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Posted on Thu, Mar. 27, 2008

NFL willing, Pacman gamble might pay off

By GIL LeBRETON

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Pacman Fever? Fortunately, I've had my flu shots.

But if the Dallas Cowboys really, truly, all-due-diligently believe that Adam "Pacman" Jones is worth the gamble, they shouldn't let local public opinion sway them.

My informed public opinion included.

By all accounts -- and there are a lot of accounts to read, if you've got the time and the Web site addresses -- Pacman Jones is a 24-year-old cornerback/punk who won't, or can't, stay out of trouble. His brushes with the law have earned him a one-year suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Tennessee Titans reportedly don't want Jones back. But owner Jerry Jones, self-styled savior of wayward NFL souls, is said to have said that the Cowboys would be interested.

Surprised? I didn't think so. Let's move on.

Maybe Jerry is still suffering from Post-Moss Syndrome, remorseful that in 1998 he passed on drafting Randy Moss and the Cowboys have been paying for it ever since.

Or maybe, having somehow muzzled Terrell Owens for two years, Owner Jones is channeling Elmer Gantry again and feels Pacman would behave himself in one of the Cowboys' front pews.

Amen. Owner Jones may be right.

But it's not his call. It's the NFL's.

If commissioner Goodell decides to reinstate Jones before next month's draft, the Cowboys are committing no sin to have a limo waiting for Pacman at the airport.

The kid -- and he still acts like one, so let's call him for what he is -- was suspended from the league for the entire 2007 season. It seems safe to assume that he's been under the NFL's watchful eye.

Just a hunch, but there may not be another NFL player whose actions have been scrutinized more than Pacman Jones' in the past 12-to-15 months.

If Goodell reinstates him, therefore, the league obviously considers it a precursor to some team signing Pacman. Otherwise, Goodell would have/should have banned him for life.

The Cowboys appear to have a credible and viable support system in place, headed by Yale and Cowboys alum Calvin Hill.

Jerry doesn't need to hire a platoon of private investigators to dig up Pacman dirt. Shouldn't the NFL be doing that?

The lingering questions for Jerry Jones are not really questions at all.

Can Pacman Jones help the Cowboys? He was certainly helping the Titans until arrest No. 6.

How much will he cost the Cowboys? The Titans are in no position to drive a hard bargain.

How will he fit into the Cowboys' locker room? Owens will make him feel right at home.

And, lastly, what will the always-forgiving Cowboys worldwide cult of fans think?

History tells us -- and Owner Jones -- that you probably won't care.

After all, what's fair is fair. Few fans seem to begrudge now the signing of Owens. No Cowboys fans lie awake at night, I'm guessing, wondering if Tank Johnson has locked up his guns.

And local fans appear to be ready to welcome another athlete with a troubled past, Josh Hamilton, to the Rangers.

Can Barry Bonds be far behind? His record is spotless compared to Pacman Jones'.

Pacman's attempt at spin-doctoring on a local radio show Tuesday was clumsy, at best, but he tried the same thing back in Tennessee.

The cornerback seems to have stiff-armed and plea-bargained his way out of his most serious brushes with the law.

But if you tuned in Tuesday, expecting to hear the public confession of a reformed NFL sinner, you likely were disappointed. Pacman picked his interviewer purposefully. Thus, you had Michael Irvin, whose local credibility is minimal and self-serving, "grilling" Pacman Jones, who has none.

It shouldn't matter. It's the NFL's call, not Jerry Jones'.

There is plenty for commissioner Goodell to scrutinize, just judging from the old newspaper and TV reports. A television station in Nashville reported that Pacman was good friends with Darryl Moore, an alleged "drug kingpin" who was at the center of a bust that netted 2,000 pounds of illegal substances and nine major arrests. In a taped conversation, Moore reportedly said he was worried about Pacman's behavior, not his.

And then there is the tragic case of Tommy Urbanski, the bouncer who was left paralyzed after a triple shooting in a Las Vegas strip club, an incident that Pacman Jones' entourage is alleged to have played a role in.

Cowboys fans may welcome Pacman, but he needs to leave the entourage at home.

Fair is fair, though.

This kid had to sit out an entire season. After this, there likely won't be another NFL chance.

If he thumbs his nose at that, Owner Jones can always cut him.

He would do that, wouldn't he?