This couldn't happen at a worse time for the Dallas Cowboys. Not that there is actually a good time for this to happen, but if it was the offseason, then it wouldn't hurt as bad if some action is taken by Roger Goodell. And if Terence Newman wasn't injured, possibly for much longer than initially thought, then it wouldn't hurt as bad either, if some action is taken.
Yes, I'm talking about this newest incident involving one Adam "Pacman" Jones. So far, we don't know a whole lot more than he was involved in a fight with one of his own bodyguards at a Dallas hotel. Of course, even that is being doubted by one of his lawyers, but the preponderance of evidence is on the side of a fight taking place. Why? Because the police were called and one of them is confirming that much of the story.
No one was arrested and no one will be charged in connection with the fight late Tuesday night at The Joule, an upscale downtown hotel.
[snip]
"Someone from the business called police," Dallas police spokesman Cpl. Jerry Monreal told The Associated Press. "Police arrived and spoke to the parties after they had a verbal argument. Both parties agreed to leave, and they left."
Adam Jones has been cited as one of those parties. So even that much could lead to the hammer coming down from the Commish. Here's where it gets even worse. If the bodyguard was one of the babysitters hired by Jerry Jones to watch over the talented but troubled cornerback, then it's possible he could automatically be in violation of the Personal Conduct Policy. I loath to use Pro Football Talk as a reference, because they are hit and miss in their coverage of rumors, but here's what they say according to sources.
Per a league source, the "bodyguard" with whom Jones fought in the bathroom of a Dallas hotel was an off-duty police officer who has been hired by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to babysit Pacman.
If this is true it could really force Goodell's hand.
The open question is whether the bodyguard was someone whom Jones had hired, or whether the bodyguard was retained by the team to shadow and/or babysit Jones. If it’s the latter, Jones might have committed an automatic violation of the Personal Conduct Policy since, technically, the bodyguard is a co-worker.
So what was Jones doing at the hotel?
According to the sources, Jones was attending a party hosted by the rapper Ludacris, who is in town shooting a movie with actor Mark Wahlberg.
And why did he get into the alleged fight? More from PFT.com.
The source says that the problem started because the babysitter popped off to Jones' female companion. Jones, who had been drinking, then started up with the guy, and it culminated in a scuffle.
Jones, we're told, had marks on his face at practice on Wednesday.
Before anybody starts with the whole macho "I would fight him too if he said something to my girlfriend" idiocy, stop and think a second. Sure, if I was out with my girlfriend and someone started popping off to her, and I couldn't handle it without resorting to fisticuffs, then I would throw some haymakers, too. But that wouldn't end with me getting fired from my job. I'm also not a professional athlete who has a specialized skill who is getting one last chance to play the game he supposedly loves. On top of that, if he gets into trouble again he's likely squandering any chance of millions upon millions of dollars, the future security of his baby daughter and all kinds of other things. So no, it would take a hell of a lot more than someone saying some random comment in that situation to get me to throw away all that. They're just words, and if your brain can't function on a level high-enough to understand that, then you deserve what you get.
Now that was a long rant, but here's the shorter version. If what's being alleged actually happened, then I have no sympathy for Jones. Do I hope he gets suspended again? Heck no, we need him right now. Is a fight that sounds pretty minor really worth suspending him? Normally the answer is no way. But this isn't just any ordinary player we're talking about.
I guess all I can do is hope Goodell has some sympathy for Jones (fat chance) and by extension, sympathy for all Cowboys fans.
But listen to this from the Star-T's article referenced above.
Jones apparently got in a violent scuffle with his bodyguards. According to a source, it's not the first time Jones and one of his bodyguards have come to blows.
If true, the guy has zero self-control.
Of course, his lawyer is spinning fast and furious.
"I'm not satisfied anything has happened,'' Robinson said. "I perform due diligence on rumors anytime there is an allegation made against a player I represent, and at this point I can tell you that I'm not satisfied that anything occurred.''
Well, the cops seem to think something occurred, and so do patrons at the hotel, so I'm pretty sure that line of defense isn't going anywhere.
Sometime soon, Jones will be making another trip to New York to explain himself.
The expectation is that Jones is likely to be called to New York to explain his conduct to Goodell, a source close to the player said. Jones' reinstatement is contingent upon his ability to conduct himself appropriately.
For the sake of the Cowboys season, I hope this is all an overblown incident just because the name Pacman is involved. But I'm having a hard time convincing myself of that reality. Probably about as hard a time as Jones will have convincing Goodell.
Oh by the way, there is other stuff going on.
An Arizona paper has whole list of players and things they hate about the Dallas Cowboys.
An opinion that the Cowboys have the best offense in the NFL.
Our old friend, The Breerman, takes some shots at the Cowboys.
The news on Terence Newman's injury sure doesn't sound good.