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 Adam "Pacman" Jones' off-the-field behavior may have ended his pro football prematurely, after both the NFL and CFL turn their backs on him.
Back in January, the Dallas Cowboys cut Jones from their roster, due to his off-the-field conduct. He was limited to just six games last season after an off-field scuffle with a member of the security detail provided by the team.
In 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended the former first-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans for his part in a 2007 shooting outside a Las Vegas strip club.
Following the loss of interest from the NFL, Jones has reportedly begun to talk to CFL teams.
Just this week, it was announced that he would play for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. However, the team said Wednesday (September 2) that they had ended their pursuit of the controversial ex-NFL cornerback.
"It is unfortunate that this situation became public; however, our position has remained consistent," Blue Bombers coach Mike Kelly said in a statement. "We will pursue athletes that we believe will contribute to our organization on and off the field.
Jones' personal antics has cost him a lot of money. While he lost close to $1.6 million during his 2007 suspension, he ended up with a cool six-figure salary as a Dallas Cowboy. That ended though.
If he would've landed in Canada, his salary would've been around $60,000.
Pacman Jones was the sixth-overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. While his career started off slowly, he showed signs of greatness when he broke out in his sophomore season, leading the league in punt return average with 12.9 yards, and ranked seventh in the league in kick return average.
However, it's always been his behavior off-the-field that had teams worried, even from the beginning of his career.
Here's a quote from Wikipedia about the troubles he gave he Titan immediately after being drafted:
After his junior year, Jones opted to forgo his senior year and declare 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 then-Titans general manager Floyd Reese, the Titans were concerned over several off-the-field incidents that happened immediately after the draft, as well as a fight that landed him on probation while he was at West Virginia. Reese said that contract talks broke down when Jones initially balked at the Titans' proposed safeguards, but agreed that he wouldn't be paid any guaranteed or bonus money if he were ever convicted of a crime.
Despite the loss of interest from the NFL and CFL, the United Football League has shown interest, according to a report from AOL's BlackVoices. Their season starts in October.
Other troubled NFL stars who played in the CFL while trying to jump-start their careers include Ricky Williams, Andre Rison and Lawrence Phillips.
Will Pacman ever get another chance in the NFL? Michael Vick did right? What do you think?
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