Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Pacman deserves another life

Over the years professional athletes and their run-ins with the law have become all too common. More than headline news, many of them often end up facing prison sentences and punishments brought down by the court. In recent memory, one of the most controversial decisions was over NFL quarterback Michael Vick who signed a plea agreement, which stated that he helped organized a dog fighting ring and killed dogs on his property. For his actions Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and three years’ probation. For his actions, Vick was suspended indefinitely from the NFL and will remain ineligible to play until his release from prison in October 2009.

Although Vick’s crimes, which included fighting and killing dogs, are inhumane and appalling, the rap sheets for many other prominent athletes are just as bad. For example, the most notable, timely and newsworthy is the possible reinstatement of another troubled athlete is that of the Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones. The former University of West Virginia standout was the sixth overall pick of the Titans back in 2005. The Titans were not afraid to take a risk on drafting Jones, making him the first defensive player taken that year but that was despite brushes with the law in high school and college.

Shortly after being picked in April 2005, Jones’ troubles started with an altercation in a nightclub in July for which he was arrested for assault and vandalism. A year later, Jones was arrested again in Georgia, this time on a drug charge of marijuana although charges were eventually dismissed. Then in October, Jones was cited for a misdemeanor charge in Tennessee following an incident of spitting in the face of a female student a club.

However the most controversial event of all his legal affairs would occur during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas in February 2007. Jones was the center of an investigation where he was involved in a strip club fight and shooting that resulted in three victims, one who was paralyzed. Witnesses claimed that Jones started the brawl after beating strippers near the bar of the club and that his entourage being involved in the shootings. Then earlier this year, Pacman continued to go out with his posse as they visited an Atlanta strip club where he allegedly punched a stripper in the face.

Following the events in Las Vegas, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Jones for a full season. Pacman tried be re-evaluated and reinstated into the league before the Super Bowl. After being unsuccessful with that attempt, Pacman will try to make himself available to teams before the upcoming NFL Draft in April. Yet with a consistent knack for getting in trouble, there is still a chance that Pacman could spend another season at home.

Still, some in the sports media believe Pacman will get another chance soon. Among them is LZ Granderson, a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and contributor to ESPN.com, who wrote about troubled African American athletes in his article “Danger of Street Cred,” on Dec. 4 2007.

“Pacman Jones should be reinstated because those are the rules the NFL stipulated,” Granderson said in an e-mailed interview. “Now, with that being said, I feel he should be required to meet with an NFL official on a regular basis because he's proven to be a man of poor judgment.”

A different sentiment was expressed by Tim Dahlberg, a national sports columnist for the Associated Press, who wrote a piece “‘Pacman’ deserves a lifetime NFL ban,” on June 20, 2007.
Dahlberg believes all the details have not been disclosed yet but that Pacman will eventually go down the wrong path again.

“He may deserve a second chance, but not until he comes clean about the shooting in Vegas, which he hasn't,” Dahlberg said in an e-mailed interview. “Just in short, I think Pacman will eventually get in trouble again because he has a history of ignoring warnings and taunting authority.”
From a coaching perspective, University of La Verne football head coach Andy Ankeny maintained that if Jones stayed out of trouble during his time out of the NFL that he should get another chance.

“As long as he kept his nose clean when he was suspended, he deserves another opportunity,” Ankeny told me on Tuesday.

Yet, he believes that the next team that takes him on must be cautious and lay down the rules for his conduct, which if violated might force him of the league once and for all.

“The head coach that takes him has to set aside strong expectations for him and set aside a policy that if you do this, you are done,” Ankeny said. “With his opportunity, he does not have a margin of error.”

Pacman has certainly been a headache to the NFL, the public and especially law enforcement agencies. However, there have also been glimpses recently of Jones getting his life together and trying to make his return to the NFL work. He is in shape and has been pleading through his attorney to get back in the league. Obviously, this seems like a case of a wealthy, spoiled young millionaire who splurged, partied and hung out with the wrong crowd.

Now with the potential of never playing in the NFL again, Jones has to get his act together or he could be out of the only job that he has known. In his defense, Jones has shown a side that many do not know and that has often been overshadowed by his off the field troubles. Among them is donating money to the 100 Club, a foundation in Tennessee that supports families of emergency services. He also reached out to a local Nashville high school that was trying to raise money after losing one of their football players in a car crash. Later, he was involved in giving money so Nashville police officers and firefighters can acquire new uniforms.

Despite his history of troubles, Jones should get one final chance by the NFL and whichever that decides to take a gamble on him. When he has played, he has been an asset to that organization on the field but not so much off the field yet. With many legal troubles, Jones should be condemned for his actions but I believe he may have learned his lesson because he has tried to stay out of trouble and the spotlight recently. He knows that this may be the only opportunity he gets to redeem himself and get back into his sport. Should he violate his agreement as an NFL player again, the game could be all over for Pacman.

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