I would like to take the opportunity to thank PacMan Jones for giving me something truly important to write about this week. It’s a slow week in the NFL. After doing my weekly NFL Report I didn’t know what to write about. The Patriots attempting to become the first 18-0 team and the third team to win 18 games in a season which would tie the 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears didn’t seem to be a big enough story. Brett Favre trying to lead the Packers to their 3rd Super Bowl appearance in his legendary career wasn’t a compelling topic. A possible matchup between the two teams that traded for Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers if the two can do the unthinkable and upset the Pats and Pack. No good. Wait, I got it. Pacman under su####ion for allegedly hitting someone in a strip club? Strike those above stories. This is news.
I could hardly believe what I was reading. PacMan hitting someone I could believe, but only with one of those legendary vicious hits that he is known for on the field. At a strip club? I got to be honest with you; I didn’t see that one coming. This isn’t the same PacMan I’m used to hearing about.
I think there are a lot of people to blame for this. I blame society for starters. Why do we have to have rules against hitting women at strip clubs? Why are they allowed to take our money? Our bracelets? Especially without repercussions. Next thing you know they will take away our pride. We should be able to go to a strip club where we do not have to give up money against our free will. PacMan is fighting for our rights to make the strip club an even more enjoyable place than it already is, lol. This is how we repay him? A potential warrant? More Jail Time in his Las Vegas case? Talk of a longer suspension? Come on, get real.
Speaking of suspensions, I also blame Roger Goodell for this problem. Prior to suspending PacMan Jones if we didn’t want to join Jones in his crusade to make the strip club a better place we could at least plan our trips around him. I could go to an Atlanta or Vegas strip club during Tennessee Titan games and know that Adam Jones would have prior commitments. I could plan my strip club excursions without fear of the strippers being hit or security being shot. But Roger Goodell took that away from me last year. Now PacMan can show up to the Body Tap Strip Club on a Thursday and all hell breaks lose. What’s next? At this rate I’m going to be scared to enjoy the Monday afternoon buffet.
The fact is that we all make jokes about PacMan Jones. He has become the laughing stock of the league and the Poster Boy for the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. He isn’t the first Poster Boy and he certainly won’t be the last. Everyone has a legacy. PacMan’s is the pole and the fight for a better and cheaper / free lap dance.
Everyone knows the deal at a strip club. You mix 1) Alcohol, 2) Money, 3) Fame, and 4) Naked People and you have a recipe for these sorts of problems. Sadly professional athletes have become the target for these types of incidents. Many rookies and younger players have to learn how to deal with their fame and the scrutiny that comes with it. There are people that create incidents like this for their own financial gain. It sounds like Randy Moss may be a victim of that type of jealousy.
Maturity can come in different forms and different levels. It can be learning a valuable lesson that you can’t take your famous actress girlfriend to Mexico the week before a NFL Playoff Game and not expect a major distraction. That’s a small lesson. It can be learning that you can’t stay in the league as a drunk or addict. You can’t take performance enhancing drugs. Or most recently that you can’t operate your own dog fighting ring and lie to federal authorities about said involvement.
Every player goes through a learning curve in their career. For some it is a small revelation, a valuable lesson learned, or a small fine or suspension. For some it’s a life changing experience. For others it is 18 months in jail.
We can’t expect athletes to not make mistakes. Money, talent, and fame do not make people immune from making poor decisions. Everyone has made mistakes or had lapses in judgment that we regret. Most times we didn’t lose our lively hood over it and neither should they. This is not the All Saints League. What we can expect is that they learn from their mistakes. This brings us back to PacMan.
The problem with PacMan is not that he will potentially be arrested for his conduct on January 3rd, 2008. That could happen to anyone. The problem is that he put himself in that position after the Las Vegas incident. He just pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge related to a strip club shooting in Las Vegas that left one man paralyzed. That case has brought problems for the NFL as they and the Tennessee Titans have been named in that suit. Yet less than a month later he is back in the news for the exact same incident.
Jones has been arrested six times since being drafted sixth overall in 2005. He’s been questioned about incidents countless other times. I’m not certain that he did anything wrong on January 3rd, 2008. People have been known to make things up. That could be the case here. However, I do see the problem as two fold, 1) When this many people that are unrelated to one another accuse someone of the same stupid behavior it would seem highly unlikely that there is a world wide conspiracy to ruin PacMan, and 2) He has to know that that he can put a pole in basement and pay the strippers to come to him. You can’t keep going into public and putting yourself in this position for stuff like this to happen on a reoccurring basis, especially when you are serving a year long suspension by your employer. It shows a complete disregard for authority or common sense.
PacMan is guilty of at least one thing. Poor Judgment. Given the circumstances and nature of his situation the last place he needed to be on a Thursday Night was the Body Tap Strip Club. Instead he has found potential legal problems and additional embarrassment. Commissioner Goodell should come down hard on him and suspend him for another season. Tell him the next time there is a negative story about him at a strip club he is banned for life. Commissioner Goodell has no business telling his players to not get a lap dance from a lady in a police uniform so long as his players aren’t talking to the real police afterwards. There is no place in the NFL for this repetitive mindlessness and thankfully the Commissioner feels strongly about resolving this issue.
What Pac-Man really needs is guidance from a mentor, say Michael Irvin. Who could tell him to get teammates invested in a "White House", where they could create their own little house of fun. Then, after being discovered by the media, claim complete contrition as to his past deeds, claiming that he is an addict, sexual or otherwise. Or he could say he was holding for an uncle or cousin. Adam, it is time for you to exit...stage right.
I would have prefered a gushing story about #4 instead of this. as far as pacman...do what cred says turn your basement into a strip club. ####. can't wait until sunday. going to be in the seats in which my grandfather watched the Ice Bowl from. I love the tradition and the memories. go pack go.
Yeemum - You would think he could figure that out.
Moseby - I like that. Michael Irvin could be a mentor for these guys. Only reason that stuff slid of Michael is he won 3 rings. When you win you can keep the White House open 24 / 7. Look at what happened when the Vikings tried to have a love boat cruise in Tice's last season. Bad move. Maybe we can do that for PacMan. Raise money for him to buy a love boat so he can leave his land challenged strip club days behind him.
Crijulka - I'm hoping I can write about Favre and Brady for the next two weeks. Congrats on the tickets to the game. I should be a lot warmer than you on Sunday, but extremely jealous. Go Pack!!!
Last edited by StreetCred on January 16th at 3:27 PM.
Now that it has surfaced that this story was a load of garbage, do you want to take any of it back??? NO..... because he's guilty in the court of public opinion. That's why people don't wait for FACTS to surface before dumping on him.
Well meathead as you know by now the charges have been dropped. Pac wasn't even at the club. Peckerwood get on your soapbox and write about something else.
I'm glad that Commissioner Goodell didn't drop the hatchet and pre-judge this. The "victim" has drop everything. Maybe this time PacMan was the victim. He falsely cried wolf so many times that people didn't believe him when there actually was a wolf.
The dropping of the suit does not mean that PacMan was not present in the strip club, or that he didn't hit the woman.
And please, PacMan is not a victim. He's got whatever is coming too him, and because of his REPEATED poor decisions, public opinion is largely sour about him.
I am willing to be that PacMan was in fact in the strip club. I'm willing to bet that it is likely that something happened to convince the lady to drop the charges.
Either way...PacMan is still disrespectful and a ####. He obviously thinks that society as a whole owes him something.
There's a difference between talking about an individual as a whole than about a particular situation. No one said that he is always a victim. No one said that he didn't put himself in that situation. However, for this incident, your assumptions are circumstancial at best and based on facts (case dropped, they said he wasn't there, etc...) he was the victim. Stick to this case, not previous ones.
Poolboy
One of Pac's so called incidents happened at a local bowling alley. This time some meathead pulled a knife on Pac while he's bowling."ESPN Headline" Pac questioned by police. Dude can't even go bowling with out someone looking for a payday.
RevJB - If he was really not at the club, than all of this banter is frivilous. But whether or not he is guilty of an act against a women is really irrelevant. This is a YOUNG man who has been involved in (not necessarily convicted of) MANY incidents. He continues to put himself in bad situations. Many could argue that he is loyal to his friends or family in their social pursuits. But he has been warned by his employer of the consequences of these actions. To continue to put himself in this type of social arena is quite foolish. Regardless of his reasons, intent or maturity level, PacMan is ruining his own career, not the media, fans nor the police.
fattboyxl - I thought it was funny that a couple hours after I posted the article that the request for a warrent got dropped. Typical. I still don't take any of it back.
I believe I said, "I’m not certain that he did anything wrong on January 3rd, 2008. People have been known to make things up. That could be the case here."
Therefore you can't lump me in with the people that want to lock him up and throw away the key because his name surfaced in a news story.
What I am saying is that nothing good for his career is going to happen by him going to the strip club, becuase these are the things that happen to him when he goes there.
PacMan needs to put a pole up in his basement and have private parties. Otherwise this same story will materialize in a few months with just a different club and different names.
It amazes me that people are that eager to champion a guy like this. He is always the victim and it is always someones fault.
I didn't say he was guilty of anything other than poor judgment. If he or anyone else thinks he is using good judgment, fine. It doesn't matter what we think. It matters what Mr. Goodell thinks, and I can't imagine that he is pleased with this even if the warrent was dropped. Goodell would love this guy to stop going to strip clubs so he doesn't have to deal with this on a month to month basis.
It doesn't matter to me either way. I'll have another article to write next week and my life will go on just fine. If he wants to continue his NFL career he is going to have to stop having incidents like this, whether or not he is eventually charged, pleads no contest, or whatever. It isn't too much to ask that he behave like a normal citizen.
twincity1 - I think most people can understand these things happen to all celebrities, not just sports figures. The incident in question involves his appearance at a strip club. It may seem to be a very simple, innocent, fun location for you or me. But to a man who has been scrutinized like Jones for the last three years, if he was at the club, was quite a unwise decision.
By all means, I agree with you concerning how he handles himself while being a public figure. However, I stand firm that just because someone is the "bad boy/girl" does not mean that he/she has done the issue that they're being accused of.
It's really not ok to say that someone deserves to be dealt falsely by someone else because they have done some questionable things themselves. That creates a conflict of morals. On one hand people want him to pay for some things he has done in his recent or distant past. Then on the other hand the same people disregard how they receive such "justice". It doesn't matter if the claim was legit or false, as long as he get what he deserves. That's disapproving of his wrongful behavior and condoning someone elses.
My comments were to the media. You post a blog off of what you got from somewhere else. As you said, it was strictly an opinion on what was brought before you by the media.
My thoughts are that the media are looking for stories and not facts.
I'm not a professional athlete that has a limited time to establish a full career. So it may be easy for me to say this because I've been to my fair share of pubs, night clubs, beach parties and yes - strip joints. If I were in the situation, and my employment depended on it, I'd just avoid them for 3-5 years or after my career ended.
Pacman is an ####, some of these guys think they will always have the ability they have and dont realize how quickly the window closes, even faster if you get injured. He needs to stay out of trouble and just take advantage of the opportunity he has to play NFL football and make enough money to secure his future and his families.
Pac has to be the biggest #### in the NFL. Not to mention he keep making the brothers look bad. Have the girls come to your house and that will solve the problem. Put a bowling alley in the house and that will solve the problem. Get rid of your crue because no one in it has the brains to tell you, YOU SHOULDN'T DO THAT. Last but not least, maybe you should get married and have kids to help you become mature. Commish, ban him from the league because he can't smell the coffee.
StreetCred,
I respect a man who sticks to his opinion. And I agree, that bad things happen to him at these clubs, and I am also waiting to see IF in fact he was there in the first place.... I do feel like a lot of people took the opprotunity to jump on him just because his name came up. Even though he hasn't been convicted of one third of what he's been accused of, he will always carry that scarlet letter......Just like OJ....By the way he is in NO way a champion or role model. I just rather save the harshest scrutiny for the guilty not just the dumb.
Last edited by fattboyxl on January 17th at 10:45 AM.
Jail time won't cure the PACMAN, here's the solution:
Instead of Pacman going to a strip club, he should just buy one. Then, he should lock the doors, not let anyone in, and enjoy all of the show/s all by himself. Let him stay there 4, 6, or 8 weeks solid- even 6 or 12 months 24/7 if he needs to, (just live there) until he sees enough of it to get it out of his system. Then once he figures out it's only skin, and half the population has the exact same bits, he might calm down and switch to gardening/chess/twidlywinks etc...
PS - He also needs a new 'game' name. "Pacman" is cute and retro for little kids. He's more like "Stripman" or "Horn-dog"... Suggestions anyone...??
Sreet Cred
There's no end to the stupidity of this guy. And yet he still wants back in the league ?
After this incident Goodell will have to revisit the issue once again. And less we forget it was a member of his entourage that allegedly shot a bouncer at another venue. That bouncer is now paralyzed and suing Jones for the injuries suffered.
Why the hell would any team still want to take a chance on him ?
I've a new post up title MMA Or Boxing Which Poses The Greatest Threat ? I'd like for you to offer up any comments you'd deem necessary.
I'll look forward to reading them.
Pacman is just an "####" who doesn't realize, it is a privledge to play in the NFL. If he is just too stupid to understand all of his mistakes he has no business being in the league anyway...since most sporting fans are probably tired of hearing this never-ending story Roger Goodell should make an example out of him and ban him for life under the "#### Act"...Get rid of this loser. Here's a suggestion put a pole in your basement and make it rain there, you big DUMMY...
Last edited by tufftony on January 17th at 12:29 PM.
Even with dropped charges, if he was even at a strip club, I hope the Titans cut him. If he wants to prove that he's a changed man he should be given that opoortunity, but he should have to show that he has learned to keep himself away from potentially hazardous situations. Defensively the Titans showed that they can play just fine without him. And, although as a return man he could be a tremendous boost to a shaky offense, and as a super-athlete corner behind a strong pass rush he could be a pick-six waiting to happen, none of his physical skills are worth negative locker room effect he could have on a team by being in constant scandal.
Personally, I hope to see a young man learn from his mistakes and make the best of his remarkable talent. His game-changing ability could be excactly what bumps the Titans to SB contender status in the next few years, or he could be the cause of the team's implosion. I cetainly hope for the former, both for him as a person, and for the fortunes of team of my home state.
Hey idiots...Charges withdrawn, false accusation. Way to stereotype without waiting for facts. The lady who filed the charges is having charges filed on her. Good call on the facts though. These lawyers (and obviously blog writers) smell blood in the water....ruthless.
Last edited by jasongarner on January 17th at 2:06 PM.
Really funny, sarcastic, full of football knowledge. Please tell me they don't pay you for this Streetcred.....Slow news week????? Its championship week and the frontrunning team's record setting wide receiver is accused of the same thing as Pacman!!! You have to be kidding me! Are you filling quotas with this garbage?
jasongamer, please go back an re-read the entire blog. The author's viewpoint is guilt/innocence is irrelevant. The point is PacMan continues to put himself in this position by going to stripclubs/nightclubs, etc. Do you read any other blogs by StreetCred? I've never seen you post comments before, so please, in the future feel free to join in the discussions we have about the NFL.
This PUNK should never be allowed to play in the NFL again. To play in the NFL is a privlage not a right. He should go play in the prison league, along with all the other PUNKS in the NFL. Get rid of these PUNKS who break the law and disgrace the NFL. Our society is a joke, when we put up with these PUNKS attitudes, that they think they can do whatever they want ot do. Its time to rid ourselves of these PUNK-#### criminals.
His viewpoint maybe be exactly that, but his overtone is obvious...quick to attack an easy story to grab attention to his blog. There is currently no proof that Pacman was in attendance, and it is more than likely that he did not. I do not support the guy at all, but I get sick of the new internet media allowing people like this to post rushed opinions as fact, in sports as well as in politics. Everyone has an opinion, but the sponsored bloggers get to spin theirs as fact. Garbage.
And BTW...I am an experienced poster on other sites who usually reads this site and doesn't find anything really entertaining, informative, or ridiculous enough to post on. Until now...ridiculous. FOX's modus operandi. Sportswise...and overall.
Last edited by jasongarner on January 17th at 3:26 PM.
I will agree with kraven though. PUNKS have no place...its just that this guy hasn't been in the news and it looks like he's doing better...which all humans should wish for other humans. Now a golddigger who smells blood accuses him of something and now she will be the one with charges filed, but not have her on-the-way-to-repair reputation dented again. Before you comment on the reputation matter...remember the head stomper from last year. He was a model citizen and is starting on the AFC's defensive line in the Pro Bowl. If he stays healthy, Bob Sanders has a run for his money for Defensive MVP, and all is forgotten.
Last edited by jasongarner on January 17th at 3:36 PM.
If you actually beleive Pacman was not at the club you need to have your head checked. Now what we need to find out is how much he paid the woman to have the charges dropped.
I'm a Titan's fan and I hope they don't bring him back. They have a good core of young players and if he returns he will be the bad apple in the basket causing the others to rot.
You are absolutely correct. For the money he apparantly spends in strip clubs he could easily have his own private club in his home and with less scandal and probably less money.
You hit the nail on the head on this one although like you I have no idea if he's guilty or not and don't really care to opin without a court's decision but as far as common sense goes he's an ####.
As a former law enforcement detective I have worked cases such as this one except the suspect was not Pacman. If the officers had enough probable cause to get a warrant then something took place. If they are now going to charge the female its because they are upset that she dropped the charges because of the money spent to investigate the case.
Usually when a victim changes their story they were threatened or were paid to drop the charges. In this case I would say she was paid. If this is not the case, why didn't Pacman's lawyers go public to make their own announcement and to publicly humiliate the woman? If he was so innocent they would have said something.
You'd think Pacman would learn SOMETHING, at the very least. Like how not to get caught.
I like the Michael Irvin idea, but at the same time, I have to say that it's not really the championships that sweep bad behavior under the rug. I mean, nobody ever lost their ability to walk just because Irvin wanted to see some honeys shake their money-makers.
Oh right. Maybe someone should tell Pacman that is why they are called 'moneymakers.'
Street- Darn it. Reading "Livin the Dream" an "Strip Club" in the title, i thought this was a Tophat post an would include some pics. i'll have to check back later to read what the words said.
How many times can you be a DUMB ####....he has got to have seen more mammaries than any doctor to date...is he on an everlasting hunt for the perfect pair??? Out of the NFL...open your own strip joint....LOSER !!!!
Last edited by Swami4225 on January 17th at 7:46 PM.
So Jasongamer, is it your contention that it must be PROVEN that PacMan was at the club for an opinion piece on a REPORTED story? I'm sorry, we are all entitled to due process under the law, but every incident, EVERY incident that is rumored, spoken, written or published in any manner about any person in our lives, influences opinion and commentary about a subject. Whether it is your family, friends, peers, mentors, doctor, lawyer, priest, sports or celebrity figure, it creates a reaction. If you portend to make a career in the public view, then all of your actions will be analyzed in public. Maybe that is not right nor wrong, but it is a fact of life. It is your right to voice your displeasure, but tell me this, do you practice what you preach?
Very good dissucsion. I don't have time to address everyone's answers, but here are a few observations.
jasongarner - I just wanted you to be aware that if you read my other football articles that I did this season you would realize that I have been the blog of the day on more than one occasion and had as many as 3 pages of comments on some articles. I already have a great following with some very knowlegeable football fans. I don't need PacMan to generate publicity for my blog.
NFL Buddah - I like your idea better than mine. I thought the basement would be a good idea, but buying his own strip club is even better. PacMan the businessman.
To those of you that say I am convicting the guy and that the charges were dropped and I am being unfair. The point of the article was not that PacMan should be locked up and the key thrown away for this. I don't make judgments like that until someone has had a trial in a court of law.
This is very similar to the Tank Johnson situation. Even though he was found to be under the legal limit, what is he doing out at 3:00 am driving in a car with any booze in the system? Poor decision making skills.
Life is about choices. PacMan is at a crossroads in his career and must stay out of strip clubs if he wants to play in the NFL again. People will argue that it is legal to go to strip clubs and that he should be allowed to excercise his rights and not be stereotyped.
(cont)- Sometimes you have to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. While he has a right to go to a strip club, 1) He hangs around with a group of individuals that put him in bad positions, 2) He is a target by people because if something goes bad he no longer gets the benefit of the doubt. If this story were about LT or Tom Brady no one would believe it. That's fair given their past behavior. It is fair the other way given PacMan's past behavior.
The reason I didn't write about Moss is that while he has had some off field issues most of his character questions stem from the field and the locker room. It sounds like he could be the victim of blackmail. I am therefore reserving judgment until more facts are in.
With PacMan I wasn't making a judgment that he broke the law on Jan 3rd. What I was making a judgment on is that he used poor judgment by even being there in the first place.
If it comes to fruition that he was never at the club, then I appologize for rushing to judment on that point. Given his history at strip clubs I think it was reasonable to assume that he was at least at a strip club and that it is also fair to be critical of him for that.
Last edited by StreetCred on January 18th at 8:54 AM.
I live in Chicago, but am originally from Wisconsin. I am disgruntled Green Bay Packer fan that now loves the Jets. My favorite sports are Football, Basketball, and Baseball. Hockey and soccer are at the bottom of my list. I would rather watch the Spelling Bee than either of those sports. My favorite athletes of all time are Brett Favre and Michael Jordan. While I like debating many sports, NFL Football is by far my favorite topic to discuss.
In addition to this blog I am also a writer for the Fantasy Football Maniaxs. It is quite an honor to be writing with a group of knowledgeable football fanatics. The address is http://www.fa ntasyfootball maniaxs.com. I hope you enjoy the blog.
