Pacman Jones

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Pacman Jones

Pacman Jones on the sideline of a West Virginia University football game in 2007.
Dallas Cowboys — No. 21
Cornerback / Return specialist
Date of birth: September 30, 1983 (1983-09-30) (age 24)
Place of birth: Atlanta, Georgia
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)
National Football League debut
2005 for the Tennessee Titans
Career history
College: West Virginia
NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
Teams: Tennessee Titans (2005-2008) Dallas Cowboys (2008-Present)
Current status: Partially Reinstated (Allowed to participate in OTAs, training camp and preseason games)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Big East (2003) First-team All-Big East (2004) Big East Special Teams Player of the Year (2004) PFWA All-Rookie Team (2005)
Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
Tackles	115
Sacks	1.0
INTs	4
Stats at NFL.com

Adam Bernard "Pacman" Jones (born September 30, 1983 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American football cornerback and return specialist who plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans sixth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia.

Jones was suspended from the NFL for the entire 2007 season for conduct away from the field. During his suspension Jones signed with the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Despite an agreement between TNA and the Titans organization that he would only have a "non-physical" role in the company,^[1] Jones was able to enjoy a reign as one half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions. He also established a record label, National Street League Records, and performed as one half of the Posterboyz rap duo.^[2]

Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 Professional career 3.1 Tennessee Titans 3.1.1 Suspension 3.2 Dallas Cowboys 3.3 Career statistics 4 Non-football related ventures 4.1 Professional wrestling 4.1.1 Championships and accomplishments 4.2 Music 5 Legal troubles 5.1 Las Vegas shooting case 5.2 Jones' Legal troubles & The NFL 6 Nickname 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Early years

Jones attended Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia. Jones was selected as the conference Player of the Year following his senior year after totaling 120 tackles, six interceptions and 1,850 rushing yards. As well, he played in the Georgia-Florida all-star game. Jones also earned All-American honors in basketball and track. His basketball team won two state-championships. Jones' high school totaled the most players in the NFL from one high school in 2005 with six players.^[3] When Jones was four years old, his father was shot and killed. Jones was raised by his mother, Deborah Jones, and his grandmother, Cristine Jones, for most of his life. When Jones was a freshman at West Virginia, his grandmother died of cancer. Jones missed a game to attend the funeral, the only game he missed in his three-year collegiate career. On the day of the NFL Draft, Jones wore a t-shirt that featured his grandmother's picture.

[edit] College career

Jones also was an Athletic Coaching Education major and a member of the Athletic Director's Academic Honor Roll. As a freshman in 2002, Jones appeared in 11 games for WVU as a reserve cornerback and safety. He totaled one interception and one forced fumble with 36 tackles. During 2003, he appeared in all 13 games, starting 9 at cornerback, and taking over full-time kick return and punt return duties. Jones' second season resulted in a second team All-Big East Conference selection with his career-high 89 tackles and four interceptions, one being for a touchdown. He also had six tackles for losses, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also had a career-high 14 broken up passes that season as well. In one of his best games of the year, against Boston College, Jones scored two touchdowns in a 35-28 win over the Eagles, one a 87-yard kick return and the other a 47-yard interception return. Jones also had a career-high 12 tackles against Miami. Jones totaled 98 punt return yards on 16 punt returns and 867 kick return yards, including an 87-yard touchdown return.

As a junior in 2004, he was the defensive secondary captain and led the team in tackles and interceptions. Jones also played briefly on offense, as well as returning punts and kick-offs for the second season. He was named first-team all-Big East as a defensive back and honorable mention All-American by several sources. He led the team with 76 tackles, also adding two sacks, three interceptions, and seven broken up passes. Jones was named to Collegefootballnews.com's All-American first-team and was named honorable mention All-American at kick returner. Jones was also named Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. His 76-yard punt return against East Carolina was his season-long return and only punt return for a touchdown in Jones' career. He even had a long touchdown run against UConn that was called back due to a penalty. Jones ended his career with a bad mark though, in the 2005 Gator Bowl, when he fumbled a kick return early in the game as the Mountaineers lost to Florida State.

Jones is ranked second on West Virginia's school career kickoff return yardage list with 1,475 yards. He is also ranked eleventh on the school's career punt return yardage list with 404 yards, while his 10.92 yards per punt return is the sixth most in school history. Jones is one of the highest players from West Virginia drafted as well, second to Hall of Famer Sam Huff who was drafted third overall. Jones and fellow-Mountaineer great Major Harris also shared the number #9 while playing in college.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Tennessee Titans

After his junior year, Jones opted to forgo his senior year and declare eligible for the NFL Draft. He was the first defensive player drafted, taken 6th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft. He then missed most of training camp, holding out in a contract dispute. After Jones had signed the deal with the Titans, he donated money to the 100 Club, a charity that financially supports the families of firefighters, police, and emergency workers. Also in 2005, Jones traveled to Pearl Cohn High School in Nashville, Tennessee to help the school after one of its football players died in a car crash that also injured others on the team. Jones reached out to them during the season, making at least two trips to visit the team for encouragement. Additionally, Jones donated money so Nashville firefighters and police officers could get new uniforms.

During his rookie season he had a total of 44 tackles and 10 pass deflections, but no interceptions. On special teams, Jones totaled 1,399 return yards and 1 TD. Jones and Reynaldo Hill made up the only rookie duo to start at least 10 games each at cornerback in the NFL. Many Tennessee fans felt that Jones was a disappointing pick and even a bust, seeing as how seventh round pick Reynaldo Hill had two interceptions with 39 tackles.

At the end of his sophomore season in the NFL, Jones totaled career-high 62 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, 12 deflected passes, 4 interceptions, 130 return yards, one interception touchdown, 14 passes defended (second-team), 440 punt return yards and tied for NFL-high with 3 punt return touchdowns. The three punt returns also tied the franchise record with Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, which was set in 1975. His 12.9 yards per punt return average led the NFL, edging out Chicago's Devin Hester by a tenth of a yard, while his 26.1 yards per kick return average ranked him 7th in the league and 6th in the AFC. Jones also caught two passes on offense for 31 yards (one for 17 yards) and rushed twice for 8 yards. His best performance came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15, when Jones had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to Matt Jones to save the game. Jones broke out in his fifth game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, when he recorded a then personal season-high five tackles and defended a pass in the 14-13 loss. The very next week against the Washington Redskins, Jones recorded four tackles and stripped the ball from Antwaan Randle El for his first forced fumble of his career. The next week against Houston, Jones tied a career-high tackle total with eight, and picked off a Sage Rosenfels pass for his first career interception, and also posted his second touchdown on a punt return in his career in the fourth quarter with a 53-yard return. Two weeks later, against the Eagles, Jones recorded his second punt return for a score of the season, this one 90-yards, breaking Billy Johnson's 87-yard franchise record. The next week against the New York Giants, Jones picked off an Eli Manning pass in the fourth quarter that sparked the Titans' 21-point comeback. Against the New England Patriots in the last game of the season, Jones totaled 259 return yards (the NFL's highest total since 2006) along with a punt return score.

[edit] Suspension

Near the 2007 NFL Draft, Jones's off-field issues (one revealed instance involved in a fist fight and a shooting in a Las Vegas strip club that paralyzed manager, Tommy Urbanski) led many to believe that the Titans would cut or trade Jones before his third season in the league began. On April 10, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced a 1-year suspension for Jones, to be re-evaluated after the 10th regular-season game, pending disposition of current cases. The suspension has been appealed.^[4][5] Jones took out a full ad in the Tennessean, promising "he'll win back trust" of his teammates and fans." "To my family, teammates, coaches and fans, I recognize that I have lost the right to ask for your patience and understanding," Jones wrote. "However, I will do everything in my power to regain your trust and respect."^[6] Jones also wrote in the letter, his plans to re-enroll and finish his degree at West Virginia University. "The basis of the appeal … will be to clarify some of the facts and address the unprecedented punishment that was imposed," Jones wrote in the letter. However on June 12, Jones withdrew his appeal.

On November 5, 2007, it was reported that Jones would not be allowed to be reinstated during the 2007 season after meeting with Roger Goodell.^[7] Tennessee running back LenDale White told The Tennessean that he thinks that "53 of 53" Titans' players would want Jones to return to the team. Quarterback Vince Young said, "We are going to do well without him, we can do well with him...".^[8] On December 13, 2007, the NFL agreed to hear the player's union's appeal on Jones's behalf. The player's union appealed Roger Goodell's decision to not allow Jones to be reinstated during the 2007 season.^[9]

On February 1, 2008, ESPN reported that that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remained "disappointed" in Jones and that he will most likely not be reinstated after the Super Bowl. The NFL will review Jones after the 2008 Pro Bowl.^[10] It was also reported that the Tennessee Titans would try to trade Jones, if reinstated.^[11]

On March 8, 2008, Jones announced on a Tennessee radio station that he felt he was in "tip-top shape" and was ready to be reinstated. His agent has also announced that they will consider applying for reinstatement before the 2008 NFL Draft. Jones also said on the radio show that he would like to play for the Dallas Cowboys, if the Titans were looking to trade him.^[12] The Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots have also expressed some interest in Jones.^[13] On March 30, Jones participated at a charity basketball event, where he then signed a football for a fan with the #21, later saying that he believes he would wear the number if he ended up in Dallas with the Cowboys.^[14] NFL Network correspondent, Adam Schefter, had also described the Tennessee-Dallas trade for Jones as being "imminent".^[15] On April 1, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that he would have a decision on reinstating Jones prior to training camp, presumedly in July.^[16] However, the next day, reports said that the trade is being delayed due to the Cowboys denying the request to provide a fourth-round pick and a pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Also, disagreements let out over whether the Cowboys would reimburse the Titans for money bonus owed to Jones.^[17] However, Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported on April 13 that trade talks were happening again, with the Cowboys offering a sixth-round pick and the Titans requesting a fourth-round pick in the 2008 Draft.^[18] Jones will wait to apply for reinstatement to the NFL. Jones is apparently waiting for his trade to the Cowboys to happen he told the media on the Michael Irvin radio show. ^[19] On April 23, 2008, Jones was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and a conditional pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. However, if Jones is not reinstated by the NFL then the Titans will reimburse the Cowboys with a 2009 draft pick.

[edit] Dallas Cowboys

On April 23, 2008, ESPN reported that Jones was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The story cited anonymous sources and that neither team has verified the claim.

The story says conditions are attached to the trade. If the NFL decides to reinstate Jones for the 2008-2009 season, the Cowboys will also give their sixth-round pick to Tennessee in 2009. If he doesn't get reinstated by the NFL, the Titans have to send their fourth-round pick to the Cowboys in 2009.

According to ESPN, Jones also has reached a financial settlement with the Titans regarding his contract situation. Jones also must pay $500,000 to a charity chosen by the Titans sometime in the next two years. He will receive a new contract from the Cowboys.^[20]

On April 24, Hall of Famer Jim Brown announced that he had offered his support and help to Jones while in Dallas.^[21]

After being traded to the Cowboys, Jones signed a four-year contract that included no signing bonus. Also included are annual roster bonuses. This protects Dallas against Jones making any more off-field mistakes. If Jones is reinstated before this season, he'll get an advance on his 2008 salary. That replaces any signing bonus.^[22]

On June 2nd, Commissioner Roger Goodell notified Adam "Pacman" Jones that, effective immediately, he may participate in organized team activities with the Dallas Cowboys, including training camp and preseason games.^[23]

[edit] Career statistics

DEFENSE

Year	Team	G	Tk	Solo	Ast	PD	Sck	FF	FR	TD	Int	Yds	TD
2005	TEN	15	53	44	9	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2006	TEN	15	62	50	12	8	1	1	0	0	4	130	1
2007	TEN	0	suspended
	TOTAL	30	115	94	21	18	1	1	0	0	4	130	1

RETURNS

Year	Team	G	PR	YDS	TD	FC	LNG	KR	YDS	TD	FC	LNG
2005	TEN	15	29	272	1	8	52	43	1127	0	0	85
2006	TEN	15	34	440	3	3	90	20	521	0	0	70
2007	TEN	0	suspended
	TOTAL	30	63	712	4	11	90	63	1648	0	0	85

[edit] Non-football related ventures

[edit] Professional wrestling

Main article: Team Pacman

Pacman Jones
Jones in TNA's Impact! Zone
Statistics
Ring name(s)	Pacman Jones
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight	185 lb (84 kg/13.2 st)
Born	September 30, 1983 (1983-09-30) (age 24)
Debut	August 12, 2007
Retired	October 15, 2007

On July 30, 2007, it was reported that Jones was working on a deal with the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).^[24] As the news circulated, Titan's coach Jeff Fisher stated that his football contract could preclude him from actually wrestling with the company,^[25] but negotiations continued for a non wrestling role.^[26] On August 6, TNA confirmed through their website that a deal had been signed,^[27] and afterwards interviews with Jones and Jeff Jarrett, one of TNA's Vice Presidents, indicated that he did intend to wrestle, primarily as part of a tag team.^[28][29]

After some legal wrangling, it was agreed that Jones could appear for the company, but in a non-physical role only. During his time there he was placed into a tag team known as Team Pacman with Ron "the Truth" Killings and held the TNA World Tag Team Championship by defeating Sting, and the TNA X-Division, Tag Team, and World Heavywight Champion, Kurt Angle. Since he was not allowed to appear in the ring, eventually a third man—Rasheed Lucius "Consequences" Creed—was added to the group.

His contract expired on October 15 and TNA chose not to renew it.^[30]

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
  • TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)^[31] - (as part of Team Pacman)

[edit] Music

Also during his suspended season, Jones announced that he would be collaborating on a hip hop album.^[32] After the announcement was made an NFL spokesman let it be known that the NFL was looking into whether the name of Jones' record label, National Street League Records, infringed on the National Football League trademark.^[2] Jones' group, Posterboyz, released their first single, "Let it Shine", through a MySpace page.^[33]

[edit] Legal troubles

On July 13, 2005 Jones was arrested on charges of assault and felony vandalism stemming from a nightclub altercation. On September 5, 2005 Jones was a guest at the annual Nashville Sports Council Kickoff Luncheon. After a loud verbal tantrum when he was told to wait in line for his vehicle later that evening, Jones was counseled by the police. He also refused to pay for any valet services used that evening, because he didn't have money at the time. On October 2005, in a petition filed by the State of West Virginia, it was alleged that Jones had not made regular and sufficient contact with his probation officer and that he did not report his July arrest in Nashville in a timely fashion. The court ordered the probation extended for a period of 90 days, although the state requested it to be extended one year.

On August 25, 2006, Jones was arrested in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after claiming that a woman stole his wallet. She claimed that she did not steal anything and Jones spat on her. Police officers said they ordered Jones to leave several times, but he refused, continuing to shout profanities at the woman. A judge granted him six months probation on the conditions that he stays out of further trouble and away from the nightclub.^[34] On October 26, 2006. Jones was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly spitting in the face of a female student from Tennessee State University during a private party at Club Mystic, a Nashville nightclub. He was suspended by the Titans for one game and was scheduled to be booked on the charge on November 17, 2006.

Jones also is set to appear in a Fayetteville, Georgia court in 2007 for his February 2006 incident on subpoenas for felony and misdemeanor obstruction of justice charges for an incident outside a home. The charges of marijuana possession in the same state were dismissed.^[35]

On June 18, 2007 Jones was sought by police for questioning after a shooting at an Atlanta strip club allegedly involved members of his entourage. According to police at the scene, Jones was not present during the shooting, and is not being charged.^[36]

On May 7, 2007, Jones was stopped at 12:45 a.m. on Interstate 65 heading into downtown after an officer clocked him on radar at 79 mph in a 55 mph zone. Jones was driving his red 2004 Cadillac Escalade XLT he bought at police auction last fall. Police seized the Cadillac last spring in a drug bust. The car was not registered to Jones then, but he told a local TV reporter he had loaned the Cadillac to someone for a music video. Police called the man who had the car the main target of their investigation.

[edit] Las Vegas shooting case

On the morning of February 19, 2007 during the 2007 NBA All-Star Game weekend in Las Vegas, Jones is alleged to have been involved in an altercation with an exotic dancer at Minxx, a local strip club. Jones and American rap artist Nelly patronized the club on the evening in question. Nelly began to shower the stage with hundreds of one-dollar bills, with fellow bad boy known only as Richard Rich, an act known as "making it rain." Jones then joined Nelly by throwing his own money for "visual effect." Club promoter Chris Mitchell then directed his dancers to collect the money. According to the club's co-owner, Jones became enraged when one of the dancers began taking the money without his permission. He allegedly grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head on the stage. A security guard intervened and scuffled with members of Jones' entourage of half a dozen people. Jones then allegedly threatened the guard's life.^[37] During this time Mitchell and a male associate left the club with a garbage bag filled with $81,020 of Jones' money and two Breitling watches, which police later recovered.^[38]

After club patrons exited following the original confrontation, the club owner says a person in Jones' entourage returned with a gun and fired into a crowd, hitting three people, including the security guard involved in the earlier skirmish. The guard was shot twice, and one of the people hit, former professional wrestler Tommy Urbanski, was paralyzed from the waist down. Jones maintains that he did not know the shooter, although the club's owner insists that Jones did. On March 26, 2007 the Las Vegas Police recommended to the city's district attorney that Jones be charged with one count of felony coercion and also a misdemeanor count of battery and a misdemeanor count of threat to life.^[39]

More trouble followed Jones after the altercation, when drug dealer Darryl Moore reported to the police after being busted during a deal about his phone conversations with Jones. "We gotta slow down, man. We gotta get him focused on football, man. He's focused on too much other shit," Moore is alleged to have said. Wiretapped phone conversations between Moore and his friends revealed Moore talking about how Jones bet on college games to earn quick money. "You know, I was talkin' to him the other day about smokin', and he was like 'man, if I didn't smoke I couldn't take all the stress that I'm dealing with right now,'" Moore said.^[40] Jones has not been connected to the Moore drug arrests or convicted for the Vegas stripper incident. But Titans management have said they will talk to Jones about his future with the Titans, and that there is always a possibility of letting him go. The NFL has issued an investigation into the situation, which is looking into setting up stricter penalties for off-field conduct.^[41]

On June 20, 2007, the Las Vegas Police and Clark County District Attorney's office announced that Jones would face two felony charges stemming from the strip club melee.^[42] But on November 13, 2007, Jones accepted a plea deal^[43]; on Dec. 6, Jones pleaded no contest to one charge of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, a misdemeanour. He was given a suspended prison sentence of a one-year, probation, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.^[44]

On June 25, 2007, Tommy Urbanski and his wife Kathy sued Jones in civil court, claiming that Jones had bitten his left ankle, and was responsible for the shooting.^[45]. The lawsuit also named the Tennessee Titans franchise and the NFL as defendants, on the grounds that Jones's employers knew of his erratic behavior prior to the Minxx incident but did not suspend him until afterwards. Had the Titans suspended Jones prior to the NBA All-Star game, the suit argues, he would not have been invited to the Las Vegas events, and the incident would not have taken place.^[46]

On April 21, a document revealed that Jones paid an extortion cash sum of $15,000 to various people after the Las Vegas shooting.^[47]

[edit] Jones' Legal troubles & The NFL

On April 3, 2007 Jones met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his future.

On April 10, 2007 the NFL announced that Jones would be suspended for the entire 2007 season, a suspension not assessed a player in 44 years (for reasons other than substance abuse) since Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were each suspended for one season for gambling. This suspension also stated that Jones will not receive pay during this suspension and that it is subject to additional review after the tenth regular season game, pending disposition of pending charges. His suspension also comes with a stern warning that future misconduct may result in the end of his career with the NFL.

In anticipation of Jones' suspension, Nick Harper was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Titans. What effect the suspension will have on the salary cap is not yet known, although the Titans could seek repayment of the approximately $1.9 million in signing bonus money due Jones in 2007. The suspension carries no guarantee of reinstatement after it has been completed.

On April 14, 2007, Jones announced that he would appeal the suspension set by Goodell.^[48] However, since Goodell also hears appeals, the chances of winning any reduction in the suspension are extremely slim. Jones later dropped his appeal on June 12, 2007 ^[49]

On August 13, 2007, regarding the February Las Vegas strip club incident, Jones told Bryant Gumbel of HBO Sports' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that he was innocent and had never hit the stripper or told anyone he was going to kill them. When asked about friend and convicted drug dealer Darryl Moore, Jones said that he didn't know Moore was a drug dealer and felt surprised and betrayed. Jones also said he didn't think he got a fair say in his April meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.^[50]

After 10 games into the 2007 season, Roger Goodell reviewed his decision to suspend Jones for the entire season. He ultimately, however, declined to reduce it in any way. Following this announcement, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) said that it would appeal Jones' suspension. ^[51]

On January 15, 2008, Jones was accused of hitting a woman in a strip club in Atlanta, Georgia on the morning of January 3, 2008. The woman, Wanda S. Jackson, was seeking an arrest warrant.^[52] However, on January 16, Jackson withdrew the warrant.^[53]

[edit] Nickname

His nickname "Pacman" is used much more often than his true first name, Adam, including by broadcasters and official websites connected to the NFL. It is even represented by a "P" on the back of his Titans jersey.

[edit] See also

• National Football League player conduct controversy

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Tennessee Titans bio
• Pacman Jones at the Internet Movie Database

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