Source: Meeting with Goodell must precede Pacman joining new team
ESPN.com news services
by Matt Mosley
Pacman Jones must first meet with commissioner Roger Goodell before the NFL will consider modifying the terms of the cornerback's suspension that bars him from participating in Cowboys offseason workouts, a team source told ESPN's Ed Werder.
Jones has moved to the Dallas area but will be absent when his new team begins its organized team activities at Valley Ranch on Tuesday.
At the time Jones' April trade from the Tennessee Titans to Dallas was completed, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said he would assume the leadership role in attempting to convince Goodell to reinstate Jones, who has been indefinitely suspended for more than a year for multiple violations of the NFL's player conduct policy.
According to the source, the Cowboys have not filed a formal request for reinstatement but have engaged in dialogue with the league about their desires to have Pacman Jones participate on even a limited basis.
Goodell has said only that he would review Pacman Jones' interest in resuming his career before training camp, which begins July 25 in Oxnard, Calif., for the Cowboys. Manny Arora, the agent representing the player, did not immediately return a phone message left on his cell phone.
"Any action we take in regards to reinstatement, whenever that happens, will be done privately with the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys," Arora told ESPN.com's Matt Mosley.
The Cowboys are hopeful their recent history with Tank Johnson coming off his suspension last season will win them consideration for Pacman Jones. After the Cowboys signed Johnson last season, Goodell allowed him to join his teammates and coaches at Valley Ranch for two weeks of practices before he was permitted to play in a regular-season game.
On Sunday, Pacman Jones said he was eager to seek permission from Goodell to participate in team workouts and join Dallas' player program with consultant Calvin Hill.
"Hopefully I can get around my new teammates and start doing OTAs and working out with them," Pacman Jones said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "I still have to go through the process, and I'm just waiting. I'm ready to get in there and learn the defense.
"And I've been out of the game for a year, so I need to shake off all the rust to get ready to play."
Pacman Jones signed a four-year contract after the April draft that includes a Cowboys option after the third season. The Titans acquired a fourth-round pick for him.
Pacman Jones attended a team bowling event hosted by Cowboys tight end Jason Witten on Sunday. It was his first chance to be with many of his new teammates.
"It feels really good to be here with your new teammates and feel the vibe and be around them and let them see the real Pacman," Jones said, according to The Morning News. "There are going to be a couple guys that don't want me to let them down, but it's all on me. I've got everything in place, so if I let anybody down, it's all on me, and that's not my plan."
"I'm on my last straw, plain and simple," Pacman Jones added. "If I mess up, it is what it is. I know that. The group of people around me knows that. Jerry [Jones] knows that, and I looked him in his eyes and told him I won't let him down, and that's the main reason I think I'm here."
by Matt Mosley
Pacman Jones must first meet with commissioner Roger Goodell before the NFL will consider modifying the terms of the cornerback's suspension that bars him from participating in Cowboys offseason workouts, a team source told ESPN's Ed Werder.
Jones has moved to the Dallas area but will be absent when his new team begins its organized team activities at Valley Ranch on Tuesday.
At the time Jones' April trade from the Tennessee Titans to Dallas was completed, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said he would assume the leadership role in attempting to convince Goodell to reinstate Jones, who has been indefinitely suspended for more than a year for multiple violations of the NFL's player conduct policy.
According to the source, the Cowboys have not filed a formal request for reinstatement but have engaged in dialogue with the league about their desires to have Pacman Jones participate on even a limited basis.
Goodell has said only that he would review Pacman Jones' interest in resuming his career before training camp, which begins July 25 in Oxnard, Calif., for the Cowboys. Manny Arora, the agent representing the player, did not immediately return a phone message left on his cell phone.
"Any action we take in regards to reinstatement, whenever that happens, will be done privately with the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys," Arora told ESPN.com's Matt Mosley.
The Cowboys are hopeful their recent history with Tank Johnson coming off his suspension last season will win them consideration for Pacman Jones. After the Cowboys signed Johnson last season, Goodell allowed him to join his teammates and coaches at Valley Ranch for two weeks of practices before he was permitted to play in a regular-season game.
On Sunday, Pacman Jones said he was eager to seek permission from Goodell to participate in team workouts and join Dallas' player program with consultant Calvin Hill.
"Hopefully I can get around my new teammates and start doing OTAs and working out with them," Pacman Jones said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "I still have to go through the process, and I'm just waiting. I'm ready to get in there and learn the defense.
"And I've been out of the game for a year, so I need to shake off all the rust to get ready to play."
Pacman Jones signed a four-year contract after the April draft that includes a Cowboys option after the third season. The Titans acquired a fourth-round pick for him.
Pacman Jones attended a team bowling event hosted by Cowboys tight end Jason Witten on Sunday. It was his first chance to be with many of his new teammates.
"It feels really good to be here with your new teammates and feel the vibe and be around them and let them see the real Pacman," Jones said, according to The Morning News. "There are going to be a couple guys that don't want me to let them down, but it's all on me. I've got everything in place, so if I let anybody down, it's all on me, and that's not my plan."
"I'm on my last straw, plain and simple," Pacman Jones added. "If I mess up, it is what it is. I know that. The group of people around me knows that. Jerry [Jones] knows that, and I looked him in his eyes and told him I won't let him down, and that's the main reason I think I'm here."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:49 PM
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