Pacman wants to be a Cowboy

[Patronus]

In an interview with RollingOut.com, suspended cornerback Pacman Jones says he wants out of Tennessee and would like to play for the Cowboys.
"Hopefully I can get out of Tennessee. I want to go up to Dallas," Jones said. "So we’ll see how it goes and I am just going to keep my head up." The interview isn't dated. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to review Jones' application for reinstatement in late February.
Source: RollingOut.com

I'm really not sure how I feel about this. It's always nice to have players who want to play for your team, but this guy brings some serious character issues to a clubhouse that seemed pretty well settled. You add him in there with Tank Johnson and you would seem to increase the possibility of some locker room turmoil.

That said the Cowboys biggest need is the secondary and bring in Pacman to play opposite Newman could definitely be good for the defense.

Jerry certainly hasn't shied away from players with character issues in the past so I don't think that would be a point of contention here.

Thoughts?

[trademaster]

If, and thats a big IF, he can keep it under undercontrol, and stay out of trouble, then I will be all for it. He is exactly what we need, a corner that can cover and he is a dangerous punt return man. But like you said, we already have Tank, and when things go bad, this locker room is going to explode, and with our head coach ''LAID BACK'' Wade, not really known for his diciplinary porpuses. Men I can already picture it, if we get a playoffs bye week next year, Pacman Jones Making it Rain in Cabo.

[Wild4thawiz]

When you are in a critical game or part of the season, do you want to rely on this punk to help out your team? You want guys with character, or at least some character, I wouldn't want this piece of garbage anywhere near my team.

[Zone]

I would love to see Adam "Pacman" Jones, join the Dallas Cowboys, because we need more help in the secondary, our secondary is poor. One of the reasons why it's so poor is because of Roy Williams and Terence Newman keeps on getting hurt same with Anthony Henry. We need a good lock-down corner like Pacman and we need help on special teams also. Pacman would increase more of a threat to other teams then Patrick Crayton returning punts. So yes we do need Adam "Pacman" Jones.

[RangerFan09]

If he can stay out of trouble like Tank, then the answer is yes. He is good in the secondary and would really help out back there.

Does anybody know what his contract situation is?

[CowboyJak224]

he is so worth the troubles and i think a lot of the guys we think are jerks are the ones who probably misunderstood. its all how the media portrays them anyway. good addition we need a good return man and secondary guy. sign him. thats what cowboys are the misunderstood bad asses of the league.

[Patronus]

I'm becoming more and more interested in giving this guy a chance and I agree that sometime the media covers stories in a way that doesn't keep the athlete's best interests in mind.

However, in Pacman's case - it's hard to say that the media is portraying him in a bad light. I think he's done a great job of that himself.

It's one thing to play up and athlete as a villain based on some recruiting violations or even a fight or something like that and say he has "character issues" for the rest of his career. Pacman's rap sheet is a bit more illustrious than that.

From wikipedia:

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.^[21] 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.^[22]
On June 18, 2007 Jones was sought by police for questioning after a shooting at an Atlanta strip club allegedly involving members of his entourage. According to police at the scene, Jones was not present during the shooting, and is not being charged.^[23]
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 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.

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 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.^[24] 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.^[25]
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.^[26]
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 ****," 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.^[27] 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.^[28]
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.^[29] But on November 13th, 2007, Jones accepted a plea deal^[30]; 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.^[31]
On June 25, 2007, Tommy Urbanski and his wike Kathy sued Jones in civil court, claiming that Jones had bitten his left ankle, and was responsible for the shooting.^[32]. 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.^[33]



Jones' Legal troubles & The NFL

On April 3, 2007 Jones met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his future and the future of Cincinnati Bengals' receiver Chris Henry.
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.^[34] 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 ^[35]
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.^[36]
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. ^[37]
On January 15, 2008, Jones was accused of hitting a woman in a strip clup in Atlanta, Georgia on the morning of January 3, 2008. The woman, Wanda S. Jackson, was seeking an arrest warrant.^[38] However, on January 16, Jackson withdrew the warrant.^[39]

Again, the guy is young and the Cowboys have an excellent guy on staff in Ray Sherman who has a history in helping people through their problems so I'm all for giving Pacman a shot to overcome his issues because there is no disputing the guy's incredible talent on the field, but to say even insinuate that the media is responsible for his "rep" is a bit unfair.

[Star-Telegram]

Click here for full article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

[alex124]

given his background, i sincerely doubt pacman will ever change. it's not a question of if he gets into trouble, it's a question of when. but heck, as long as we don't give up anything higher than a 5th rounder for him, why not? the upside is well worth it.

[Patronus]

The Cowboys and Titans are reportedly in trade talks involing suspended CB Pacman Jones.
No deal is imminent, but the Cowboys are probably one of only a few teams that would risk giving up a draft pick for a player that might not see the field in 2008. The Dallas Morning news reports the sides are discussing a late-rounder as possible compensation. If they acquire him, the Cowboys might want to redo Jones' contract to make it highly incentive laden.