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Time For Pacman To Be A Man
By MoonDog | November 20, 2008
We’ve learned the football player formerly known as Pacman was reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this week, nearly two months since Adam Jones was suspended for yet another off the field incident.
Reading some of the stories regarding Jones and his return, one might get the impression he’s finally turned a corner.
Jones’ latest incident involved a scuffle outside a Dallas hotel with a bodyguard the Cowboys’ had assigned to him. In effect, the Cowboys’ were baby-sitting someone who’s supposed to be a grown man.
When Jones is allowed to return on December 7, Dallas owner Jerry Jones has stated the organization will no longer provide bodyguards for Pacman. In other words, he’ll be responsible for policing himself.
On the surface, Jerry Jones’ decision may not appear to be a wise course of action, but it’s exactly what Pacman needs.
Pacman’s attorney Worrick Robinson said the NFL’s reinstatement of his client begins with Jones’ ability to make the right choices. “It all starts with him and his decision-making,” Robinson said. “He’s comfortable making decisions for himself.”
Pacman’s inability to make the right decisions have kept him out of the NFL for 22 of the last 28 games he could have played.
But let’s not kid ourselves here. While Pacman’s rehabilitation for alcohol-related issues is a positive step, at some point he has to stop acting like a boy and start acting like a man.
The decisions Pacman has made up to this point aren’t like buying a home or investing in a business. It’s simple decisions that have prevented Jones from enjoying a potentially solid career in the NFL.
In some respects, it’s a sad commentary when an adult is “comfortable making decisions for himself” when those decisions are based on whether he should hang out at a bar until 3:00 a.m. or not.
Robinson says Pacman is “willing to accept the responsibility of making his decisions without being influenced by a security guard.”
Willing to accept responsibility? Since when is being responsible an option?
What Pacman apparently never figured out was the impact his past decisions were having on himself, his teammates and the organization he represented.
Whether he likes it or not, Jones’ is an ambassador of the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL. Just like any other employer, the Cowboys and the NFL have the right to demand their employees conduct themselves in an appropriate manner at all times, on the field or off.
But unlike most employers who would have fired a problem employee long ago, the Cowboys and the NFL are giving Jones another chance - a third chance at that.
Hopefully Pacman gets it this time around, otherwise, Roger Goodell is going to boot him out of the NFL permanently.
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Tags: dallas cowboys, Pacman, adam jones, roger goodell, NFL, NFL, Dallas Cowboys News, MoonDog, Jerry Jones






























November 20th, 2008 at 21:45
What is the over/under on Pacman’s remaining NFL shelf-life? 3 weeks? 4 weeks?
At least his last incident was in a regular bar and not a strip club. Or maybe that was what made him so angry in the first place?
“What do you mean she won’t get naked? What kind of stupid place is this?”