Goodell grants limited reinstatement to Pacman Jones

[Defensewins]

Why isn't Pacman in jail if he did all that you are saying?

[MTK]

He accepted a plea and received a suspended one year prison sentence, probation, and community service.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

What makes me crazy is that Goodell has been such a hard ass to EVERYONE and now all of a sudden he thinks Pacman gets a second chance?

[killromo]

C'mon guys we're from Washington. We should know all about politics. The cowboys are the flagship of the league, "america's team" I saw this coming the day they got pacman. You don't want to upset the cry baby jerry jones and the money he brings the league. I would be surprised if pacman gets in any trouble before sept 1st. If he stays in dallas he could probably shoot someone and not even get arrested with the weight the cowboys carry around their area. If he was anywhere else he wouldn't be close to coming back.

[mooby]

It is my opinion that Goodell needs to be more consistent with his punishment. Guys like Odell Thurman (I'm not defending him here, just saying that what he did hardly pales in comparison to Pacman) get 2 years suspension, while Pacman, who broke the law plenty of times before Goodell suspended him, and still got in trouble with the law even after Goodell told him to stay out of trouble, is only gonna get a 1 year suspension despite the fact it's proven he has no respect for authority or law. That and the way Goodell handled Spygate makes me lose a lot of respect for the commish.

Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft must be close to the commish because it's very apparant that he treats them different in my mind. If Pacman gets in trouble again and Goodell fails to punish him and the Cowboys (The reason I include the Cowboys in this is because of Goodell's new rule that teams have to be accountable for their players actions with the law) then I will have very little respect for the commish.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

To directly address your question, Pacman is reported to have ordered the shooting of the bouncer in the Vegas strip club that led to his paralysis.

On that note, I haven't heard anything of this since the story broke a few weeks back (or so). Maybe this is one of the reasons goodell didn't take the step of reinstating him fully now. He might be buying a little time to see if there's any credence to this story. If there's a chance of Pacman really being further charged, he can suspend him again. In the meantime, Goodell can show that he's willing to give players a 2nd chance w/this limited reinstatement.

Maybe there's still hope that Pacman won't play after all. Thanks for posting this, I'd forgotten about the hit ordering report.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

What makes me crazy is that Goodell has been such a hard ass to EVERYONE and now all of a sudden he thinks Pacman gets a second chance?

Actually at the time Pacman was suspended I thought it was a pretty serious punishment. He hadn't been charged w/anything at the time & he hadn't clearly violated any nfl rules. He was the first to be suspended under Goodell's conduct policy if I'm correct.

The personal conduct policy as I understand it, leaves a lot more room for judgement on the severity of each case, whereas rules such as the substance abuse policy have clear punishments per offense.

[Monkeydad]

Don't worry guys, Pacman can't help himself (look how he went to strip clubs before a meeting with Goodell).

He'll do something and force another suspension, probably before the season even starts. I doubt he'll ever see the field and if he does, it won't be for long enough to have a positive impact.

[MonkFan4Life]

He will play again. He will play again this season. He's a baller, the Cowboys have him and it freaking blows. I know that the Cowboys always pick up the "knuckleheads" but they are players adn they have a very good team. I remember when the Tank Johnson question came up and he had his issues but I wish he was here. Pac-Man, yeah I would've taken him if it were as cheap as the Cowboys got him for. Alas, he's not here, he's there. Hopefully our offense can handle Dallas' secondary when we play them. It will be a test for the Skins, let's just hope we're talking about how Jones got torched and not the other way around. That's my feeling on the situation.

[Sheppdog]

I heard his house was being foreclosed on this may be little reason why the comish is moving right away.

[GridIron26]

Originally Posted by firstdown

First off your sticking up for a guy which you admitt that you do not even know one of the things that he was involved with. He was at a strip joint and made it rain (throwing money in th air) and a fight broke out (something like that). One of the guys with or around him fired at people out side of the bar and hit the bouncer who is now in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. The unknown part is weather Mr Pac had any thing to do with the shooting. The person arrested said that Pacman put a hit out on the guy and we also know that Pacman paid him money. Pacman said he was blackmailed into paying the guy money and the guy arrested said it was for shooting up the place.

Don't get me wrong - I am NOT defending Pacman NOR blaming him for whatever actions that he is being accused of.. My point of recent post was I believe (as in IMO) that nobody has the right to bash other people when they do not know them personally.. We, of all people, should know this that the media always deliver combination of truth and lies in the news.. We do not know for sure that Pacman is responsible for this and other thing since there are more than one story, yes of course I know it's likely that Pacman lied about it and blah and blah.. But I don't think it give us rights to bash him - we should leave it be and let NFL and police departments take care of it.. Pacman's actions does not stop me from believing what I believe.. I always believe that only people who have right to bash "bad" people are the people who personally know them.. I learned this based on my personal experiences as I went through lot as my first and second year in college (I'm 3rd year student now).. Not only I learned lot of stuff when I was in college but also I learned lot in my high school.. I guess you guys might say that I have bad luck in life or whatever you guys want to call it.. But I have learned lot from it and one of big things I learned - not to judge people especially when you don't personally know them..

Here is the part where I don't get - why would Pacman send a hitman for a bouncer where he just simply works for the strip club and he lets Pacman in the club? However IF the bouncer refused to let Pacman then yes I can understand the point because I know there are guys out there who are stupid enough to get enraged by this..

There is one thing I'm wondering - did you guys know that before Pacman got into all legal troubles and everything; Pacman donated money and new uniforms to one of the police departments in Tenn? Now, tell me this why would he do that when he is so called bad person who is against the laws? (If you guys wanted to know where I got this info. I watched a short story about Pacman on ESPN.. And this is basically the reason why I decide not to bash against Pacman since there are mixed stories)

[mooby]

NFL commish pays tribute to Jerry
June 2, 2008 7:04 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

It's finally official. Pacman Jones will be allowed to play for the Dallas Cowboys in 2008. Yes, I know it's a "limited reinstatement," but you don't allow a player to participate in minicamps and preseason games if you're not going to lift his suspension. Oh, and that huge cheer you heard this afternoon was coming from the HBO offices in New York.

As I've stated several times on Hashmarks, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would've never traded for Pacman if he wasn't convinced he would be reinstated. Even tricky subplots like money paid to an alleged killer and a $20,000 gambling debt couldn't derail this comeback.

In Dallas, the spin will be that the club's vaunted player development program led by Calvin Hill is what tipped the scales. At least that's what Jerry would have you believe.

The truth is that the Cowboys owner exerts a tremendous amount of influence in the league office, and Goodell wasn't about to deny him the chance to "rehabilitate" another player. In fact, there are only a handful of teams that could've secured the reinstatement of such a notorious player.

I'm thinking Dan Rooney has enough clout in Pittsburgh and Bob Kraft certainly did before Spygate came along. Commissioner Goodell says that a final determination on Pacman's status will be made Sept 1, but in reality, it's been decided.

If Pacman keeps his nose clean -- and that's one of the largest "ifs" in sports -- he will eventually start for the Cowboys in 2008. He'll join his new pal Tank Johnson in the Cowboys' facility for wayward players. If the club is smart, they will have a John Lucas-type around Pacman at all times. If they think a change-of-scenery will help this kid make wise decisions, they're kidding themselves. A club employee needs to become his constant companion -- and I wouldn't nominate Tank for the job.

Dallas makes the Nashville topless scene look like a Baptist social, according to sources close to Hashmarks. Pacman will have nightly opportunities to have "adverse involvement with law enforcement," a hilarious phrase issued by the league office earlier this afternoon.

Jerry (I'm calling him this to avoid the "Jones" confusion) issued a two-sentence statement, which is believed to be the shortest press release of his NFL career.
"This limited reinstatement is a step in the process," he said. "Adam is aware of the things that need to be done in order to take the next step."

And there you have it. The man we know as Pacman no longer exists. It's time to see what Adam has to offer.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

Hate to say it and it will piss people off, but if Pacman stays out of trouble and regains his form, this will have been a very shrewd move. They got a shut down corner for next to nothing. Plus throw in Tank Johnson another young, talented but troubled player and MLB Zack Thomas, their defense suddenly has the potential to be one of the top in the NFC.
The Cowboys are young and talented. A good combination. Questions is can they keep these guys out of jail?

I think both guys will be fine. Pacman is a total 100% fool. But I think he knows he's hanging by a thread and knows he can't screw up again or he's done. Since coming to Dallas Tank J. has kept his nose clean. Dallas very quietly has gotten two quality young players. Think about it. It's pretty hard to get arrested.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by GridIron26

Don't get me wrong - I am NOT defending Pacman NOR blaming him for whatever actions that he is being accused of.. My point of recent post was I believe (as in IMO) that nobody has the right to bash other people when they do not know them personally.. We, of all people, should know this that the media always deliver combination of truth and lies in the news.. We do not know for sure that Pacman is responsible for this and other thing since there are more than one story, yes of course I know it's likely that Pacman lied about it and blah and blah.. But I don't think it give us rights to bash him - we should leave it be and let NFL and police departments take care of it.. Pacman's actions does not stop me from believing what I believe.. I always believe that only people who have right to bash "bad" people are the people who personally know them.. I learned this based on my personal experiences as I went through lot as my first and second year in college (I'm 3rd year student now).. Not only I learned lot of stuff when I was in college but also I learned lot in my high school.. I guess you guys might say that I have bad luck in life or whatever you guys want to call it.. But I have learned lot from it and one of big things I learned - not to judge people especially when you don't personally know them..

Here is the part where I don't get - why would Pacman send a hitman for a bouncer where he just simply works for the strip club and he lets Pacman in the club? However IF the bouncer refused to let Pacman then yes I can understand the point because I know there are guys out there who are stupid enough to get enraged by this..

There is one thing I'm wondering - did you guys know that before Pacman got into all legal troubles and everything; Pacman donated money and new uniforms to one of the police departments in Tenn? Now, tell me this why would he do that when he is so called bad person who is against the laws? (If you guys wanted to know where I got this info. I watched a short story about Pacman on ESPN.. And this is basically the reason why I decide not to bash against Pacman since there are mixed stories)

admirable standards you have, but you can't take everything so literally here. When people are criticizing him, it ultimately amounts to criticism of his public, professional (or lack thereof) behavior. Of course some here are judging his character based on that, but he's a public figure and a lot of what we do on this site is simply debate player's merits, both on field and off.

I'm sure Pacman has his good qualities. I don't remember anything but positives from him when he was at WVU & I actually hoped he would fall to us in the draft (glad he went earlier), but it's hard to argue that he didn't at least bring most of this on himself.

That story about donating to the police dept., given his behavior it sounds almost like he was trying to buy some favors.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

Hate to say it and it will piss people off, but if Pacman stays out of trouble and regains his form, this will have been a very shrewd move. They got a shut down corner for next to nothing. Plus throw in Tank Johnson another young, talented but troubled player and MLB Zack Thomas, their defense suddenly has the potential to be one of the top in the NFC.
The Cowboys are young and talented. A good combination. Questions is can they keep these guys out of jail?

Why is anyone going to get pissed off??

If it works out for them great. They are rolling the dice and there's little downside for them. Good for them. Frankly I don't care either way. To say he's a shutdown corner is overstating things a bit. He's a good return man and a good #2 corner. He's not an elite #1 type of corner though.