Patriots' J.C. Jackson Says He Was Left Home vs. Colts After Missing 'Bed Checks'

New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson wasn't with the team when it traveled to Frankfurt, Germany for its Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts, and he revealed that his absence was a punishment.

Per Mark Daniels of MassLive.com, Jackson said he missed multiple bed checks at the team hotel on the Saturday night before New England's Week 9 game against the Washington Commanders, which led to him not starting that game and missing the trip to Germany.

Jackson, who is back with the Patriots following their bye in Week 11, sounded apologetic and said he learned his lesson.

"What happened was I didn't travel with the team to Germany. It was a punishment on my behalf and that's what it was," he said. "I didn't take it any other way than, this is punishment and I hope you learn from it and grow from this mistake I made. And I'm here now, so hopefully that won't happen again. It was all my fault. I made a mistake. That's what you're going to get from Bill (Belichick). That's one thing about him. He's going to discipline no matter who you are."

Jackson began his career in New England before signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. The former Pro Bowler failed to live up to the deal, appearing in five games before his 2022 season was cut short by a knee injury and getting benched this year before the Chargers shipped him back to the Patriots on Oct. 5.

The 28-year-old started three straight games for New England before his transgression earlier this month. He said it was a wakeup call for him and it helped him realize how much it means for him to be back with the Patriots.

"Reality check–I'm not bigger than the team. I'm not bigger than nobody in here," Jackson said. "This is a team sport and I have to do whatever everybody else is doing. I want to be a part of the team. This is my team. This is home for me, man. This is where I want to be. I don't want to go nowhere else. I want to finish my career here also. I've just got to continue to build that leadership each and every day. It just stinks for me–I kind of played a lot of football. I know what to do at this point."

Jackson and the Patriots will be back in action on Sunday against the New York Giants.