Former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones didn’t have many fans in Pittsburgh. And that wasn’t because he was a solid player on the field—which he was. It was because of who he was off the field, which had even Bengals fans questioning why he deserved a job.
A former sixth-overall pick by the Tennessee Titans, they traded him to the Dallas Cowboys after two seasons due to numerous off-field incidents, which included slamming an exotic dancer’s head against the stage after she began picking up $1 bills he threw onto the stage, which ultimately blew up into a full-scale altercation resulting in a member of Jones’ party shooting a security guard.
For the most part, after finally landing a third chance with the Bengals in 2010, Jones avoided major off-field incidents, though he was ultimately arrested again in 2017. He continued to play for the team that year, but they declined his option for the following year, and he finished his career with one more season in Denver.
Things had been relatively quiet, by his standards, since then, at least until yesterday. He was arrested in Hamilton, Ohio yesterday, accused of assaulting a person with punches and kicks to the point that it rendered the individual unconscious.
Following his arrest, he posted bail, and hours later was on The Pat McAfee Show. He told his hosts that he was there with an entourage, including his brother. He claims that a bouncer got into a physical altercation with his brother, arguing that it was the bouncer who incited the incident, and adds, “I did what I needed to do”.
Jones goes on to say that he believes surveillance video of the incident will vindicate his actions. That, of course, remains to be seen. He said that he is “done fighting”—unless he gets paid for it—seemingly referencing an altercation that he had in an airport in 2019, for which he was not accused of wrongdoing.
It’s fair to say that he has had an eventful career both on and off the field. A former Pro Bowler and All-Pro, he finished his career with 29 takeaways and over 500 tackles, logging more than 100 starts between 2005 and 2018. He was a part of five Bengals teams that advanced to the playoffs, but never won a playoff game.
