NFL Needs to Rid Itself of Adam "Pacman" Jones

Members of his own family feel that he's "out of control". So said Adam "Pacman" Jones uncle Robert. The uncle has tried to talk to Pacman, but his nephew refuses to listen to the point that their relationship has become distant. "Everybody tries to talk to him," Robert Jones said. "I do. His mother talks to him, his grandparents talk to him. ... I don't know, I just think he is out of control. I've told him I think he is out of damn control, but he doesn't want to hear it."

Tennessee Titans fans want him gone. Since the latest shady incident involving Pacman they've made their voices heard loud and clear on Tennessee sport radio stations. Fans want Pacman released, but that would cost the Titans $5.4 million against their upcoming season salary cap. However, it should also be noted that the Titans are in a much better to be rid of Pacman due to the fact that before signing any of their restricted free agents, the team has an estimated $36 million in salary cap space.

The Players Union has no use for him. So said Gene Upshaw, head of the NFL's Players Association, in a somewhat startling statement from a union that is usually right there for its players. After a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and a group of players, Upshaw admitted to being surprised at the players wanton resolve to cut down on off-the-field incidents involving its players. "That surprised me," Upshaw said. "But there was a feeling in the room that the same guy can't be in the wrong place at the wrong time three or four times."

For the record this isn't about whether or Adam "Pacman" Jones is guilty or innocent when it comes to the latest notorious incident involving Jones at a Nashville club that left a bouncer paralyzed from the neck down last week. That's for the courts and the criminal justice system to figure out and I'm not in the business of saying that a man is guilty before he's tried in court, regardless of his shady character.

This is about a professional athlete who only in 2 years time has been involved in at least eight criminal investigations. This is about a man who allegedly hits women, has a huge temper as well as a shady entourage that make him a magnet for trouble. This is about a millionaire star who doesn't understand that being a pro athlete is not a right, but a privilege.

With the recent notoriety caused in part by all the criminals on the Cincinnati Bengals roster last season, the NFL needs to step it up when it comes to regulating their players and their off-the-field activities. Granted, most NFL players are not criminals, but the few bad apples are giving the league a huge black eye. A good start to clean the league's image up would be implementation of the proposed "3 Strikes You're Out" rule for players found guilty of crimes. A better beginning would be for the Titans to cut Pacman Jones now and for the NFL to ban him from the league for good.