Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has a reputation for getting into trouble with a list of transgressions almost too long to list. The latest of which, in which he allegedly assaulted a hotel employee and obstructed a police officer earlier this year, has led to a one-game suspension for the upcoming season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bengals, meanwhile, have a reputation of their own for taking on troubled talent. They draft or sign players with dubious reputations so often that their fans have come to just expect off-field antics regularly. Considering they continue to employ Jones and recently drafted Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon following an incident in which he punched a woman in the face, that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2_LZd1QRjA
Jones, who has been with the organization since 2010, spoke publicly on Thursday for the first time since the suspension was announced and got emotional talking about the support he’s received from the Bengals, especially from team owner Mike Brown.
“When you have a guy upstairs that stands up for you, that sticks up for the players — I haven’t been around a guy like that in my lifetime, speaking of Mr. Brown. So I’m very eager to be the best and make sure our group is the best. As you can see, it’s a little touching for me.”
“The respect and the love that I have for Mr. Brown is undeniable. Words can’t express the gratitude of how I feel about him. … Words can’t explain. I can’t explain … that I have somebody that understands me as a person and that’s not quick to judge.”
The 34-year-old said he takes accountability for the arrest and suspension and wants to look ahead to what will come after.
“I feel really good; I feel great. I’m 182 pounds and probably about 3 percent body fat. So I’m on borrowed time, as I know. But I love playing football and I’m eager for the camp and I’m ready.”
Jones also added that his motivation to succeed on the field isn’t just because of Brown but also to prove doubters wrong.
“I’ve always been the one that thrived off the little things, and I’d be sitting here lying to tell you all I didn’t read half of the s— that you all write, and I do because at the end of day I have this thing in the back of my head that tells me to prove every last one of you all wrong. Motivation comes in all different forms of factor. At the end of the day I like winning. I’ve always been like that. I love to compete to prove you guys wrong to make you write something different. Of course the record had a lot to do with it, but you guys have a lot to do with motivation, too.”
If only he took that motivation with him off the field. Jones has proven he can still play on the field, but he’s also proven that he hasn’t really changed or learned anything off of it. Then again, Mike Brown doesn’t really seem like the kind of NFL owner who cares.
[ESPN]
