Don’t call him Pacman, because he has totally changed
He’s Adam now. Grown up, calmed down, focused on nothing except playing footba– what? Pacman Jones is in trouble again?
I’m still a little surprised that a team as completely image-self-conscious as the Cowboys traded for the troubled cornerback in the first place. The Cowboys, after all, are America’s Team, and if one of their players is involved in a nightclub shooting or smokes pot in his hotel room or shoves around his security guard, well by golly that looks bad for America, not just a football team.
And I really have to wonder how Pacman Adam doesn’t watch himself more closely. He was suspended an ENTIRE SEASON in a league where most suspensions are one- or two-game slaps on the wrist. The Cowboys took him anyway, on the condition that he behave his darn self. Surely Jones must realize that if he keeps screwing up, America’s Team will kick him to the curb and no team would scrape him up from the gutter.
Then again, look at this laundry list compiled by The Tennesseean:
Since the Tennessee Titans drafted cornerback Pacman Jones in 2005 he’s been questioned, named or arrested in connection with at least eight off-field incidents:
• Strip club incident
Where: Atlanta
When: April 2005
What: Jones’ name appeared on the police incident report after a fight broke out in a strip club. The female involved said she had no plans to pursue the case and it was dismissed.• Hotel incident
Where: Nashville
When: June 2005
What: Security officials at Regal Maxwell House Hotel had trouble getting two of Jones’ friends to clear their room after checkout time. Police arrived, smelled marijuana and found some on a tabletop. Jones was in the room, but one of his friends took full responsibility for the evidence.• Nightclub arrest
Where: Nashville
When: July 2005
What:Jones was arrested on two counts of misdemeanor assault and a felony count of vandalism after a fight at a Nashville nightclub. Charges were dismissed less than a year later.• Vehicle confiscation
Where: Nashville
When: April 2006
What: Metro Police said a vehicle registered to Jones was involved in a drug trafficking ring. “Pac Man” was embroidered on the leather seats of a 2004 Cadillac XLR which was confiscated from a friend of Jones. Jones later bought the car back at an auction.• Shots fired
Where: Nashville
When: April 2006
What: Jones was at the scene where gunshots were fired following an altercation at a Nashville gas station at 1:50 a.m. Police questioned Jones but labeled him only as a witness. The incident occurred just three days after the vehicle confiscation.• Nightclub arrest
Where: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
When: Aug. 2006
What: Jones was arrested and charged with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, for an incident at Sweetwater Saloon. With six months of good behavior the charges will be dropped, a judge ruled last month.• Spitting incident
Where: Nashville
When: Oct. 2006
What: Jones was issued a citation for misdemeanor assault after being accused of spitting in the face of a Tennessee State student following a verbal exchange at a downtown nightclub. The charge was dismissed in general sessions court earlier this month.• Triple shooting
Where: Las Vegas
When: Feb. 2007
What: Jones a plea deal reducing felony charges against to a gross misdemeanor that got him probation in return for his testimony about a strip club triple shooting that left one man paralyzed.
Wow. He must have squirmed out of trouble for a few of the early ones with the “wrong place/wrong time coincidence” excuse, but nobody can be unlucky enough to be coincidentally present for THAT many brushes with the law. He clearly had some behavioral issues to work out. And for a while, it looked like he might have himself figured out. The last item on that list was a long time ago, almost 2 years. It’s what got him his full-season suspension that many thought would be the shameful end of his NFL career.
As he worked his way back to the league’s good graces, he tried hard to show the world he had changed. He figured people would take him more seriously if he dropped the name “Pacman,” a name which had been connected with legal troubles far too many times. “Adam” sounds so much more serious, right? Heck, it’s even Biblical. This latest incident seems to be his first significant trouble since the big nightclub shooting. Has enough time passed to think of this as an isolated and unfortunate blunder for some guy named Adam Jones? Or will Cowboys brass, for fear of their sparkling reputation, be swift to publicly discipline Pacman for betraying the second chance they gave him?