Sometime you have to just walk away. Controversial NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones turned himself him yesterday (June 10) and was arrested for striking a woman outside of a Cincinnati bar called Tin Roof. There is surveillance footage of the incident and Jones claims he only struck the woman in self defense.
Reports ESPN 1530:
Adam Jones officially turned himself in to police around 2pm this afternoon after being charged with assault following an incident at a bar in Cincinnati involving Jones and a pair of unnamed women. The women claimed they were assaulted by Jones, Jones claims he was assaulted by the women. So what exactly happened? The security tape shows the real story. One of the young ladies engaged Jones briefly in conversation. Shortly after the tape shows the women initiates contact and hits Jones across the face with a beer bottle (at 11:44) prompting him to react with what can best be described as an instinctive reaction to protect himself. Please note the woman never drops the bottle and continues to pursue Jones after he deflects her. Seems like self-defense – you be the judge. For more on this story, check back.
According to USA Today, the incident occurred last Wednesday (June 5) and he allegedly struck Shannon Wesley, 34, shortly before midnight. Jones’ agent, Peter Schaffer maintains that Pacman was defending himself against an irate fan.
Schaffer said Jones was standing outside of a bar on Wednesday night after the Cincinnati Reds’ game against the Colorado Rockies when he was approached by two women who wanted to take a picture with him. Schaffer said Jones told them no “because he’s married and the last thing he wants is a picture with two women showing up on Twitter or something.”
Schaffer said Jones told him he was then hit in the head with a bottle from only a few feet away.
“He turns around and immediately slaps the person. He has no idea what’s going on or who threw the bottle,” Schaffer said. “His teammates have enough of this and they walk out.”
Indeed, Jones could have been reacting instinctively. But his less than sterling reputation as a troublemaker will always be taken into account in lieu of giving him the benefit of a doubt. Jones was drafted in 2005 and after eight years in the NFL has been arrested almost that many times and served a one-year suspension from the league in 2007.
Last year, the former West Virginia star was ordered to pay $11.7 million in damages to victims of a strip club shooting in 2007 that started after a fight he was involved in.
Check out footage of the altercation below and let us know who you think was in the wrong in the comments.
UPDATE: Jones has pleaded not guilty to assaulting the woman on June 5.
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Photo: NFL
