Risky business for Pacman Jones
In an effort to keep Adam Jones from screwing up the team, his career and, quite possibly, the life of some bystander in the Dallas night, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hired the cornerback a four-man security detail, including a driver. Then he barred him from frequenting potentially problematic clubs – strip, night or otherwise.
Considering Pacman's past trouble – six arrests and one banishing from the NFL – if you were daring enough to gamble on the guy, this seemed like a good idea. Call it insurance on the season.
You'd think Pacman would feel a pang of gratitude for an owner who gave him another chance to earn a fat paycheck. Not that Jerry Jones did it due to his humanitarian heart. He needed another anchor on defense to win the Super Bowl.
Under those circumstances, 99 percent of people would behave. The chauffer and security and list of do not enter establishments were just in case Pacman was the other one percent.
According to a Dallas police report, at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Pacman proved his uniqueness. Police said he was possibly under the influence of alcohol in the bathroom of an upscale Dallas hotel having a fight with about the only person who could possibly get near him – his own bodyguard.
Now, the entire story has yet to be told. Police reports are famed for containing all sorts of information that doesn't hold up (Terrell Owens supposedly once tried to commit suicide). And thus far the Cowboys, according to ESPN, have reviewed the situation and decided no disciplinary action needs to be taken. Hey, who knows, maybe the bodyguard had it coming.
Still, 52 other Cowboys players managed to avoid having the police called on them that night. And none of them have 24/7 babysitters.
While what happened at the hotel may prove to be little, it was still "something." Overblown or not, for some reason the hotel felt the need to call the cops. While that shouldn't be the death knell for Pacman's career (or even reason for a suspension), it does serve as another in a long line of warning flags.
Jerry Jones can ignore it at his own peril. He has more facts than the public and final judgment should be reserved until everything is revealed, but it may be time to cut bait before it's too late.
This ends the nature vs. nurture argument for Pacman. He can't blame this one on the environment he put himself in. This wasn't his friends who caused this flare-up.
Luxury hotels and professional bodyguards are a far cry from parking lot brawls with drunken strip club patrons. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting Jones was at a party hosted by Ludacris. We're sure just about all the other attendees enjoyed the evening without incident.
Whether or not what happened is as bad as the police report sounds, why in the world would anyone using his brain get into an altercation of any kind just five games into his so-called final chance?
Why would he attend a party? Why would he even playfully wrestle with a bodyguard? Why not stay home and play Madden, tell Ludacris you'll catch him another time and avoid the sauce? Mostly, don't do anything to get the cops called on you.
What happened wasn't a failed behavior test. It was a failed intelligence test.
Depending on the mood of commissioner Roger Goodell and the scope of the NFL's own investigation, Jones may become the first player in the NFL's 88-year history of employing some fairly wild-child characters to be banned twice.
When you're on borrowed time you toe the line, drive the speed limit and mind your business. It's simple.
Jerry Jones knew the risks, knew what Pacman had to do and tried to make it as easy as possible for him. The Cowboys could not have been more accommodating.
A chauffer prevented any possible traffic incidents and subsequent encounters with police. Team-hired bodyguards assured that no one from the public could get into an altercation with him.
Other than tethering or tying him down, there wasn't much else the Cowboys could do.
And Pacman still found a way to generate a soap opera of distraction by early October.
He's not the only offender there. The Cowboys’ star-laced locker room experiment is already on shaky ground. It may have been a tranquil training camp on HBO, but already there is drama about offensive priorities, personality clashes and now this, Pacman's precarious state.
Jerry Jones, said he put the reputation of the franchise on the line when he signed him. Now, apparently, he trusts this incident wasn't that big of a deal.
However, it's doubtful he thought, considering the coddling the team provided, there would be any incident to rule on though.
His decision had better be right. Dallas has the goods to win the Super Bowl but can't survive any more unnecessary controversy. It can't afford to have the next incident occur in the middle of the playoffs.
It can't deal with a teammate that doesn't inspire trust.
If you can't count on a guy on double not-so secret probation and under 24-hour-a-day babysitting to avoid getting the cops called on him then what can you count on him to do?
