Former New York Giants safety Chad Jones drafted by the Cincinnati Reds

Chad Jones is no longer in the NFL, but his career as a professional athlete is not yet over.

The former New York Giants safety was drafted in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Instead of breaking up passes, Jones will try to have a baseball career as a left-handed pitcher.

This is not the first time Jones was taken in the MLB draft. In 2007, he was selected in the 13th round by the Houston Astros out of LSU. Instead, he chose a career in football.

Jones batted .343 with a home run and 6 RBI in 18 games with the Tigers. He also pitched in nine games, allowing four hits and striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings. During the 2009 College World Series, Jones came in as a reliever, tossing 1 2/3 perfect innings against Texas.

He and teammate Jared Mitchell would go on to become the first two collegiate athletes to claim both a BCS national title and a baseball national championship.

The September after being drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Jones was involved in a horrific car accident. He lost control of his Range Rover and crashed into a pole in his hometown of New Orleans. The injuries he suffered were considered so severe that doctors contemplated amputating his left leg.

In October of 2011, trying to revive his playing career, Jones recorded a 4.84 40-yard dash. He remained a member of the New York Giants until May of 2012, when the team released him after he failed a physical. Associate team physician Scott Rodeo then said Jones was unable to perform at the necessary level to play professional football.

Jones had worked out for both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints, but left both visits without a deal. He followed that up with an open baseball tryout in front of several MLB teams in May.

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