Bengals CB Jones to speak at rookie symposium
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones will speak at the NFL Rookie Symposium next week, despite recently being arrested for assault.
Jones, who had several brushes with the law early in his career, spoke to rookies at last year's symposium.
Troy Vincent, the NFL's vice president of player engagement, told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday that Jones impressed the rookies last year when discussing his experiences.
"You are not going to trick an athlete," Vincent said. "They know when it is dressed up and not real. When you can sit among your peers and just talk about your life, someone is learning from that. They can look at him and see themselves from the way they look to where they have originated."
The rookie symposium is June 23-29 in Aurora, Ohio. Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, who has also had off-the-field troubles, is expected to speak at the event.
Jones, 29, pleaded not guilty to assault charges in a June 5 incident after police say he tried to hurt a woman. His agent, Peter Schaffer, told ESPN that two drunk women approached Jones and wanted to have their picture taken with him. When he declined, one woman threw a beer bottle at him and was then slapped by Jones.
Jones, who was suspended in 2007 for off-the-field issues, has been arrested three times since Oct. 2010, but he was cleared of all wrongdoing other than a $250 fine for disorderly conduct outside of a nightclub on July 9, 2011. He has seven other arrests on his record since entering the NFL in 2005.
