If someone were to tell you that Pacman Jones is immature, you would probably laugh and tell them that’s the biggest understatement you have ever heard. Jones has been a nuisance since the day he entered the NFL and has not managed to stay out of trouble for any extended period of time since then. Given the amount of times his name has turned up in the press for the wrong reasons, it feels like Pacman has been in the league for at least a decade.
On Monday, The Tennessean interviewed Jones over the phone to gauge his feelings about returning to Tennessee this weekend when the Bengals visit the Titans. It should come as no surprise that the man who was arrested seven times during his days with the Titans, allegedly took advice from a drug dealer, and was more or less run out of town by the people of Nashville, spoke like a victim.
“It would have never worked for me in Tennessee,” Jones said. “I was 21 or 22, and I didn’t understand what I understand now. I was out every night enjoying myself. I wasn’t really focusing on football. I had a lot of distractions. I take responsibility for everything that went on back then, and have learned from it.”
Keep in mind Jones was arrested once again over the summer, so apparently this is the new, mature Pacman who now “understands” more. Kudos to Jones for taking some responsibility for his actions, but it didn’t take long for him to break into the “poor me” act.
“Yeah, I did (mess) things up off the field,” he continued. “I blame myself for that. But I will say when times got hard, (the Titans) weren’t there for me. But I ain’t holding no grudges, man. Life is too short for grudges. I don’t have time for all of that.
“To be honest, I gave away $2 million dollars that I had already earned to make the trade happen (to the Cowboys). Tennessee, it is not a grudge on my behalf. Do I like Tennessee? No. Would I ever want to come back to Tennessee (with the Titans)? No. I am happy in Cincinnati and we are playing good, and I can’t wait to come back to Tennessee so we can handle our business.”
The people of Tennessee treated Pacman so poorly that he had to eat $2 million of his contract just to get out of there. Poor guy. While it is somewhat refreshing to hear Jones acknowledge the mistakes he has made over the last four years, his comments prove he still doesn’t get it. He’s an angry guy who feels like he was treated unfairly by a team and city that apparently should have put up with his constant arrests and the bad publicity he brought to the team. That’s not exactly taking the blame for poor decisions that were completely within his control.
