Pacman Jones Reinstated By NFL For Week One

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has informed the Dallas Cowboys that cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been fully reinstated, making him eligible to play in the regular-season opener in Cleveland.

The NFL was expected to make a formal announcement later Thursday.

“It feels good man, you know, to get a second chance and I just have to take advantage of it,” Jones told The Dallas Morning News. “First and foremost, I don’t want to let myself down, definitely my little girl down. I’m thankful for Jerry [Jones], the fans in Dallas and my teammates for believing in me. I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing to get reinstated, staying with myself and my teammates and staying away from those knuckleheads and just stay focused.”

Earlier this month, Jones said he had sent a letter to Goodell asking to be allowed to play this season.

Jones received partial reinstatement to the NFL on June 2 from Goodell and as part of his reinstatement was permitted to participate in organized team activities as well as training camp and preseason games.

While that decision gave Jones the chance to earn his way back into the league, Goodell didn’t guarantee he would be reinstated.

Jones was suspended in April 2007 following an accumulation of arrests and legal problems, including his connection to a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club. He’s been arrested six times and involved in 12 incidents requiring police intervention since being drafted in the first round by Tennessee in 2005.

Police said Jones “instigated” a brawl inside the club by showering strippers on stage with dollar bills from a large plastic trash bag.

Jones was charged with two felony counts of coercion stemming from allegations that he threatened to kill club employees and scuffled with a bar bouncer. He was never charged in the shooting.

Jones missed all of last season under the player conduct policy and could miss all or part of the 2008 season if he has another incident.

Since being traded to the Cowboys, Jones has tried to surround himself with a better support group. He’s befriended former Cowboys Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders. Jones has also become friends with several of his new teammates, including Tank Johnson, whom the Cowboys helped return from a similar suspension last season.

Credit: ESPN