DETROIT — On Jahmai Jones’ glove, three simple words are stitched: Flip the switch. It’s more than a slogan — it’s a message passed down from his late father, Andre, who always preached kindness off the field and intensity when it was time to compete.
Jones keeps many reminders of his father close. His social media profiles feature Matthew 10:16, a Bible verse Andre often quoted: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” He also wears a pendant inscribed with a message that brings his father to mind.
Those are the small, daily ways Jones honors Andre’s memory.
“I don’t think there’s been a single day where something doesn’t remind me of him, or where I don’t wish I could talk to him or ask for advice,” Jones said over the weekend. “It’s constant.”
Andre Jones played football at Notre Dame, winning a national championship from 1987 to 1990, then spent a season in the NFL with the Detroit Lions in 1992.
Jahmai was only 13 when Andre collapsed unexpectedly. He was taken to the hospital, and the family initially thought it was something minor. But it turned out to be a brain aneurysm. There was no brain activity. Andre died at just 42 years old.
“It’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it,” Jahmai said. “Grief brings on a mix of emotions. There’s no set process. It comes and goes, sneaks up on you sometimes.”
He was just beginning high school in Georgia when his father passed — old enough to understand, but still young. And grief, he says, doesn’t go away. “Now that I’m 27, I’ve grown and changed, but the thoughts of him are just as strong as when I was 13.”
Those thoughts came rushing back on Friday, when Jahmai got called up to join the Detroit Tigers — in the same city where both his father and older brother, T.J. Jones, had played for the Lions. T.J. caught 64 passes across four seasons with the team. The last time Jahmai was in Detroit, he was at Ford Field watching his brother play. Another brother, Malachi, also had stints in the Arena Football League and CFL.
“Detroit’s always been special to me because of my family’s history here,” Jahmai said. “Now to contribute to that legacy myself — it means everything.”
He thought about Andre the moment he got the call, rushing to pack up after a minor-league series in Columbus, Ohio. He grabbed his essentials and got in the car. “Wallet, phone, keys, baseball gear — that’s all I needed,” he said. “The rest? I’d figure it out.”
Arriving at Comerica Park, Jones immediately focused on preparing to play. He credits both his parents for shaping who he is — especially his mom, Michele, who raised six kids on her own after Andre’s passing.
“The way I try to live my life — how I treat others — that’s all because of them,” he said. “It’s a reflection of their influence.”
And on Friday night, Jahmai had a moment to remember. Called off the bench in the eighth inning, he launched a pinch-hit home run on the very first pitch he saw. The Tigers beat the Cubs, 3-1. The crowd roared. It was a storybook scene.
“Last night, my wife and I talked about it. So did my family,” Jones said the next morning. “It really felt like a full-circle moment.”
This season has been a whirlwind for Jones. After signing a minor-league deal with Detroit, he quickly impressed. Manager A.J. Hinch said the Tigers had been targeting him from the start of free agency.
“He was someone we really wanted,” Hinch said. “The front office did a great job identifying him as a fit.”
Despite a strong spring, injuries forced tough roster decisions and Jones didn’t make the Opening Day squad. But he didn’t complain. He went to Triple-A Toledo and kept grinding.
“He probably had the best spring of anyone who didn’t make our roster,” Hinch said. “But Jahmai didn’t get bitter. He stayed locked in.”
That patience paid off. When Andy Ibáñez was sent down, Jones finally got his shot. And he was ready. “All I want to do is contribute,” he said before the game.
He sat on the bench, talking with injured teammate Matt Vierling about staying prepared. When the call came in the eighth, Jones stepped in for Kerry Carpenter and saw a hanging curveball on the first pitch.
At first, he didn’t think he got enough of it. “I thought I got under it,” he said. “Then I saw [Ian] Happ keep jogging back… and then it cleared the fence.”
“I’m proud of him,” Hinch said afterward. “That was a big moment.”
Whatever comes next, Jones will always have that swing, that moment — in the same city his father once played. It was more than a home run. It was a memory, a tribute, and a legacy continued.
“I can still enjoy every big moment I have,” Jones said. “But the people you love — especially the ones who aren’t here — they’re always on your mind. Always.”
