but Flea found it so we're perfect.
"Thank you to him. He was out there at like 1:45am. It shows how much they care about us."