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Beware of Pacman and his story
The Associated Press
Published: April 22, 2008
There's going to come a day in the not-too-distant future when Pacman Jones takes the witness stand and tells all he knows about the night things got out of hand at a Las Vegas strip club and a bouncer ended up in a wheelchair for life.
When that day comes — and it likely will now that an arrest has been made of the alleged shooter — we'll know a lot more about just what happened after Jones made it rain with a garbage bag full of money at the Minxx strip club. We'll have a better idea whether he was involved in the bloody aftermath that left Tom Urbanski paralyzed.
Until then, it's hard to make a judgment call about the cornerback who can't seem to stay out of strip clubs even when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is watching.
Look at Jones' past record, and the natural assumption is to lean toward guilty until proven innocent. Listen to those trying to get him back in the NFL, and it's simply a matter of him being in the wrong place — usually one where young women disrobe for money — at the wrong time.
The plot thickened Monday when it was revealed that Jones paid $15,000 in what he said was extortion money to the man police believe fired shots outside the strip club in the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2007. It got even thicker with the revelation Jones went to Washington state last week to pick the man out of a lineup, which prompted an arrest on attempted murder charges.
Just what caused Jones to suddenly become a model citizen and actively help police try and solve the shooting isn't exactly clear. He might have thought he would be paying money to the alleged shooter for a long time, or maybe he was merely concerned with the safety and welfare of the Las Vegas community.
The more cynical among us might even suggest he wanted to show Goodell that he isn't such a bad guy after all at precisely the time that the Dallas Cowboys and he are pushing for his reinstatement to the NFL. It takes a lot of guts, after all, to risk being branded a snitch among the type of crowd Jones is known for hanging around with.
"He's very satisfied now that the proper attention can be put on the reasonable parties and the true victims," said Manny Arora, Jones' Atlanta-based attorney. "Unfortunately it puts him back in the limelight. You'd think with somebody else being arrested it would validate what we've been saying all along."
If only it was that easy. With the baggage Pacman carries, it's hard to be a believer.
According to a police report, Jones said he saw the man for the first time after being thrown out of the Minxx following an altercation that began among dancers vying for the money Jones was throwing at them. The man, Jones said, told him he would take care of things, but that Jones did not know what he was talking about and simply told him, "Whatever."
Jones said he was walking away looking for a taxi when he heard shots coming from the man's direction. Apparently sticking around to help an injured man or help police find the shooter weren't as important as getting a ride home.
Whether Jones' story stands up in court when 29-year-old Arvin Edwards is brought to trial remains to be seen. Jones entered into a plea bargain in December that requires him to testify against anyone charged in the shooting in exchange for probation on a plea of no contest to a disorderly conduct charge.
But that won't happen for many months, long after Pacman needs Goodell to cut him some slack and let him return to the NFL. And that means the commissioner will be put on the spot, with just Pacman's word to rely on.
So far that word hasn't been too good. Goodell warned Jones to stay away from strip clubs while under suspension, but he went to one in January anyway, prompting the commissioner's ire.
Still, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is in Pacman's corner. The owner has made a cottage industry out of troubled reclamation projects in Texas, though even he can't be so desperate that he would take somebody he believes was involved in a shooting.
Or maybe he can.
Jones has to stay awake at nights wondering what difference a shutdown corner like Pacman might have made in the playoff loss to the New York Giants. The more he watches film of Pacman, the more forgiving he figures to become.
Goodell's decision making shouldn't be nearly as clouded. Part of his job is to keep troublemakers out of the league — something he's taken quite seriously in his brief tenure as commissioner — and without his blessing Pacman won't be playing for the Cowboys or any other team in the NFL.
Goodell said last week he was "encouraged, to some extent" by Jones' recent behavior, and that was before he even fingered the alleged shooter. Pacman's chances of playing this upcoming season likely increased when he picked Edwards out of a police lineup.
My guess is that Goodell, under the prodding of a strong owner like Jones, will reinstate Pacman for the upcoming season. He'll tell him he has one last chance and if he blows it, he's out for good.
Then Goodell will cross his fingers and hope that Pacman's story doesn't fall apart in court.
____
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
Beware of Pacman and his story
The Associated Press
Published: April 22, 2008
There's going to come a day in the not-too-distant future when Pacman Jones takes the witness stand and tells all he knows about the night things got out of hand at a Las Vegas strip club and a bouncer ended up in a wheelchair for life.
When that day comes — and it likely will now that an arrest has been made of the alleged shooter — we'll know a lot more about just what happened after Jones made it rain with a garbage bag full of money at the Minxx strip club. We'll have a better idea whether he was involved in the bloody aftermath that left Tom Urbanski paralyzed.
Until then, it's hard to make a judgment call about the cornerback who can't seem to stay out of strip clubs even when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is watching.
Look at Jones' past record, and the natural assumption is to lean toward guilty until proven innocent. Listen to those trying to get him back in the NFL, and it's simply a matter of him being in the wrong place — usually one where young women disrobe for money — at the wrong time.
The plot thickened Monday when it was revealed that Jones paid $15,000 in what he said was extortion money to the man police believe fired shots outside the strip club in the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2007. It got even thicker with the revelation Jones went to Washington state last week to pick the man out of a lineup, which prompted an arrest on attempted murder charges.
Just what caused Jones to suddenly become a model citizen and actively help police try and solve the shooting isn't exactly clear. He might have thought he would be paying money to the alleged shooter for a long time, or maybe he was merely concerned with the safety and welfare of the Las Vegas community.
The more cynical among us might even suggest he wanted to show Goodell that he isn't such a bad guy after all at precisely the time that the Dallas Cowboys and he are pushing for his reinstatement to the NFL. It takes a lot of guts, after all, to risk being branded a snitch among the type of crowd Jones is known for hanging around with.
"He's very satisfied now that the proper attention can be put on the reasonable parties and the true victims," said Manny Arora, Jones' Atlanta-based attorney. "Unfortunately it puts him back in the limelight. You'd think with somebody else being arrested it would validate what we've been saying all along."
If only it was that easy. With the baggage Pacman carries, it's hard to be a believer.
According to a police report, Jones said he saw the man for the first time after being thrown out of the Minxx following an altercation that began among dancers vying for the money Jones was throwing at them. The man, Jones said, told him he would take care of things, but that Jones did not know what he was talking about and simply told him, "Whatever."
Jones said he was walking away looking for a taxi when he heard shots coming from the man's direction. Apparently sticking around to help an injured man or help police find the shooter weren't as important as getting a ride home.
Whether Jones' story stands up in court when 29-year-old Arvin Edwards is brought to trial remains to be seen. Jones entered into a plea bargain in December that requires him to testify against anyone charged in the shooting in exchange for probation on a plea of no contest to a disorderly conduct charge.
But that won't happen for many months, long after Pacman needs Goodell to cut him some slack and let him return to the NFL. And that means the commissioner will be put on the spot, with just Pacman's word to rely on.
So far that word hasn't been too good. Goodell warned Jones to stay away from strip clubs while under suspension, but he went to one in January anyway, prompting the commissioner's ire.
Still, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is in Pacman's corner. The owner has made a cottage industry out of troubled reclamation projects in Texas, though even he can't be so desperate that he would take somebody he believes was involved in a shooting.
Or maybe he can.
Jones has to stay awake at nights wondering what difference a shutdown corner like Pacman might have made in the playoff loss to the New York Giants. The more he watches film of Pacman, the more forgiving he figures to become.
Goodell's decision making shouldn't be nearly as clouded. Part of his job is to keep troublemakers out of the league — something he's taken quite seriously in his brief tenure as commissioner — and without his blessing Pacman won't be playing for the Cowboys or any other team in the NFL.
Goodell said last week he was "encouraged, to some extent" by Jones' recent behavior, and that was before he even fingered the alleged shooter. Pacman's chances of playing this upcoming season likely increased when he picked Edwards out of a police lineup.
My guess is that Goodell, under the prodding of a strong owner like Jones, will reinstate Pacman for the upcoming season. He'll tell him he has one last chance and if he blows it, he's out for good.
Then Goodell will cross his fingers and hope that Pacman's story doesn't fall apart in court.
____
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
.... but not worth it...
