Forecast for Dallas – Rain

If you live in the Dallas/Fort-Worth area, you may want to brace yourself.  The forecast calls for a good chance of rain.  This system could be associated with the dark cloud of a bad attitude.  Residents can also expect lightning since it always seems to strike more than once – even six times.

Rumors have surfaced the the Cowboys are interested in dealing for Adam “Pacman” Jones.  The Titans aren’t so sure they want to give up his rights easily but, considering his checkered past, they may not be able to ask for much.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that there are sources who believe that a deal to send Jones to Dallas could happen as early as next week.

Visitors to a Carolina Panthers blog might wonder why I would take up space talking about a deal to send a guy like Pacman to Dallas.  We’re not Dallas fans, afterall, are we?  And I can assure you I’m anything but a Cowboys fan.

The reason I’m dealing with this today – the state of the NFL.

In society, we’re not given many chances.  The whole three strikes rule usually doesn’t apply since one serious offense lands the average Joe in the slammer.  Let’s review for the sake of argument one Mr. Adam Jones:

Reports surfaced last year, after Jones’ suspension, of a lengthy arrest record.  A string of five arrests, documented by police records, since he was drafted in April 2005, became a factor in the suspension.

The final straw with the league was his sixth arrest when he was booked by Las Vegas police.  In his most serious run-in with the law, Jones was charged for his involvement in a fight that broke out in a strip club that left a bouncer paralyzed.  He was charged with two counts of coercion.

It all started when Pacman made it rain cash in the club.  ESPN recounted the event:

"Police seized $81,020 in cash belonging to Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, money they said sparked a melee and a triple shooting at a strip club over the weekend, court documents show.JonesJones was showering more than 40 strippers onstage at Minxx Gentlemen’s Club & Lounge early Monday with the cash “intended as a visual effect,” according to a search warrant. But a scuffle broke out when the Houston promoter who hired the strippers told them to pick the money up.The promoter, identified as Chris Mitchell, owner of “Harlem Knights,” and a male associate took a plastic trash bag containing Jones’ money and walked out the front door, the warrant says. Police recovered the money and two Breitling watches inside a safe at Mitchell’s hotel room Monday morning.Mitchell, according to the warrant, “admits that he took the money in the bag belonging to Jones because he thought it was for the dancers.”After Mitchell left the club, “a melee broke out,” the warrant says.“Jones became irate about the loss of his money, and the fact that girls were in a frenzy, picking up the money at their feet,” the warrant says.Minutes later, a valet told police that he heard shots fired near the front entrance and saw a black man with cornrows in his hair pointing a black semi-automatic handgun, it says. The man then fled.The shots hit a female customer in the head and two security guards, one of whom remained in critical condition and is going to be paralyzed for life, club co-owner Robert Susnar told The Tennessean. Aaron Cudworth, the guard hit with the champagne bottle, and the woman were treated and released"

In fact, the gun shots heard outside came from a second scuffle.  This report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"Allegedly, Jones and his posse of a half-dozen people returned to the club for the second time that evening at about 4 a.m.. At that time, Jones proceeded to toss hundreds of $1 bills on the stage, where a dancer started grabbing the money. Jones apparently became angry that she was picking up the money without his permission, so he grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the stage.Security intervened and a scuffle with Jones’ entourage ensued.Jones then allegedly threatened to kill the guard.Order was eventually restored and everyone moved outside before the gunman opened fire toward the front door of the club, hitting two security guards and a female customer."

Jones’ attorney sounded, well, like a typical attorney at the time of the arrest.

“They gave us a one-day notice to get people cross-country on warrants that weren’t even issued yet,” lawyer Manny Arora said.  “It just seems like they’re more worried about press releases than the facts of the case.”

In August of last year, Jones appeared on ESPN’s Take Two to defend himself.  “Everybody keeps saying I’ve been arrested six times,” Jones said.

“I haven’t been arrested six times. I’ve only been arrested twice. I’ve been accused and people have put warrants out on me numerous other times, but as of today I’m on no probation, I haven’t been charged with anything, so I’m just keeping my head up and make sure I’m doing everything to make sure I’m all right with myself.”

Oh!  Our bad!  He’s only been arrested twice!  How silly of us.  I mean there’s a big difference in being arrested twice and six times.  Even with a shooting involved.

But I’d have to wonder why the police would want to fabricate more charges against Jones.  Do they have anything at stake?  And why would the league believe bogus charges?  This arrest history played a part in the decision to suspend him.  But Goodell acted and put him out of the game.

After his suspension, Jones decided to get involved in the ever-popular sport of wrestling.  The only reason I can imagine he would do that is because, as we all know, that sport is far beyond reproach.  Vince McMahon is such a wonderful person that wrestling looked like a way for Jones to mend his public image.

“I pick up the wrestling thing, now you don’t want me to wrestle,” Jones said while sitting in front of a wrestling ring set up next to his home south of Nashville.

“I don’t know what you all want me to do. Just sit in the house and be miserable all day? I can’t do that. I have to keep my spirits up high. I have a whole family to take care of.”

Yeah, Pacman, sure.  You have a family to take care of.  Perhaps you should have thought about that before you broke the law!  Sorry, your argument doesn’t hold water.

In fact, in a February 2007 article in USA Today, Jones’ own uncle had a few things to say about him.

“Everybody tries to talk to him,” Robert Jones said. “I do. His mother talks to him, his grandparents talk to him. … I don’t know, I just think he is out of control. I’ve told him I think he is out of damn control, but he doesn’t want to hear it.

“I hate to say things on the negative, because I want to see him do good. But it is hard to see him keep getting involved in stuff like this.”

This is an obviously trouble man.  Whether his arrest history includes six arrests or only two is far from important.  What is important is that his problems finally got someone hurt, in fact, paralyzed.

It’s not about his involvement with wrestling or even his later attempts to produce hip hop CD’s.  It’s about the fact that Adam Jones broke the law.  His actions nearly caused someone to lose their life and did take away the ability to function from another human being.

Where is his remorse?  Sure, Jones has tried to make public statements about this but I have yet to hear anything come out of his mouth that would make me believe that he is sorry for what happened to an innocent person in Las Vegas last year.

Instead, he wants to argue about how many times he’s been arrested.  What’s next?  Will he pull a Milli Vanilli and tell us to “Blame it on the Rain?”  He seems to think that the public will buy his story.  More importantly, he believes the NFL and Roger Goodell will buy his story.

He may be right.

The Dallas Cowboys may be on the verge of trading for this guy.  What’s nearly as disturbing is that the Titans are in no hurry to give up their rights to him.  Of course, they want to get something in return for their investment.  But there comes a time when you have to let go of someone like this and let the law do their job.

This is one time, and one individual that doesn’t need or deserve the star treatment.  It’s not time to turn our backs to what he’s done because he has speed or athletic ability.

I’ve joked here before about hating the Cowboys.  But if they deal for Jones it won’t be a joke anymore.  In fact, I’d have to say that for any NFL franchise that’s willing to give him a chance.

Roger Goodell needs to act.  Forget the suspension.  Ban him now and prevent him from ever playing the game again.  He doesn’t deserve the opportunity.  Not again.  Ever!

Forget three strikes you’re out.  He’s got six strikes.  And his actions have had devastating consequences on the lives of strangers who were unfortunate enough to cross his path.

I don’t know of an employer in the real world who would give a loser like this a chance.  Maybe the NFL is different.  Maybe they’re willing to be a refuge to felons – they already are.  (See Jamal Lewis)

You want to clean up the league’s image, Roger?  Then act like you mean it.  Forget Spygate and clean this garbage out of the NFL no matter how badly Jerry Jones’ surgically-altered face would like to have him in Dallas.

The alternative is unthinkable.