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Michael DiRocco, ESPN writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Josh Reynolds declined to go into details about an October shooting that left him injured in the arm and head, other than to say he was eager to move forward with his career in the NFL.
“It’s one of those things I’d rather put behind me,” Reynolds said Friday, two days after the Jaguars claimed him off waivers from the Denver Broncos. “But anyone who goes through that, man, it’s a crazy experience.
“But now I’m here. I’m in sunny Florida. I feel blessed to be here.”
It is the first time Reynolds, 29, has spoken about the Oct. 18 shooting in Glendale, Colorado. According to a Denver police report, Reynolds suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his left arm and the back of his head in the shooting, which occurred after Reynolds and another man were driving after leaving a club. striptease at 2:45 am.
Police said Reynolds and the other man told police they were followed by several vehicles and the van they were traveling in was shot at. Denver police later announced that Burr Charlesworth, 42, and Luis Mendoza, 35, were arrested in connection with the shooting and charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree assault. degree and additional felonies.
Police said Reynolds was treated and released from a Denver-area hospital hours after the shooting.
“It was tough for a few weeks, but I had a good support system behind me,” Reynolds said. “A lot of the organization helped me a lot, so they made it easy for me to transition through that whole process.”
Reynolds, who was on injured reserve at the time of the shooting after undergoing surgery on a finger, said he also received a lot of support from his family in the weeks after the shooting.
“My mom was there every weekend taking work and stuff,” he said. “She’s always been a big part of my life. She’s always been on my side, man, whenever she can. It’s been awesome to have her travel and see her at my games.”
The Broncos had designated Reynolds to return from the disabled list on Nov. 13 and had to waive him or move him to the active roster, opting to waive him on Tuesday.
Reynolds had 12 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown in five games with the Broncos and has 232 receptions for 3,116 yards and 20 touchdowns in 112 games with four NFL teams. He was a fourth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2017.
