Julio Jones Lost a $100,000 Earring While Jet Skiing and Hired Divers to Find It

Julio Jones’s earring is sitting at the bottom of a Georgia lake. 
Julio Jones Lost a $100,000 Earring While Jet Skiing and Hired Divers to Find It
Julio Jones Lost a $100,000 Earring While Jet Skiing and Hired Divers to Find It /

Julio Jones had an expensive day of fun in the sun on Tuesday. 

Jones took a jet ski out on a lake near Falcons camp and got tossed into the water when he ran across a boat’s wake. In the process, one of his diamond earrings popped out of his ear and sunk to the bottom of the man-made lake. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the massive rock was worth about $100,000. 

Jones then hired a pair of scuba divers to descend into the murky depths and attempt to retrieve the earring. Atlanta TV station WXIA had a camera crew on hand to document the recovery efforts

The salvage mission didn’t go as Jones was hoping, though. The divers encountered pitch-black conditions, a soft lake bed and a forest of submerged trees, which all made it impossible to find the missing diamond. 

lanier.jpg
WXIA

“It’s down in crevasses and nooks and crannies,” diver Richard Pickering said. “It’s impossible—absolutely impossible.”

Jones, who has been hampered by lingering foot issues, said he’s just happy he didn’t get hurt. He still probably would have liked to get the earring back, though. Maybe next time he’ll heed Chad Johnson’s advice. 

If you want to make $100,000, get a scuba tank and head to Lake Lanier northeast of Atlanta. 


Published
Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).