Representatives from the NFL have asked Adam “Pacman” Jones to speak with the incoming 2012 rookie class in the hopes that he can steer them away from the type of off-the-field mistakes he has made during his own professional career.
Now playing for the Cincinnati Bengals Pacman Jones announced on the team’s website that he has been asked to take part in a panel discussion at the league’s rookie symposium which will take place from June 24-30 in Ohio.
Pacman wrote:
“The message is, this is not a joke. At the end of the day you have to treat it like a business And you’re a business owner, and every decision you make is a reflection of you.”
The 28-year-old Jones is entering his fifth year in the NFL and third with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jones played in 28 games during his first two seasons but as a member of the Tennessee Titans his career was slowed down by multiple off-the-field arrests.
In 2007 Pacman Jones sat out for an entire season because of two suspensions issued by the NFL’s front office in regards to his role in a Las Vegas strip club shooting that left a club employee paralyzed.
Pacman Jones was eventually traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 2008 but an alcohol-related altercation with a bodyguard assigned to Jones by the Cowboys led to yet another six-game suspension.
It appears that Jones has now learned from his mistakes, writing on the Bengals’ website:
“What you do on the field, what you do off the field, it’s all a reflection of you. Going to the club here, going to the club there. Having 100 people with you. Checking your advisers, your accountants. Just basic stuff.”
Jones openly apologized in January during a court appearance but he could still face further disciplinary actions from the NFL which may be why he decided to take up the offer to speak with incoming rookies about the trappings of NFL success.
