Pacman Jones to be fined, not suspended for helmet bashing
The saga of Adam “Pacman” Jones took another interesting twist on Monday, as the NFL chose not to suspend him for bashing Amari Cooper’s head into his helmet.
Adam “Pacman” Jones is no stranger to the NFL’s disciplinary offices. However, if reports are true, he received a rare pass for what was a decidedly ugly incident on Sunday.
During the second quarter of the Cincinnati Bengals 33-13 win over the Oakland Raiders, Jones got into a heated exchange with rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper. After a brief scuffle, the Bengals cornerback ended up on top of Cooper and ripped his helmet off before proceeding to bash his head into it.
Pacman Jones ripping off Amari Cooper's helmet and slamming his head against it. Wow. https://t.co/zjMxgugZlh
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 13, 2015
While many were shocked that Jones was lucky not to get ejected from the game, those same fans will likely be more shocked to learn that the NFL will not suspend Jones. Instead, the commissioner’s office will likely only issue a fine according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. While the fine itself has yet to be announced, one would expect it to be fairly significant.
Considering the fire that the NFL Commissioner has been under this winter, one has to wonder if that came into the equation when considering a punishment for Jones’ latest offense. The worry that a heavy ruling would be fought and overthrown perhaps played a heavy role in knocking this latest penalty down.
This is the latest brush with suspension for Jones. He was suspended for one year after his involvement in a night-club shooting which involved banging a stripper’s head off of the stage. During this 2007 suspension, Jones was sought for questioning in another night club shooting. Then in 2008, Jones was accused of hitting another stripper in a club. After being traded to the Cowboys during the offseason, Jones was involved in another fight with his bodyguard in a Dallas hotel, which resulted in six-game suspension by the league.
The lack of suspension in this case may be due to the time between infractions, as Jones has been relatively quiet since 2008. Unfortunately, it is a consistent storyline in his career to be on the wrong side of the law and the wrong side of league rules. Given his track record and an increased focus on player safety, a suspension should have been in order.
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