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Oct 14, 2008 8:33 pm US/Central
NFL Suspends 'Pacman' Jones Indefinitely
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DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
The NFL has suspended Adam 'Pacman' Jones indefinitely -- without pay -- for violating its personal conduct policy. The cornerback will miss at least the next four games.
Jones was involved in a fight with a bodyguard at a Dallas hotel on Oct. 7. Sources told CBS 11 News that the scuffle was over whether or not Jones should have been attending a private party at the Joule Hotel that night.
Tuesday afternoon Cowboys owner Jerry Jones released a statement that said in part, "We respect and support the decision of the commissioner. I regret that this issue has brought negative attention to the Cowboys and the NFL."
In a letter Tuesday to Adam Jones, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called the latest incident the continuation of "a disturbing pattern of behavior and clearly inconsistent with the conditions I set for your continued participation in the NFL."
Guards are assigned to the Dallas Cowboys player 24 hours a day, and were switching shifts at the time. According to witnesses, the guard coming on duty did not agree with Jones being at the party.
Jones, who witnesses say was drinking, attacked the bodyguard in the bathroom of the upscale hotel. A bathroom mirror was broken during the confrontation.
The unidentified bodyguard told witnesses and authorities at the scene that Jones is prone to bad mood swings when he has been drinking.
No charges were brought against the player.
The Dallas Police Department released the 911 call made from the hotel during the fight last week. Click here to listen to it.
After speaking with 'Pacman', Jerry Jones described him as being
"devastated" by the news.
The league said in a statement that Jones' future reinstatement will depend on strict compliance with NFL and Cowboys treatment plans and an evaluation by "clinical experts."
"We move forward with a very clear knowledge as to what the process will be for a possible re-instatement," Jerry Jones said Tuesday. "Adam is well aware of where he stands and what he has to do."
At a press conference two days after the incident, Jones and coach Wade Phillips both expressed disappointment with Jones, but at that point said he would not face any disciplinary actions within the team. "He's part of our team," said Phillips. "We're all the same team. We're all a part of the team, and if you want me to police every player, as to whether they were out at 11 o'clock or not, I don't think that's reasonable."
The NFL, however, had another idea. League officials asked the Dallas Police Department for details of the incident.
Jones was reinstated this season after a 17-month long suspension for too many runs in with the law. Last week, Jerry Jones said his player did not violate the reinstatement. "This was a private party. This was an area that I had specifically -- for his birthday one week earlier, because it was a private area -- I had said that it was OK to have it there," the team owner said.
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