Maurice Jones-Drew Holdout: 'I'm Rooted Here In Jacksonville'

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew is embroiled in a contract dispute, holding out and hoping for a new deal. After remaining silent for the most part, Jones-Drew finally spoke at a promotional appearance Thursday evening.

"The support I'm getting is phenomenal. They tell me things like ‘keep going, we understand, stay ready,'" Jones-Drew said, despite being met with a spattering of boos from the crowd at Jack Hanania Fiat when he took the podium.

"It's a part of the business but I'd rather be here," Jones-Drew said Thursday during the promotional appearance. "I'd rather stay here with my team, my family. I talk to my teammates every day, my kids go to school here, I'm rooted here in Jacksonville with the NFL. I'd love to end my career here in Jacksonville but part of the business is sometimes you can't do things you want."

Some speculate that in order for Jones-Drew to be ready for the Jaguars Week 1 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, he'll need to report by the end of the upcoming weekend. Jones-Drew didn't sound like he would be missing regular season games when asked, however.

"I don't think we're there yet," Jones-Drew said in regards to missing regular season games. "We're moving forward to doing something. It's day by day. I hope we can get something done."