Adam Jones (American football)

Early years

Jones was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised by his mother, Deborah Jones, and his grandmother, Christine Jones. His father was killed in a robbery in 1991 at the age of 26. As a child growing up in the Sandtown neighborhood of Atlanta, he was coached by longtime Sandtown coach Gary Jones. Jones was crucial to Adam maturing into an adult. Gary is now a science teacher, football coach, and basketball coach at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. When Jones was a freshman at West Virginia University, his grandmother died of cancer; Jones only missed one game of his three-year college career, which was to attend her funeral. On the day of the NFL Draft, Jones wore a T-shirt that featured his grandmother's picture.

Jones attended Westlake High School, in Atlanta, Georgia. Westlake was considered a football powerhouse; in 2005, the school had the most alumni in the NFL with six players. In football, Jones played in the Georgia-Florida all-star game, and was selected as the conference "Player of the Year" following his senior year after totaling 120 tackles, six interceptions and 1,850 rushing yards.

In addition to his accomplishments in football, Jones also earned All-American honors in basketball and track. His basketball team won two state championships.

College career

Jones also was an Athletic Coaching Education major and a member of the Athletic Director's Academic Honor Roll. As a freshman in 2002, Jones appeared in 11 games for West Virginia as a reserve cornerback and safety. He totaled one interception and one forced fumble with 36 tackles. During 2003, he appeared in all 13 games, starting nine at cornerback, and taking over full-time kick return and punt return duties. Jones's second season resulted in a second team All-Big East Conference selection with his career-high 89 tackles and four interceptions, one being for a touchdown. He also had six tackles for losses, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also had a career-high 12 passes defended that season. In one of his best games of the year, against Boston College, Jones scored two touchdowns in a 35–28 win over the Eagles, one an 87-yard kick return and the other, a 47-yard interception return. Jones also had a career-high 12 tackles against Miami. Jones totaled 98 punt return yards on 16 punt returns and 867 kick return yards, including an 87-yard touchdown return.

As a junior in 2004, he was the secondary captain and led the team in tackles and interceptions. Jones also played briefly on offense, as well as returning punts and kick-offs for the second season. He was named first-team all-Big East as a defensive back and honorable mention All-American by several sources. He led the team with 76 tackles, adding two sacks, three interceptions, and seven passes defended. Jones was named to Collegefootballnews.com's All-American first-team and was named honorable mention All-American at kick returner. Jones was also named Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. His 76-yard punt return against East Carolina was his season-long return and only punt return for a touchdown in Jones' career. He had a long touchdown run against UConn that was negated due to a penalty. Jones ended his college career in the 2005 Gator Bowl, when he fumbled a kick return early in the game; the Mountaineers lost to Florida State.

Jones is ranked second on West Virginia's career kickoff return yardage list with 1,475 yards. He is also ranked eleventh on the school's career punt return yardage list with 404 yards, while his 10.92 yards per punt return is the sixth most in school history. Jones is one of the highest West Virginia players drafted. Jones and fellow-Mountaineer great Major Harris both wore the number #9 while playing in college.

Tennessee Titans (2005–2006)

After his junior year, Jones opted to forgo his senior year and declare himself eligible for the NFL Draft. He was the first defensive player drafted, taken sixth overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft. He then missed most of training camp, holding out in a contract dispute. According to Titans then-general manager Floyd Reese, the Titans were concerned over several off-the-field incidents. Reese said that contract talks broke down when Jones balked at the Titans' proposed safeguards, but agreed that he would not be paid any guaranteed or bonus money if he were convicted of a crime.

During his rookie season, he had 44 tackles and 10 pass deflections, but no interceptions. On special teams, Jones totaled 1,399 return yards and one touchdown. Jones and Reynaldo Hill were the only rookie duo to start at least ten games each at cornerback in the NFL.

In Jones's sophomore season, he totaled career-high 62 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, 12 deflected passes, four interceptions, 130 return yards, one interception touchdown, 14 passes defended (second-team), 440 punt return yards and tied for NFL-high with three punt return touchdowns. The three punt returns also tied the franchise record with Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, which was set in 1975. His 12.9 yards per punt return average led the NFL, edging out Chicago's Devin Hester by one-tenth of a yard, while his 26.1 yards per kick return average ranked seventh in the league and sixth in the AFC. Jones also caught two passes on offense for 31 yards (one for 17 yards) and rushed twice for 8 yards. His best performance came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 15, when Jones had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to Matt Jones to save the game. Jones broke out in his fifth game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, when he recorded a then personal season-high five tackles and defended a pass in the 14–13 loss. The next week against the Washington Redskins, Jones recorded four tackles and stripped the ball from Antwaan Randle El for the first forced fumble of his career. The next week against Houston, Jones tied a career-high tackle total with eight, and picked off a Sage Rosenfels pass for his first career interception, and also posted his second touchdown on a punt return in his career in the fourth quarter with a 53-yard return. Two weeks later, against the Eagles, Jones recorded his second punt return for a score of the season, this one 90-yards, breaking Billy Johnson's 87-yard franchise record. The next week against the New York Giants, Jones picked off an Eli Manning pass in the fourth quarter that sparked the Titans' 21-point comeback. Against the New England Patriots in the last game of the season, Jones totaled 259 return yards (the NFL's highest total since 2006) along with a punt return score.

Near the 2007 NFL Draft, Jones's numerous off-the-field problems led to speculation that the Titans would cut or trade Jones before his third season, despite his breakout second year. At that time, Reese himself said that he and others on the Titans had spent "countless hours" trying to set Jones straight. He also said that while Jones had been everything the Titans hoped for on the field, he'd been "nothing but a disaster off the field" during his two years in Nashville.

On April 10, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced a one-year suspension for Jones for violation of the NFL player conduct policy, to be re-evaluated after the tenth regular-season game, pending disposition of current cases, which Jones appealed. This was the first time in 44 years that a player was suspended for an offense other than substance abuse. Jones took out a full page ad in The Tennessean, promising "he'll win back trust" of his teammates and fans." "To my family, teammates, coaches and fans, I recognize that I have lost the right to ask for your patience and understanding," Jones wrote. "However, I will do everything in my power to regain your trust and respect." Jones also wrote in the letter, his plans to re-enroll and finish his degree at West Virginia University. "The basis of the appeal ... will be to clarify some of the facts and address the unprecedented punishment that was imposed," Jones wrote in the letter. However, on June 12, Jones withdrew his appeal.

During his suspension Jones signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, despite an agreement between TNA and the Titans organization that he would only have a "non-physical" role in the company, and went on to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship with Ron Killings. He also established a record label, "National Street League Records", and performed as one half of the rap duo Posterboyz.

Ten weeks into the 2007 season, Roger Goodell reviewed his decision, but ultimately declined to reduce it. Following this announcement, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) said that it would appeal Jones' suspension. Tennessee running back LenDale White told The Tennessean that he thinks that "53 of 53" Titans' players would want Jones to return to the team. Quarterback Vince Young said, "We are going to do well without him, we can do well with him...". On December 13, 2007, the NFL agreed to hear the players' union's appeal on Jones's behalf. The players' union appealed Roger Goodell's decision to not allow Jones to be reinstated during the 2007 season.

On February 1, 2008, ESPN reported that Goodell remained "disappointed" in Jones and that he would most likely not be reinstated after the Super Bowl. The NFL was to review Jones after the 2008 Pro Bowl. It was also reported that the Titans would try to trade Jones, if reinstated.

On March 8, 2008, Jones announced on a Tennessee radio station that he felt he was in "tip-top shape" and was ready to be reinstated. His agent also announced that they would consider applying for reinstatement before the 2008 NFL Draft. Jones also said on the radio show that he would like to play for the Dallas Cowboys if the Titans desired to trade him. The Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints also expressed interest in Jones. On March 30, Jones participated at a charity basketball event, where he then signed a football for a fan with the #21, later saying that he believed he would wear the number if he ended up in Dallas with the Cowboys. NFL Network correspondent Adam Schefter had also described the Tennessee–Dallas trade for Jones as being "imminent". On April 1, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that he would have a decision on reinstating Jones prior to training camp, presumably in July. However, the next day, reports said that the trade was being delayed due to the Cowboys denying the request to provide a fourth-round pick and a pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Also, disagreements let out over whether the Cowboys would reimburse the Titans for a bonus owed to Jones. However, Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported on April 13 that trade talks had restarted, with the Cowboys offering a sixth-round pick and the Titans requesting a fourth-round pick in the 2008 draft.

Dallas Cowboys (2008)

On April 23, 2008, Jones was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. If Jones was reinstated for the 2008–2009 season, the Cowboys would also give their sixth-round pick to Tennessee in 2009; if not, the Titans would have to send their fourth-round pick to the Cowboys in 2009. Furthermore, if Jones was to be suspended again, the Titans would have to give their fifth-round pick to the Cowboys in 2009 and return the sixth-round pick to Dallas.

Jones also reached a financial settlement with the Titans regarding his contract situation: he agreed to pay $500,000 to a charity chosen by the Titans in the next two years. Jones signed a four-year contract that included no signing bonus but included annual roster bonuses, and was structured to protect Dallas if Jones made more off-field mistakes.

On April 24, Hall of Famer Jim Brown announced that he had offered his support and help to Jones while in Dallas. Former Cowboys teammates and NFL standouts Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders also both expressed a willingness to help the troubled cornerback.

Beginning in June, Jones was cleared to participate in organized team activities with the Cowboys, including training camp and preseason games. On August 26, Jones was fully reinstated for the 2008 NFL season.

In the season opener for the Cowboys, a 28–10 victory against the Cleveland Browns, Jones recorded a tackle and a pass deflection. In the following 41–37 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jones recorded four tackles and a pass deflection. In a 27–16 victory over the Green Bay Packers, Jones led the Cowboys with eight tackles and a fumble recovery.

On Wednesday, November 19, 2008, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the suspended cornerback would be reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell, but he would miss two more games — Sunday, November 23, 2008 and the following game on Thanksgiving, November 27, 2008. He would be back December 7, 2008 at Pittsburgh. This decision meant it would be a six-game suspension. By the time he would return, he would have been suspended from 22 of a possible 28 games.

Due to the suspension, the Titans gave their fifth-round pick to the Cowboys in 2009 and returned the sixth-round pick to Dallas, as stipulated in terms of the trade.

Jones finally returned from suspension and played in Dallas' game against Pittsburgh on December 7. He suffered a neck injury; he continued to play in the game, but later in the week, news reports indicated that the injury was more severe than first believed, and could be a season-ending or even career-ending injury for Jones. On December 10, 2008, the Cowboys announced that Jones would probably be out for the rest of the season. However, he returned to play in the Cowboys' final game of the season, a 44–6 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.

On January 7, 2009, the Cowboys announced they would release Jones. According to ESPN's Ed Werder, the move came after Cowboys officials learned that Jones was a suspect in a June 2007 shooting outside a strip club in Atlanta; Jones was alleged to have ordered the shooting after a dispute with one of the men. Due to NFL rules which bar major player transactions until after the Super Bowl, the Cowboys did not officially cut ties with Jones until February 9, 2009.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2009)

In August 2009, Jones agreed in principle to a one-year deal to play with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. The CFL season, which runs from July through November, was already half over at the time.

However, the Blue Bombers announced on September 2 that they were no longer going to pursue Jones after he made some remarks on an internet video including calling the league the United Football League when it is in fact the Canadian Football League. The startup UFL reportedly offered Jones a contract which he turned down.

Cincinnati Bengals (2010–present)

Jones worked out with the Cincinnati Bengals on February 12, 2010, but the Bengals did not offer him a contract. Jones worked out for NFL scouts on March 19 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Six NFL teams were in attendance. Initial reports claimed Jones did not show up, but newer reports countered those claims. At his workout, his 40-yard dash time was 4.42 seconds.

On May 10, 2010, Jones signed a two-year deal with the Bengals. He went through the entire off-season and the entire pre-season without incident, and he made the regular-season roster. He made his regular-season Bengals debut on September 12, 2010, as a kick returner and a backup cornerback: he returned two kickoffs for 37 yards and made two tackles and an assist on defense during the Bengals' 38–24 road loss to the New England Patriots. On October 26, Jones sustained a serious neck injury and missed the remainder of the 2010 season.

On October 30, 2011, Jones made his first appearance with the Bengals since his injury in 2010. He returned one punt for 63 yards, and subsequently suffered a hamstring injury and did not play for the rest of the game. In January 2012, after publicly comparing Houston Texans' wide receiver Andre Johnson unfavorably to teammate A. J. Green, Jones was burned on a touchdown by Johnson in Houston's 31–10 playoff victory over the Bengals.

On March 21, 2013, Jones signed a three-year deal to remain with the Bengals.

In the 2015 Wild Card Round loss against the Steelers, Jones got fined $28,940 for an altercation with Steeler's assistant coach Joey Porter. After appeal, the fine was later reduced to $12,500 by the NFL. It would be the second penalty called in succession which brought the Steelers into field-goal kicking distance, which won the game 18–16. Porter would eventually be fined $10,000 for his actions.

On March 9, 2016, Jones signed a three-year deal to remain with the Bengals.

Jones was suspended the first game of the 2017 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Career awards and highlights

2005–2006

When drafted, Jones was on probation for a fight in West Virginia. He encountered more legal trouble before playing a down for the Titans. On July 14, 2005, Jones was arrested on charges of assault and felony vandalism stemming from a nightclub altercation in Nashville. On September 5, 2005, Jones was a guest at the annual Nashville Sports Council Kickoff Luncheon. After a loud verbal tantrum in which he was told to wait in line for his vehicle, Jones was counseled by the police. He refused to pay for any valet services used that evening, because he did not have money. Subsequently, the State of West Virginia filed a petition alleging that Jones had not made regular and sufficient contact with his probation office or reported his July arrest in a timely fashion. The court ordered the probation extended for 90 days, although the state requested it to be extended one year.

In February 2006, Jones was arrested in Fayetteville, Georgia after an incident outside a home. Charges of marijuana possession were quickly dismissed, but the state pressed charges for felony and misdemeanor counts of obstruction of justice.

A Cadillac with Jones' nickname "Pacman" stitched in the headrests was seized during an April 2006 cocaine bust. The car was not registered to Jones then, but Jones told a local TV reporter that it was his car and that he had loaned it to Darryl Jerome Moore for a music video. Police sources confirmed that Moore was the main target of their investigation. Jones later bought the car at a police auction.

On August 25, 2006, during training camp, Jones was arrested in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for disorderly conduct and public intoxication at a nightclub after he spat on a woman he accused of stealing his wallet. Police said they ordered Jones to leave several times, but he refused, continuing to shout profanities at the woman. A judge granted him six months' probation on the conditions that he stayed out of further trouble and away from the nightclub. On October 26, 2006, Jones was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly spitting in the face of a female Tennessee State University student during a private party at Club Mystic, a Nashville nightclub. He was suspended by the Titans for one game.

Las Vegas shooting case and suspension

On the morning of February 19, 2007, during the 2007 NBA All-Star Game weekend in Las Vegas, Jones was allegedly involved in an altercation with an exotic dancer at Minxx, a local strip club. Jones and American rap artist Nelly patronized the club that evening. Nelly, along with someone known as Richard Rich, showered the stage with hundreds of one-dollar bills; an act known as "making it rain." Jones then joined Nelly by throwing his own money for "visual effect." Club promoter Chris Mitchell then directed his dancers to collect the money. According to the club's co-owner, Jones became enraged when a dancer began taking the money without his permission. He allegedly grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head on the stage. A security guard intervened and scuffled with members of Jones' entourage of half a dozen people. Jones then allegedly threatened the guard's life. During this time, Mitchell and a male associate left the club with a garbage bag filled with $81,020 and two Breitling watches, which police later recovered. After club patrons left following the original confrontation, the club owner claimed a person in Jones's entourage returned with a gun and fired into a crowd, damaging equipment and hitting three people, including the security guard involved in the earlier skirmish. The guard was shot twice, and one of the people hit—former professional wrestler Tommy Urbanski—was paralyzed from the waist down. Jones maintains that he did not know the shooter, although the club's owner insists that Jones did. On March 26, 2007, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department recommended to the city's district attorney that Jones be charged with one count of felony coercion, one misdemeanor count of battery and one misdemeanor count of threat to life.

More trouble followed Jones after the altercation, when drug dealer Darryl Jerome Moore was arrested. After the arrest, Moore told the police about his phone conversations with Jones. "We gotta slow down, man. We gotta get him focused on football, man." Moore is alleged to have said. Wiretapped phone conversations between Moore and his friends revealed Moore talking about how Jones bet on college games to earn quick money. "You know, I was talkin' to him the other day about smokin', and he was like 'man, if I didn't smoke I couldn't take all the stress that I'm dealing with right now,'" Moore said. Jones has not been connected to the Moore drug arrests or convicted for the Vegas stripper incident.

On April 21, a document revealed that Jones paid $15,000 to various people involved in the Las Vegas shooting.

2007–present

On January 15, 2008, Jones was accused of hitting a woman in a strip club in Atlanta, Georgia on the morning of January 3. The woman, Wanda S. Jackson, was seeking an arrest warrant.

On January 9, 2015, Jones was forced to pay $11 million to Urbanski and $1.3 million to Aaron Cudworth who was working with Urbanski on the day of the shooting in Las Vegas and was also shot.

On May 7, 2007, Jones was stopped at 12:45 a.m. on Interstate 65 heading into downtown Nashville after an officer clocked him on radar at 79 mph (127 km/h) in a 55 mph (89 km/h) zone. Jones was driving the red 2004 Cadillac XLR Roadster which had been seized in the April 2006 cocaine bust, and which he had bought back from the police at auction.

On June 18, 2007, Jones was sought by police for questioning after a shooting at an Atlanta strip club allegedly involving members of his entourage. According to police at the scene, Jones was not present during the shooting, and was not being charged.

On June 20, 2007, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County District Attorney's office announced that Jones would face two felony charges stemming from the February strip club melee. But on November 13, 2007, Jones accepted a plea deal; on Dec 6, Jones pleaded no contest to one charge of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. He was given a suspended prison sentence of one year, probation, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

On June 25, 2007, Tommy Urbanski and his wife Kathy sued Jones in civil court, claiming that Jones had bitten his left ankle, and was responsible for the shooting. The lawsuit also named the Tennessee Titans franchise and the NFL as defendants, on the grounds that Jones' employers knew of his erratic behavior prior to the Minxx incident, but did not suspend him until afterwards. Had the Titans suspended Jones prior to the NBA All-Star game, the suit argues, he would not have been invited to the Las Vegas events, and the incident would not have taken place.

On August 13, 2007, regarding the February Las Vegas strip club incident, Jones told Bryant Gumbel of HBO Sports' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that he was innocent and had never hit the stripper or told anyone he was going to kill them. When asked about friend and convicted drug dealer Darryl Moore, Jones said that he did not know Moore was a drug dealer and felt surprised and betrayed. Jones also said he did not think he got a fair say in his April meeting with Goodell.

On June 21, 2008, the Associated Press reported Jones's $1.5 million home was in foreclosure. The home and 30 acres (120,000 m²), located in a Nashville suburb, was to be sold June 27 on the steps of the old Williamson County Courthouse.

On October 8, Jones was involved in an altercation with his bodyguard in a Dallas hotel. According to ESPN, there wasn't a police report, nor was anyone arrested and nobody was charged with anything in connection with the fight Jones was suspended for a minimum of four games by the NFL due to the altercation, for violating the league's personal conduct policy. The NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell would determine the final length of the suspension after the Cowboys' game against the Washington Redskins on November 16. On October 16, Jones entered an alcohol rehab center.

In a letter to Jones, Goodell called the latest incident the continuation of "a disturbing pattern of behavior and clearly inconsistent with the conditions I set for your continued participation in the NFL."

On January 15, 2012, a jury ordered Jones to pay $11.6 million to Urbanski and Aaron Cudworth, a bouncer who was wounded, for Jones' role in the 2007 Las Vegas shooting. Jones' attorney said he planned to appeal the verdict.

On January 3, 2017, Jones was arrested in Cincinnati's central district. According to court documents, Jones was arrested around 1 AM for obstructing official business, disorderly conduct, assault, and a felony charge of harassment with a bodily substance. On May 15, 2017 Jones accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to one count of obstructing a police officer. He received credit for time served - two days in jail. Jones received a one game suspension from the NFL on July 21, 2017, regarding the incident.

Debut and Team Pacman (2007)

On July 30, 2007, the media reported that Jones was working on a deal with the professional wrestling promotion, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and since he had a one-year suspension from the NFL, he had more time on his hands to pursue other interests. As the news circulated, Titans coach Jeff Fisher stated that his football contract could preclude him from actually wrestling with the company, but negotiations continued for a non-wrestling role. On August 6, TNA confirmed through their website that a deal had been signed, and afterwards interviews with Jones and Jeff Jarrett, one of TNA's Vice Presidents, indicated that he did intend to wrestle, primarily as part of a tag team.

After some legal wrangling, Jones agreed to appear for the company, but in a non-physical role only. During his time there, he was placed into a tag team known as Team Pacman with Ron "The Truth" Killings and held the company's World Tag Team Championship by defeating Sting and Kurt Angle after Angle attacked Sting after Sting was accused of attacking Angle's wife Karen. Since Jones was not allowed to appear in the ring, Rasheed Lucius "Consequences" Creed was added to the group to wrestle in Jones's place. Creed and Killings lost the Tag Team titles to A.J. Styles and Tomko at the Bound for Glory PPV.

Return (2013)

On the November 7 episode of Impact, Jones and Bengals practice squad member, defensive end DeQuin Evans, were sitting front row, and got into an "altercation" with Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian), who pushed both players, leading them to jump the guardrail and bodyslam both wrestlers in the ring.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

Music career

Also during his 2007 NFL exile, Jones announced that he would be collaborating on a new hip hop album with his new hip-hop group, Posterboyz. After the announcement was made an NFL spokesman let it be known that the NFL was looking into whether the name of Jones's record label, National Street League Records, infringed on the National Football League trademark. Jones' group, Posterboyz, released their first and only single so far, "Let it Shine" through a MySpace page.

Nickname

Early in Jones' career his nickname "Pacman" was used much more often than his true first name, Adam, including by broadcasters and official Web sites connected to the NFL. It was even represented by a "P" on the back of his Titans jersey. In Blitz: The League II, a player in the game named Packrat James is a direct reference to Jones's nickname.

He has had the nickname all his life; his mother gave it to him when he was a young child, saying that he would change direction as fast as the video game character Pac-Man. In June 2008, Jones decided that he only wanted to be known as "Adam Jones" or "Mr. Jones," in an attempt to separate himself from his troubled past. Following Jones's suspension in October 2008, then-ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, in the "Parting Shots" segment of The Sports Reporters, chided Jones for setting a bad example for youth, and made a point of calling him "Pacman" several times.