Tom Jones Announces His Exit From The Tampa Bay Times
November 6th, 2018
Perhaps notorious Buccaneers critic and Josh Freeman advocate Tom Jones is as worn out from covering the team as many fans are from watching it.
Whatever the reason, Jones, who has been known for fierce denouncement of Team Glazer, Jameis Winston and Joe, is leaving his post as sports columnist at the Tampa Bay Times.
In a Twitter announcement today, Jones wrote, “I have accepted an offer to become a media columnist at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. I will begin this exciting new chapter on Jan. 2, 2019. Until then, I will continue doing the job that I love as sports columnist at the Tampa Bay Times.”
If Dirk Koetter wasn’t already crying in his beer tonight, he certainly won’t be when he hears of this news. Multiple sources (aka many) for well over a year have told Joe of Jones having multiple run-ins Koetter.
Given that Jones will be writing about media on his new gig, Joe suspects Jones will disappear completely from the local sports landscape due to a conflict of interest. So this likely is good-bye.
Joe wishes Jones well. He’s been around a long time with the newspaper and on radio; he’s got plenty of haters out there among Bucs fans but plenty of fans, too.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:39 pm
Na Na Na Na
Na Na Na Na
Hey Hey Hey
Goodbye!
November 6th, 2018 at 6:44 pm
Boo Hooo!
November 6th, 2018 at 6:44 pm
If. Only. Martin. Fennelly. Would. Follow. Him.
November 6th, 2018 at 6:46 pm
Wow!
Guy I respected and admired decides to become a card-carrying communist
November 6th, 2018 at 6:49 pm
I for one will be sad to see him go. He is an opinion writer and does a great job of spouting his opinion and rustling feathers. Does he go overboard sometimes? Sure. But he did his job and quite well. I will miss his articles on all Bay Area / Florida sports. Just my two cents and that’s about all it’s worth.
Carry on!
November 6th, 2018 at 6:51 pm
I always liked the guy. He told it like it was. Not like YOU..wanted to hear it.
Good luck in your new gig Tom. Life moves on. Things change and smart people move on to..greener pastures for themselves and their families.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:03 pm
Oh man I loved that guy. Not afraid to start an argument. Didn’t care what other people think.
Yep, he said some stuff that bothered me and that’s what I loved about. Loved em even when I hated him. Very entertaining.
Now with him and the big dog gone we got nothing but a bunch of softies in the media. Them two idiots in the morning whine that fans with them then they hold each other’s d***s and nod their heads in agreement with every topic(actually I heard them argue once).
That clown in the afternoon needs to git. He has disrespected a lot of people that live here locally. Of course he’s doesn’t degrade anybody important that would cost him his job. Only blue collars who couldn’t do more then file. a complaint. He just isn’t a cool person.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:03 pm
Whine that fans disagree***
November 6th, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Greg Auman is the best Sportswriter at the Times
But I did agree with Tom Jones , sometimes
November 6th, 2018 at 7:13 pm
Gino, Poynter is like an advanced university for journalists. Simms down nah
November 6th, 2018 at 7:19 pm
Key words. “Until then”. This dude is going out swinging. They might wait until Jan 3 to announce Dirk’s firing so this guy can’t rip the Glazers on the way out.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:23 pm
I don’t buy that rag anyway..
November 6th, 2018 at 7:27 pm
The one positive thing I remember about Jones is how he apologized(sort of) in an article where he walked back his prediction of the Rays losing 110 plus games this season and gave them credit for putting together a squad that would win 90 games which was thought to be impossible after management jettisoned almost every high profile player in what looked to be either low value trades and or salary dumps. Turns out that most of the players dealt away were overvalued (Archer, Souza) or past their prime (Longo). If the Rays can cut the deadwood and create a winner than why not the Bucs who look to be an NFL version of the badly run Baltimore Orioles???? Loguc says the Bucs probs are rooted near the top……. Bon Voyage Jones……
November 6th, 2018 at 7:35 pm
You won’t be missed you wanna be shock jock “columnist”.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:38 pm
Another West Virginia Steelers fan off to a new chapter. Not really a journalist…just a contrarian looking for click bait.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:41 pm
Dewey LOL……That would be epic.
Jones may not get paid after that date but he needs to do a freebie just for that occasion.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:49 pm
THANK GOD!!! I still read the TBT sports section and that guy is the biggest a$$ clown to write sports media in Tampa Bay.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:51 pm
You could say he won. Koetter and Jameis are right behind him.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:52 pm
Fort Myers Tom Jones was right trash the Ray’s for anything they did to start the year.
This year was a salary dump to that franchise. Letting Evan Longoria walk was a heartless and stupid decision. They say they wants more fans but then trade away a fan favorite for the sake of money(even though fans equal money).
Their fanbase is small because they don’t know how to build one.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:52 pm
And sorry I know it’s a football site but baseball is my 💓. Hence the name.
November 6th, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Poynter owns the Tampa Bay Times.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:02 pm
JimmyJack, you can not deny that the rays had a successful year and for all his faults Kevin Cash is a candidate for Manager of the Year. I get that the Longo trade was not popular but the other moves were positive despite the spin that people gave it in comparing the Rays to the Miami Marlins. The attendance at the Trop has never been great, peaking at 23 or 24K during and right after the World Series run and a big part of that is location. The Trop is great for people in Pinellas and those who come from Sarasota/Fort Myers via the Skyway but attendance would be much higher if the stadium was in Hillsborough; perhaps at the Ybor site, near the gaming casino/fairgrounds out by 301/I-4, near RJS or even an old Vinik site; the ConAgra mill downtown which is now being developed commercially. I do get why many Rays fans will miss Longo but he was what he was a 3rd baseman who hit 0.275, hit 25 homers and drove in 80 rbis; a good player but not great and his numbers declined substantially in San Fran. The Archer trade was a no brainer, the guy was not a #1 or 2 starter for 3 years and the rays fleeced Pittsburgh for him with 3 good up and coming players.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:03 pm
I bet he voted for Gillum
November 6th, 2018 at 8:10 pm
Dont let the door hit you in the ass. You sucked. FAKE NEWS
November 6th, 2018 at 8:22 pm
Even though I think he is a scmuck I met him and Rick Stroud in Atlanta coming back to Florida after the game. They both couldn’t have been more nice even though it was VERY early. I wish him luck but glad he is gone from the sports landscape.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:29 pm
Sounds like he’s fleeing a sinking ship.
And no one should ever agree with a sports columnist or a political writer 100% of the time.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:42 pm
Tom Jones is nothing but a “shock jock” columnist. He’s writes these over the top articles just to stir the pot. Only the simple minded are attracted by his garbage. Good riddance!!!!!
November 6th, 2018 at 8:43 pm
Jones definitely knew how to push the envelope on many hot button issues. I thought at times he was harsh on his quest inform us on JW, at times. I get it though…its business of opinion writing.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:46 pm
Tom Jones blows. He had to be the lowest rated writer in town.
His Madden writer rating should be like 67 overall
November 6th, 2018 at 8:47 pm
C’mon Joe. Don’t wish him well when you don’t mean it.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:49 pm
i saw he and koetter having tough interface at the deli counter in publix early one evening on dale mabry…
November 6th, 2018 at 8:55 pm
The seering hate for Tom Jones!!! It is fun to read all the negative comments about Tom Jones. This is why he did it and it works. Its entertaining. These reactions are priceless.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:55 pm
This sums it nicely
https://youtu.be/Wa_g2Ub_8yc
November 6th, 2018 at 8:58 pm
Adam….I heard they got right up into each other’s faces. Dirk even flipped his hat backwards to really get in his mush……That’s what I heard.
November 6th, 2018 at 9:09 pm
Good Riddance! He was so annoying.
November 6th, 2018 at 9:43 pm
Whether you agreed with him or not, Tom Jones is/was a much better writer than most Tampa Bay sports columnists.
November 6th, 2018 at 10:20 pm
Gave Big Ben a Pass, gave Joe Pa a pass, need I say more that he was nothing more than a Partisan HACK!!!
November 6th, 2018 at 10:40 pm
Tom Jones is a chump dirtbag!!
November 6th, 2018 at 10:42 pm
Good riddance. He was one of the reasons I stopped buying newspapers. He used false information the support his biased opinions, and what little real reporting he did was misleading.
November 6th, 2018 at 11:25 pm
He is terrible glad he is gone awful on radio too.
November 6th, 2018 at 11:40 pm
WOOOOOOOOTTTT!!!!! FU Tom Jones!!!!!
November 6th, 2018 at 11:41 pm
Don’t let the door split ya where the good lord split ya!
November 7th, 2018 at 12:10 am
Hugh Culverhouse was a better owner than the Glazers….
Did I get your attention? You bet I did, because I’m shocking.
Winston is responsible for more deaths of women than Rae Carruth.
Are you shocked yet? I’m shocking!
The Bucs are literally Hitler.
Oh man, I really stirred you all up with my very real opinions that were in no way embellished to try to get my name out there because I’m a no talent hack at a newspaper that is going under and my only hope to make my next car payment is to be so shocking that hopefully someone in another market will say “oh I’ve heard of that fatso” and hire me.
I’m shocking!
Ouch.
That’s how shocking I am!
November 7th, 2018 at 12:36 am
If you cros Auman he shows up in your DMs
November 7th, 2018 at 4:07 am
Big news guys! Apparently there’s some pretty big names reading this website!
Well the St Pete Times just called me and told me they read my column above and I’m in, I’m their new Tom Jones! It’s amazing! What should my first column be about? Help me out…
November 7th, 2018 at 7:28 am
Later d!ckweed. Good riddance.
November 7th, 2018 at 7:32 am
Tom was very opinionated, obviously, and at times he really ticked me off, just like everyone else.
But, I have to be honest, as a longtime listener of 620 WDAE, those years that Rick Stroud & Tom Jones had together in the morning, were very fun to listen to. They actually were funny as hell together, and a hell of a team, even when they were on opposite sides of the fence.
I had always sort of hoped that show may come back some day, so I am a little sad that Tom is moving on. Good luck to him in all that he does.
November 7th, 2018 at 8:26 am
No matter who leaves or come on that paper, is going to be the same crap, it is unreadable, because its bias and bigot writers have no intend to make fair analysis, specially after they “eat” Tampa Tribune, the best paper we had.
November 7th, 2018 at 9:35 am
Now if only that bird-cage lining rag would fold behind him what a glorious day that would be. I can’t believe people still pay to read it.
November 7th, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Wow. Some good news finally. They got rid of their best writer and hardest working reporter, Greg Auman, because he didn’t play the trash for clicks game. Then, this guy is promoted…