Pacman Has a Friend in Jay Glazer

"Adam" Pacman Jones knows something about making the wrong decision. His entire professional life has been a series of missteps, the last of which -- a hotel bathroom cat fight with a Cowboys-appointed body guard last fall -- landed him in his current predicament: unemployed.

Jones appears out of NFL options despite being 25 years old and in his football prime. In fact, he's been relegated to appearing on Pros vs. Joes, a show usually reserved for retired professional athletes who had distinguished careers and are now looking for something to get them out of the house. (In the latest episode, Jones joined Alonzo Mourning, Steve McNair, Robert Horry and Priest Holmes as the other "pros.")

Perhaps not surprisingly, Pacman's appearance wasn't without incident: he got in a fight with one of the Joes. Except that maybe Jones was intentionally hamming it up for the cameras. No, seriously.

FOXSports.com writer Jay Glazer was hosting the show, and in last Wednesday's column he admitted to asking Pacman to "play it up, pump up some trash talk with [the] Joes for some great TV." I mention this not to suggest that Jones should pursue an acting career, but to point out that Glazer, who admittedly went into Pros vs. Joes with some reservations about Pacman ("Basically, I wanted to choke him out.") to concluding that Jones is actually a good dude, citing his fake fight with a contestant as evidence. But there's more.

... after spending a few days with [Pacman] on the set of Spike TV's "Pros vs. Joes" my take has changed. I actually like the kid. I like him a lot. ... Is that wrong? That's what I'm wrestling with. It's like the forgiving Glazer is cheating on the violent Glazer. ...

... I came away hoping that the kid who seemed to "get it" in our few days together has turned the corner. He never once shied away and tried to say he did nothing wrong. To the contrary, he openly talked about how much he's screwed up and how he relished the chance to change and prove he has changed. I don't really know how I should feel about this.

So there you go: Pacman's all grows up (naughty language alert). Sure, it's easy to be skeptical given his extensive rap sheet, but maybe it has finally dawned on him that "making it rain" is no way to go through life. Naive and short-sighted? Perhaps, but I'd like to think people can change. Even those who, through their actions, appear incapable.

Plus, if it's any consolation to those of you who aren't buying the newly reformed Pacman, there's virtually no way another NFL team gives him an opportunity to make them cut him.

via Shutdown Corner