Titans' Jones Accepts NFL Suspension
By DAVE GOLDBERG
AP Football Writer
NEW YORK -- Adam "Pacman" Jones dropped his appeal of a yearlong suspension Tuesday, pledging to repair an image that made the Tennessee Titans cornerback the poster child for NFL misconduct.
His decision came after a third meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell.
"I understand my responsibilities to my teammates, the Titans and my fans and I am committed to turning my life around and being a positive member of the NFL," Jones said in a statement issued by newly hired agent Michael Huyghue.
Jones was suspended after 10 encounters with police and five arrests since he was drafted in 2005.
"Last week, I asked for an opportunity to meet privately with commissioner Goodell," Jones said. "I met with him earlier today to tell him about the steps I have taken to change my life since being suspended by the NFL. I accept the discipline that's been imposed on me and I am withdrawing my appeal."
Neither the NFL nor the Titans commented.
Still pending is a case in Las Vegas involving a fight and shooting at a strip club during the NBA All-Star weekend that left one person paralyzed.
The outcome of that case could determine whether the suspension is reduced from 16 games to 10 games. That could happen if Jones adheres to the conditions set by Goodell and is not arrested again. If he misses the entire season, the suspension will cost him his salary of nearly $1.3 million.
Lt. George Castro in Las Vegas said police still have not connected what happened inside the strip club and the shooting that took place outside. No new suspects have been identified and police are not seeking new charges based on new information developed during the three months since District Attorney David Roger first declined to prosecute, Castro said.
Until now, Jones had been represented primarily in his dealings with the league by his lawyer, Manny Arora. After he was suspended by Goodell on April 10, Arora filed an appeal on Jones' behalf.
But this time, Jones was accompanied by Huyghue, who was his agent when he was drafted sixth overall in 2005 and is a former league office employee and former senior vice president of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Earlier this year, the players' union listed Jones as being without an agent, although Arora said Huyghue had been involved in case from the start.
Arora said he would have been at Tuesday's meeting, but was tied up with criminal cases. He emphasized that he remains Jones' lawyer, but that Huyghue's knowledge of the NFL was important in dealing with Goodell and other league officials.
Huyghue said Jones intended to keep working out and would go back to school, taking courses online from West Virginia University, where he played.
Jones' suspension was the most severe of three handed down this spring by Goodell as part of the commissioner's crackdown on player misbehavior during a year featuring the arrest of nine Cincinnati Bengals.
Tank Johnson of Chicago and Chris Henry of Cincinnati each got eight games. Johnson served two months in jail for violating probation on a gun charge. Henry, Jones' teammate at West Virginia, was arrested four times in 14 months. Henry served a two-game suspension last season.
Last week, the Titans took steps to fill Jones' vacancy by signing Kelly Herndon, a former starter at cornerback for Denver and Seattle.
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So Adam must think that if he "cleans up his act" he'll get back after game 10, and if the titans are in the Playoff race he'll get a shot to contribute. Ofcourse all that goes doen the drain if he gets convicted in the "Vegas incident."
Meanwhile they are still trying to figure out weather they will file charges in that case. stay tuned for the saga of Adam Jones in a new movie entitled " the whole world doesn't like me and they just wanna keep a man down."
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