Pacman Jones had a good day yesterday. Felony charges stemming from an incident where he allegedly spit on a female nurse were dropped. The NFL will still have their say but to assert that this ruling wasn’t good for the future of Pacman would be wrong. He’ll wake up today like nothing happened. He’ll go get a workout in at the facility, maybe even post the pictures of the training session to Instagram. Pacman moves on with the career that has defined his entire life to this point: football.
But what about Adam Jones? You see the alter ego, Pacman, is known for his “edge.” He walks on the line of the rules, often stepping over that line. His tenacity and rage make him a great player on the field. Being a great player on the field has shielded him from the destructive habits he’s displayed off of it. Time and time again.
But one day real soon Pacman Jones will no longer be needed by the NFL. Father time catches every athlete and the skills diminish. He’ll then become regular ol’ Adam Jones. Without, apparently, having learned ANY lessons from his chaotic behavior during his playing days, what happens when Adam Jones screws up and acts like a maniac out in society? This time no General Managers, coaches, or fans will give a damn about him. What if having NOT learned any lessons DURING his playing days, it leads him to make a truly catastrophic choice while in his post-NFL life? Will his life be able to recover? Will anybody give a damn?
You see often when someone has a truly disastrous character flaw...substantial behavior issues, drug addiction, etc...it often takes that person hitting rock bottom in order for them to altogether change their life. It takes losing everything to force them to right their ways and move forward with a complete and wholesome life. It seems at least until today, Pacman won’t have everything taken from him and won’t learn that hard lesson. How can we expect him to change? How many incidents has it been?
What if Pacman HAD been charged with a felony, did jail time, then subsequently been banished from the NFL forever? Woulda been a disastrous day for Pacman Jones. But it might have been the best thing that ever happened to Adam Jones.