When it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals around these parts, there is probably no topic that we have discussed more, particularly lately, than the situation with cornerback Adam Jones. It’s pretty understandable given the fact that he is going through some legal issues stemming from a drunken incident back in January, and there has been extensive debate over what the team will and should do about it.
But it seems like, when it comes to the person that actually matters most in making that decision, what will be done is a decision that has already been reached. Recently, Bengals owner Mike Brown came to his player’s defense and pretty much said outright that he is not going to take action—that is, release—against him.
Brown fielded questions during the owners’ meetings last week and was predictably asked about Jones’ situation. While he recently had a felony charge against him dropped, he is still facing three misdemeanor charges, and any discipline that could come down from the league is also yet to be decided.
“I see Adam Jones through my eyes”, Brown began his lengthy answer. “I see different facets of his personality. I see him as a person who is energetic, positive for the most part, exceptionally so. I know a bit about his family, that weighs on my mind”.
He talked about the fact that Jones had a newborn daughter in his third year with the team, who was born premature. He recounted how the new father would travel every day after practice to see his child through the glass at the hospital with the other premie babies, and how he has since watched that little girl grow up.
“To me, that’s a story that registers”, he continued. I would say this point blank: am I looking to harm her? I’m not. It’s a bigger picture than one incident. And I get to be the one that sits in the chair to decide that. So I have chosen to decide it the way I am deciding it. I’m going to give him a chance”.
“I’m going to give him a chance”, he said. This is much in contradiction to all of the deflections that we have gotten from other members of the Bengals organization about Jones in the months following his arrest. But the owner just said, “point blank”, that he is going to give him a chance. Seems likely to be the final word to me.
“I hope it comes out right for him, for his family and for us”, he continued his lengthy answer. “I know there are critics. I understand. But that is a full answer. And that’s what I have to say about it”.
We’ll see what the judge—both of them, the other being the commissioner—have to say about it. Even though it sounds like the Bengals will be holding on to Jones, the league could still take him away for at least a couple games via a suspension.
