Pacman begins pitch to Dallas
By PAUL KUHARSKY
Staff Writer
Pacman Jones worked hard to polish his image and sell himself to the Dallas market Tuesday during an appearance on former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin's radio show.
The suspended Titans cornerback said he hoped to be reinstated before the April 26-27 NFL Draft and traded to the Cowboys, mentioning that April 10 would mark the one-year anniversary of his suspension.
"The best business decision is for me to start somewhere new," Jones said.
The Titans have said they will explore all their options with Jones and indicated they will wait for reinstatement, or at least the blessing of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, before making any move.
Goodell has said reinstatement might not happen until summer, provided there are no new troubles for Jones, who has been arrested six times since the Titans drafted him in 2005. The Titans might be able to speed the process if they have a trade lined up.
Jones has one felony conviction, resulting from a plea agreement to charges of obstructing police in Georgia, but no other outstanding criminal charges.
"I'm not sitting here telling you I don't own up to mistakes I've made," Jones said during the three-hour show on KESN-FM. "I accept everything, the punishment, everything that comes along with the bad decisions and bad choices I've made. In the end, I just pray to God I get a second chance."
Jones said he's "more than willing" to include insurance against further off-field troubles in his next contract, which he hopes is with the Cowboys.
"This is where I want to be, and hope it'll work out in the long run and it'll happen real quick," he said. "It's obvious (Cowboys owner Jerry Jones) does give people a second chance. He has a great heart. Hopefully, I can get one of those second chances and I can be wearing a Dallas Cowboy uniform next year."
Other topics Jones touched on during the show with Irvin:
• His propensity to be involved in trouble and its impact on his potential reinstatement: "It's like I'm on a cliff right now — any slip-up and I'm off the cliff."
Later he added, "I have to watch where I spit," and said he travels with a police officer, "to have someone that can vouch and that can say my side. … If I've got the law with me you have to respect the law."
• His willingness to stay out of strip clubs, at least for a while. His presence at strip clubs has gotten him into trouble with the league at least three times.
Asked whether Cowboys fans would run into him at such establishments in Dallas, he said:
"I cannot say ever, ever, but I can say they won't see me in the next three or four years. Because that's what I have to do these next three, four years to change. These next couple or three years? No, they won't see me. Maybe on down the line they might see me poke my head in one and get up out of there quick."
• His chats with Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens about playing in Dallas: "He said it's a great city as long as you keep your head straight."
• His feelings about his football talents: "I'm the best. My stupidity got me to the point where I'm at a setback. I'm good for at least four touchdowns a year."
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Pacman begins pitch to Dallas | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean