Byron Jones opens up on plans to expand annual Osgood Shootout in New Britain (EXCLUSIVE)

Former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins All-Pro defensive back Byron Jones is continuing to give back to his community.

This past weekend, August 12 and 13, he sponsored a local event in his hometown of New Britain, Connecticut, known as The Osgood Shootout. The event featured local and regional basketball talent competing in two separate brackets that help raise money for scholarships for local high school students.

While last year was supposed to be the extinction of the event due to not having enough funds, Jones stepped up and took care of the costs. He has plans of expanding the local event for the foreseeable future.

“The idea is to get incrementally better each and every year with an event like this. Coming here, this is my first year, it ran incredibly smooth. There was great competition, there was great entertainment," he said via an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda. "A lot of guys had a lot of fun, so coming into this, there’s not much more you can do for an event like this, but we’ll find a way to make it bigger and better next year, no question.”

Byron Jones plans on continuing to give back to his community

Byron Jones during Miami Dolphins Training Camp

Although he hasn't officially announced his retirement, Byron Jones hinted at it in a two-series Tweet in February, stating he can longer run or jump due to the pills the NFL has given him for his injuries.

While being a free agent, Jones has been spending more time in his state of Connecticut. He hosted a football camp last on August 5, 2023, in New Britain, and visited UConn a few days later to give advice to the football team.

While he's been involved in the community this summer, he has more plans of being involved in his home state community, saying:

“Just in these ways and finding events in the community and finding ways that I can get in contact with kids so that they can see me, understand that I grew up right down the street in the same city as them, and just showing them that they’re not forgotten."

"Show them that you can come from a small town of New Britain. We have a lot of really talented people come from this city so I definitely want to highlight that.”

Byron Jones played in the NFL from 2015-2022 with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. He was named an All-Pro and Pro Bowler during the 2018 season. He has 444 tackles, five forced fumbles, one interception, 57 pass deflections and one defensive touchdown in his nine-year NFL career.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Byron Jones and H/T Sportskeeda