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Pac-Man Jones Reinstated By NFL
Thursday, August 28, 2008    Email article | Print article | RSS
"I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I understand my responsibilities to the Dallas Cowboys and the National Football League."

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Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated cornerback Adam Jones.

Goodell granted the former Titans cornerback his reinstatement on Thursday, clearing the way for Jones to return to the field, this time as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

"This is another step in the process," said Jones. "I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I understand my responsibilities to the Dallas Cowboys and the National Football League. Right now I just want to keep working hard so I can accomplish the goals that I have set for myself both on and off the field."

Jones, then with Tennessee, was suspended for the entire 2007 season by Goodell for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Jones had numerous run-ins with the law in just two NFL seasons, including an alleged involvement in a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club during the NBA's All-Star weekend in February 2007. That incident left an employee of the club paralyzed from the waist down.

The 24-year-old Jones, formerly known as "Pacman," was dealt from the Titans to the Cowboys in late April in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.

"Adam has worked hard to get to this point, but he also knows that there is still a lot of work ahead of him," said Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. "He is fully aware of the opportunity that he has been given, and he knows that this is an ongoing process."

Goodell had partially reinstated Adam Jones this past June, allowing him to practice and play in preseason games with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys will have to give a sixth-round pick in next year's draft to the Titans because Jones was reinstated. Dallas will receive Tennessee's fifth- round pick next year if Jones again earns a suspension from the league, however.

Taken seventh overall by the Titans in the 2005 draft, Jones established himself as a star in the defensive backfield and as a kick returner in his first two seasons. He registered 115 tackles, one sack and four interceptions as a cornerback, and the West Virginia product also returned four punts for touchdowns and amassed 1,648 yards on kickoff returns.

Success on the field was almost always coupled with turmoil off it for Jones, though. Since entering the NFL, the Atlanta, Georgia native has been questioned by police 10 times and has been arrested six times.

Jones last played in a regular-season game on December 31, 2006, Tennessee's season finale against the New England Patriots. In three preseason games with Dallas he has eight tackles and a pass deflection, with two punt returns for 42 yards.

The Cowboys have Jones penciled in as their third corner, behind Terence Newman, who is battling a nagging groin injury, and Anthony Henry. Dallas hosts Minnesota on Thursday night in its preseason finale, and the Cowboys open the regular season on September 7 at Cleveland.

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