Friday, 07/14/06
Pacman's party line is a red flag
By DAVID CLIMER
Senior Writer
I'm just guessing here, but I'm betting the last thing Bud Adams wants to hear is that Pacman Jones has appointed himself social chairman for rookie rush at Phi Beta Titan.
With the problems he encountered before, during and after his first NFL season, Pacman isn't exactly the perfect role model for new Titans arrivals.
But according to the Web site for the Atlanta club Vision, a party tonight billed as The New NFL Millionaire's Club is "hosted" by Jones, an Atlanta native who is holding a youth football camp in the city, and two other names you might recognize — Vince Young and LenDale White.
These are presumed to be the same Vince Young and LenDale White who were drafted by the Titans in rounds Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.
Uh-oh. For those still unwise about the ways of the pro football world, partying with Pacman is about like riding motorcycles with Ben Roethlisberger.
OK, let's be clear on one thing: Just because a club sticks somebody's name and picture on its Web site doesn't mean there is any official link. The rich and famous, be they pro athletes or not, often get used and abused in false advertising.
Just the same, this is an unsettling situation at Titans Central, where Jeff Fisher has vowed to crack down on any off-field foolishness after consecutive lousy seasons. Preseason camp opens two weeks from today and Fisher wants no distractions.
This would seem to fall under the loose heading Distraction.
The club in question is considered one of Atlanta's hottest spots, complete with a rather racy reputation. According to the Web site accessatlanta.com, this is where rappers Jay-Z and 50 Cent held their after-party following a sold-out concert. It has served as the downtown home base for Sean "P.Diddy" Combs' annual Bad Boy weekend.
Last spring, Kevin Federline (aka Mr. Britney Spears) was paid handsomely to hang out there for a few hours.
The latter sort of makes you wonder about the club's standards, doesn't it?
True or not, the prospect of a party "hosted" by Jones, Young and White at an Atlanta nightspot got considerable national airplay on Thursday. Colin Cowherd, host of "The Herd" on ESPN Radio, gave it a rather pointed once-over during his morning show.
Look, even us old bumpkins would be naive to think that all the nouveau riche of the NFL work out like fiends all day, head home to study their playbooks, sip nothing stronger than skim milk and are on a 10 p.m. curfew.
Many of those who work hard also are prone to play hard — and play late.
The NFL is part of the real world, not some scrapbook of old Gil Thorp comic strips. These guys are used to being big men on campus. Now they're big men on NFL rosters, with big lines of credit from their agents while big contracts are waiting to be signed.
It's just that any off-field link between the Titans' top two picks and Pacman is cause for concern. While things have been quiet on the Pacman front for the last several weeks, Titans officials have learned not to relax. He has been a trouble magnet ever since he hit town.
Anyway, they'd better get it out of their systems before the convening of workouts in Clarksville, which Fisher has hinted will be conducted with a boot-camp mentality.
So party hard, guys.
The wakeup call is coming.
Bright and early.
