Chris Jones Emotionally Reflects on Playing Chiefs Game Hours After Attending Aunt’s Funeral: ‘My Escape’

Chris Jones puts his family first.

The Kansas City Chiefs star, 31, traveled to Mississippi for his aunt’s funeral and managed to make it back in time to play at his team’s home with 45 minutes to spare before game time on Sunday, Sept. 28.

After the game, which saw the Chiefs’ 37-20 defeat of the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium, Jones opened up to press about the emotional whirlwind he experienced in the wake of personal loss and professional victory.

“It was a lot, overcome with emotions, but it felt fun to be back on the field with my brothers, enjoy the win, the atmosphere, feeling the energy here,” he told reporters at the presser.

The defensive tackle, who’s from the small-town city of Houston in northeastern Mississippi, explained that he left for his home state on Saturday, Sept. 27.

“Left yesterday, came back after the funeral today,” he said. “We had it planned out; we had a strategic plan to get me here in time for the game.”

Jones’ family was understanding of his professional duties, too, and helped make both commitments happen.

“They were very supportive and they were very understanding to the scheduling of things, to schedule the funeral to where I could still make the game and still be supportive on the family aspect of it,” he shared. “I’m super appreciative of them for understanding.”

The NFL star, who was visibly emotional on the sidelines before kickoff, opened up about his teammates’ support amid the challenging time.

“It’s tough, any time you lose a loved one, or someone you love and cherish and care about, it’s emotional,” he said, adding, “Being around good energy, good people, it makes you feel good.”

Furthermore, Jones — who’s been in the NFL for 10 years after entering the league as a second-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 NFL Draft — credited football as a positive outlet.

“Football is my escape, where I can escape from the reality of what’s really going on and just have fun, being like a kid in the backyard playing football again,” he said.

In addition to Jones’ family, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was also understanding.

“He had to do what he had to do there. That’s not something you plan on,” he told media during a press conference. “You take care of that first and the game kind of comes secondary when you start dealing with life and death.

Ultimately, Jones landed in Kansas City at 2:40 p.m. local time, just 45 minutes before kickoff. He missed warmups, but made it to Arrowhead Stadium in time to play the first snap.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The game was a success for the Chiefs, who were victorious over the Baltimore Ravens and are now 2-2 heading into week 5 of the season.

The Chiefs take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 6.