Based on recent events, it’s apparent that Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has become the George Costanza of the rookie symposium.
Study Jones’ example, and do the opposite.
As explained by Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Jones once again will address the incoming players at their annual mandatory preseason get-together in late June.
NFL senior V.P. of player engagement Troy Vincent says that the goal is to make the sessions authentic.
“You are not going to trick an athlete,” Vincent told Reedy. “They know when it is dressed up and not real. When you can sit among your peers and just talk about your life, someone is learning from that. They can look at him and see themselves from the way they look to where they have originated.”
After repeated difficulties early in his career, Jones experienced an extended stretch without trouble. His recent legal entanglement, however, has raised questions about whether he really has changed, given that surveillance video suggests Jones overreacted to whatever it was that a woman who works at Paul Brown Stadium did to him outside of a Cincinnati bar. While the woman apparently instigated the physical contact, Jones could have (and arguably should have) simply stepped away, especially since the woman was blocked by a fence.
Hopefully, Jones’ remarks will have less to do with explaining why he shouldn’t be in trouble for that incident, and more to do with how his overall experiences can help young players stay out of trouble.
Here’s one suggested message: Know that you’re a potential target, assume that anything you do is being recorded by a camera, and avoid places where folks may try to bait you into doing something you’ll regret.