Perris Jones finally leaves Louisville and heads to home, sweet home

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Stevie Jones watched his injured son, Perris, get wheeled into the University of Louisville Medical Center on Nov. 9, uncertain of his future after taking a violent hit in the Virginia-Louisville football game that night. On Tuesday afternoon, nearly 20 days later, Jones watched his son walk out.

Stevie, a combat veteran who once had to learn to walk all over again, has seen a lot, but his range of emotions from watching Perris hit the turf and not get up, taken to the hospital, remaining by his side since that night, then walking out of Louisville’s Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, rendered him helpless but thankful.

Perris, who was scheduled to return to Charlottesville later Tuesday, was inspired by his dad’s words of wisdom and encouragement throughout his ordeal. After both thanked the Louisville medical community for putting Perris back together again, Perris revealed his own emotions from the moment of the hit until his exit from a city that embraced him.

“Right away, I couldn’t feel anything,” Perris said of the collision on the field. “After the hit, I just kind of realized my body go numb, in a sense, and then I hit the ground. I didn’t even really feel myself hit the ground. I was just kind of sitting there like what in the world is happening?”

Before he knew, University of Louisville trainers were all around him, having rushed to his care.

“First thing I echoed was that I couldn’t feel anything, I couldn’t move,” Jones recalled. “I’m a very faithful guy, so I just closed my eyes and said a little quick prayer and let the Lord know that I was listening. That gave me a little calming presence.”

Jones said it was a moment of Zen, no words, just a feeling of peace after his prayer. Calm, quiet as doctors and trainers went through every precaution before moving him to the nearby hospital. Once those moments passed and he learned he had a spinal-cord injury that would require surgery and that his football playing days were over, he and his father shared some special time.

“I shared some tears with my father, right when he walked into the emergency room when I was done with surgery and I told him I was sorry, because after you spent so much time, your whole life working toward a goal [football], and then it’s seemingly gone on a moment’s notice. It was tough to admit, but I’m thankful for [his father’s] guidance,” Perris said.

Jones, 25, isn’t your average football player. He came to Virginia as a walk-on running back from Episcopal High School in Alexandria. He really didn’t flourish until his fifth year (2022), when new coach Tony Elliott gave him a chance.

At only 5-foot-7, 180 pounds, Jones became UVA’s most reliable back and earned a starting job, finishing as the most productive running back in ‘22 and up until his injury in ‘23.

Jones, mature beyond his years, said that when he was rushed to the hospital, his father told him that as long as he could open his eyes, everything was going to be alright.

As they both stood before the Frazier medical staff to thank them before his farewell press conference, they seemed one in the same. Perris joked that they even looked and sounded alike, the proverbial apple-from-the-tree axiom.

“So I mean, dude, if you didn’t look at [Stevie], we kind of look exactly alike, but we’re pretty much the same person through and through,” Perris laughed. “We spend a lot of time just talking about life and that’s probably one of the greatest things I’m grateful for, my time with my dad and our philosophical talks.

“He told me from a young age, your body’s going to stop working at some point, you have got to have a sharp mind. You’ve got to be able to think, make decisions under duress. He’s honestly one of my best friends.”

While he is returning to Virginia, there’s plenty of work to be done.

“My future rehab is most likely going to be focused on fine motor skills,” Perris said. “For me, that’s where I’ve struggled the most throughout the rehab process, so controlling my hands. It’s been the biggest struggle, so just focusing on that and then also continuing to build strength in my other extremities to make sure that they’re working as well as they possibly can.”

One of his biggest inspirations other than his father is another UVA running back who has also fought through incredible health challenges. Mike Hollins, the player who survived the tragic November, 2022, shootings at Virginia, had to overcome being shot twice in the back and endless hours of rehab, not only to play football this season, but just to live a normal life.

Hollins has been in touch with Jones, his roommate, throughout the process, something Jones will never forget.

“Man, that’s my warrior right there,” Jones’ face lit up with the mention of Hollins. “He’s been texting me and telling me he’s got some food waiting on me at the house, so I’m looking forward to getting home to him.

“He’s an inspiration. You hear his story, but then getting to actually be a part of it and see day-in and day-out how a guy like that carries himself after dealing with so much, it’s hard to feel sorry for yourself. Like, if he can do it, I can do it, too. We kind of motivate each other to build off of one another. He’s my brother, man, he really is.”

Stevie Jones said it has been a tough ordeal, but the Jones family is built tough. Growing up, Perris watched Stevie come back home, banged up from combat tours, “having to learn how to walk again,” Stevie shared. Watching his son go through that process was difficult to watch.

“To see us reverse or trade places, broke my heart,” Stevie said. “I won’t talk about it too much because it moves me to tears to think about it, but I wish that I could have magically traded places and I could have done this for him. But to watch him come through this, I’m like wow, that’s my kid. I really think he has a chance to change the world somehow.”

Don’t be surprised if that’s on Perris’ agenda. He majored in African-American studies and English, and is pursuing a Master’s in social foundations.

“Even since I was a little kid, I’ve always had a passion for helping people and giving back,” Perris said, something that was sparked by his father helping homeless people on Christmas mornings past — feeding them and spending time with them.

“Just to kind of emphasize to be grateful for what you have, so I want to continue that, potentially helping underprivileged kids in socio-economic areas that are struggling. I always want to spend time with kids that are in the juvenile detention center and try to help them, because a lot of kids aren’t bad kids, they’re just victims with the situations they’re born into.”

Changing the world? What better way than by working with the unfortunate and the underprivileged. Meanwhile, Perris Jones will be an inspiration to the rest of us, from walk-on to leading rusher, from being wheeled into the hospital to walking out on his own two feet.