Here’s the full video of Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. auditioning for American Idol in Nashville.
The clip, which aired on the ESPN NFL Countdown on Sunday morning (Nov 12), dispelled any notions that the audition was merely a stunt. Jones has been singing ever since his father put him in he church choir as a wee child. He’s been singing ever since. He’s so serious about performing that he built a studio in his house where he records music.
The Idol hopeful sings “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt in front of the judge, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. He’s not shown receiving a golden ticket, but based on the judges’ reactions to his vocal, it’s easy to assume he received 3 enthusiastic yeses.
At the end, Luke pulls out a football and they toss a few.
As far as the audition? Jones has got a decent voice, which he doesn’t know how to use. The runs dude. Pull back on those runs. If he’s serious about a career in music (maybe post football?) Jones should take some voice lessons.
“It was just a good opportunity,” Jones told ESPN about his reason to audition. “Usually, it’s funny because I’ve been in the league six years and there’s still people who don’t know I can sing. I’ve never really put myself out there like that, just when people were nagging me to do it.
“Just a change. Just something I thought it would be a cool experience before I get too old.”
Jones isn’t the first football player to compete on a reality show. Dancing with the Stars has enlisted a slew of athletes, including many NFLers. On America’s Got Talent, Jon Dorenbos who was a long snapper for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time, plied his magician skills to a 3rd place finish in 2016.
