I work with twenty people, eighteen of whom are men; recently, I’ve been privy to outrage and debate regarding the following scandal (when I’m not ignoring boasts regarding bracketology, that is). I didn’t realize that there was a Sepia angle to the Adam “Pacman” Jones controversy until Anantha kindly alerted us to it, earlier today. I’ll get to that, but first, let’s catch up other non-ESPN-addicts with what the hell I’m going on about:
It’s Feb. 19 in Vegas and, two miles from The Strip at a club called Minxx, the three-day party that is the NBA All-Star Weekend is about to end.
With gunfire.
According to witnesses, Adam Bernard “Pacman” Jones sits in a VIP booth with seven acquaintances, six of them women, the other his bodyguard. They’re drinking Dom Perignon champagne and Patron tequila, which goes for $600 a bottle. Pacman watches as Cornell Haynes Jr. — America knows him as the rapper Nelly — and music producer Jermaine Dupri (whose girlfriend is Janet Jackson) “make it rain” dollar bills for several songs. Jones, the Tennessee Titans cornerback who considers himself a major player, wants a piece of their action. Pacman asks an employee to convert $3,400 in larger bills into smaller denominations and approaches the stage. Wide-eyed, almost childlike, he showers fists full of dollars on the dancers.
What happened next, in the context of the law, might not be determined for months, if ever. But when the gunshots ended, a security guard, a former WWF wrestler named Tommy Urbanski, was on the ground with his spinal cord shattered by a bullet. Two others, another bouncer and a female patron, were also shot.
To be clear, Las Vegas police consider Jones a WITNESS, not a person of interest; the trouble-magnet of an athlete claims he’s not the one. The club owner says he made threats and knows the gunman, who has yet to be found. But just in case…
Even though he hasn’t been charged, Jones hired an attorney, Manny Arora, from the same Atlanta-based law firm that defended Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on charges of murder and aggravated assault in 2000.
The entire ESPN article is a fascinating read and I say that as someone who is almost entirely bored by sports (unless it’s something else fascinating…like cricket). I’m not saying I have any sympathy for Pacman (who got his nick because of the enthusiastic way he housed bottles of milk when he was a wee thing) or the devil for that matter, but after reading a backstory like this:
Misfortune is something that has touched Jones early, and often. His father, Adam, was shot in the back of the head and died when Pacman was 5. His mother, Deborah, spent three years in prison. An uncle died from a knife wound. He’s seen some of his peers die. He was raised chiefly by his grandmother, Christine Jones, and she died of cancer after he graduated from high school.
…I felt provoked. What do we expect from people with fractured pasts and unresolved issues, when we hand them millions of dollars and throw them in the polar opposite direction of where they’re from, socio-economically? And how much of a role does guilt over “making it” play?
He was, Jones once told his first agent, Gary Wichard, the first male of his generation on his father’s side to make it to the age of 21.
Isn’t that haunting? Is it reasonable to expect that someone whose life resembles the lyrics to many of the hip hop joints I loved in college somehow forget all that or NOT be drawn back in to it?
Pacman: spoiled athlete or victim of his own success? You decide. Or not. I’m done with the question marks. Back to work for me, back to avoiding it via the Mutiny, for you. 😉
now we are not in the 1% damn.
curious to see how the event turns out. but i do think he’s old enough to stop blaming here and now’s action on bad childhood.
Sorry Jones gets no sympathy from me whatsoever. He’s a criminal and has a proven track record that he’s trouble.
The Titans have said there not a 100% sure if they want Pacman Jones to comeback. It’s been bad offseason for the NFL with some of its star players making news off the field.
clueless..don’t even get started with the bad off season… loved the michael vick ‘water’ incident.. yeah, that got everyone down here pretty peeved..
I am glad to see someone at Sepia trying to educate the masses.
Trying to understand Pacman Jones is almost impossible. What makes a self made millionare this angry? In the words of some guy named Wittgenstein, “If a lion could talk we could not understand him.”
On the other hand, this might be the closest an Indian has ever been associated to actally playing in the NFL. Manny Arora might run the 40 yard dash in 15 minutes, but he sure can defend his ass off.
I dont know if you saw the SNL comment’s about Vick and his water bottle, but they were amazing.
you can find the skit here http://youtube.com/watch?v=RjtVnqZCndo
thanks shallow thinker.. my brother tabouli forwarded it to me when he saw it… it was pretty funny! alas, the falcons have a new coach.. mora is no more.. who knows what will happen next season… wait.. i don’t care! i’ll be back to watching college football every weekend ;).
Incase anybody forget there is a desi in the NFL. His name is Brandon Chillar and he is LB on the St.Louis Rams.
Hey Chick Pea, do you think Tom Brady would let Pacman Jones babysit one of his several soon to be kids.
That might be the best thing that could have happened to the Falcons in recent times,especially with Mora fishing around for a job even before the season ended. With our record last two years, Mora was not exactly taking us to the Superbowl. Maybe someone could teach Vick to throw a little this year. Go falcons!
Falcons just get Joe Horn from the saints so Vick as a WR who can hold the ball instead of droping it like his WR last year.
This offseason for me as a Rams fan I was looking forward to the Rams getting some players to help out there defense which is one of the worse in the NFL. Instead the Rams get Drew Bennett and Randy McMicheal to help out there offense which was in the top 5 in the NFL before even getting these 2 guys. I guess next year every Ram game will be 41-38.
Completely oFf topic but,
There needs to be a follow up on the Sanjaya American Idol post. Possibly something on the fact that he is complete garbage for the last two weeks. Damn it.
america is tone deaf and loves hula dancers.
what more can i say?
sure, why not. it’s either him, vick, or these 2 tools.
take your pick.
He faster, way faster ……….. if he’s chasing an ambulance
Btw, why is everyone ragging on Tom Brady? A lot of athletes have this kind of stuff going on – google “Shawn Kemp children”. The only thing Brady did different from these guys was that he knocked up a supermodel and a Hollywood star, with 3 Super Bowl rings.
As far I’m concerned they might as well hand the Lombardi trophy to the Partriots now it will save a lot of time and arthroscopic surgeries..:)..
Yooooooooooooo! Cricket world cup in 2 days! There’s a boatload of Desi Angles (TM)!! Jam on it.
Death to Australia!
Amen!
I was looking for an American cricket Desi Angle (TM) and voila- the Board of Directors of the USA Cricket Association is half packed with browns. Weaksauce Desi Angle I know but you brainiac bloggers can wring ghee out of stone so jam on it. In the meantime, I have to make a local call to Director Sampath- “your house or…your house dog? I don’t have 2 bills yaar. I’ll bring some Kingfisher and pakoras, k?”
Amen the Amen!
India India India oi oi oi!
now there is a game that i wouldn’t ever watch. cricket has to be the most boring game in the entire cosmos.
SM Intern,
Please ban Chick Pea for a zillion years for blasphemy. Manish also. Howzaaat?
for blasphemy? or for speaking the truth? opinions are opinions are opinions….
If this was World Cup Football Australia would be Argentina — talented, cocky and universally hated. India would be England — overhyped, overripe and mostly shite (I would really, really love to eat my words here). Anyone else want to apply this theory to rest of the teams?
Colourful Cricketer Watch: He looks like a linebacker from whatsitball. Feast your eyes on this 136 kg Beef Korma enthusiast from Bermuda. From BBC link: It is perhaps appropriate that a man with such a healthy appetite should have an Indian restaurant below his house. “There’s another one next door too!” he told BBC Sport.
Entho?
Exactly. Your version of “truth” is nothing but an opinion. 😉 And we should all remember what Meth compared THOSE to… 😀