Pacman will be part of a panel discussion later in June at the NFL's rookie symposium. What does he plan to share with the league's young bucks? Via Bengals.com:
"What you do on the field, what you do off the field, it's all a reflection of you," Jones said. "Going to the club here, going to the club there. Having 100 people with you. Checking your advisors, your accountants. Just basic stuff."
Basic stuff, sure, but it's basic stuff that Jones didn't know when he came into the league. It's stuff a lot of young players don't know, in fact.
And yes, it's easy (and fun) to make fun of Pacman in the role of sage old wiseman, telling today's rookies how to stay out of trouble. But, believe it or not, Pacman Jones is not the biggest screw-up in NFL history. Pacman Jones is still here. How many guys have made mistakes like Pacman's ? or even far less severe than Pacman's ? and not been able to save their career?
Pacman, for all the terrible things he's done, is still standing. He's still playing effectively and still cashing NFL paychecks, which means he must've learned something along the way. These days, he's staying out of headlines and has Cincinnati's chief of police vouching for his character.
No one's nominating Pacman for sainthood here, but he does have relevant experience to share. If he's willing to be honest about himself and his past, maybe he can help save someone else from being the next Pacman Jones ? the early career version.
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