Watch Your Step: Player Conduct Still Hot Topic In NFL

Jones Could Be Heading To Court If Suspension Is Not Reduced

In Titans CB Pacman Jones’ letter to the NFL appealing his season-long suspension, his attorneys Manny Arora and Mark Trigg “made it clear a lawsuit is a possibility if the suspension is not reduced,” according to Jim Wyatt of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. The attorneys wrote in the letter, “Mr. Jones expressly reserves and does not waive any and all other legal remedies which may be available to him.” Wyatt notes under the league’s CBA, the NFLPA agreed that the commissioner “would handle any appeals under the Personal Conduct Policy, so Jones’ only other option would be through the court system.” Meanwhile, NFLPA counsels Arthur McAfee and Tom DePaso attended Friday’s meeting between Jones and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but Wyatt noted the union so far “has not taken an active role in the appeal process” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 5/12).

PACMAN REAX: USA TODAY’s Jon Saraceno writes Goodell “should remain steadfast in his initial ruling.” Although Jones has neither been convicted nor charged “of a serious crime ... suspensions don’t require convictions, just as it is in the workplace. They only mandate a good dose of common sense.” Goodell said, “You can’t just sit back and say, ‘Well, this is a (smaller) part of society.’ The reality is, they represent our league and they are held to a higher standard. So, act accordingly” (USA TODAY, 5/14). In Miami, Dan Le Batard wrote Goodell’s stance on Jones “makes him look good for trying, even if his suspension of Jones falls apart in federal court.” NBA Commissioner David Stern, asked if he would also suspend Jones for the season, said, “That’s a hard question because I’m not faced with a player with 10 arrests and a USA Today story showing all those (mug) shots. It is something we haven’t done for off-the-court behavior, but I would certainly reserve the right to do it” (MIAMI HERALD, 5/13).

Dog Fighting Speculation Continues To Swirl Around Vick

GOING TO THE DOGS: Fox Sports Radio’s Chris Landry told Tampa Bay radio station WDAE-AM on Friday that he was told by former Falcons CB Ray Buchanan that Falcons QB Michael Vick is “directly involved in dog fighting.” Landry: “He tells me that Michael has been into this dog fighting for so long that ... he not only knew about, he is behind all of it, he’s paying for all of it” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 5/14). When asked about the dog fighting, Vick said, “Don’t plan on talking to me anymore unless it’s about football” (ESPN.com, 5/12). Meanwhile, Vick said Falcons Owner Arthur Blank “told me some things and he was pretty bold and said exactly what he needed to say. I heard him out clearly and I know he means business and I have to respect that. I have to respect the organization” (SI.com, 5/14).

SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME: Raiders No. 1 draft pick, QB JaMarcus Russell, claims that he was “followed for as many as two weeks before the draft.” He said that he was “tipped off by someone working for a pro club and that the information the person had on his whereabouts ... was too accurate to be guesswork.” An NFLPA official said that there is “nothing in the [CBA] that prohibits teams from gathering background information on prospective employees.” But in San Diego, Jim Trotter wondered, “Is this where the NFL is headed in this new age of increased scrutiny on personal conduct? Have we reached the point where players have no private lives?” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/13).

ROSENHAUS: NFL player agent Drew Rosenhaus appeared on ESPN’s “OTL” Friday to discuss how he advises clients in light of the NFL’s stricter conduct policy. Rosenhaus: “My job is pretty easy because you don’t have to advise much, simply because it is loud and clear from the (NFLPA) to the commissioner that there is absolutely zero tolerance right now. ... Fortunately, I don’t have any players that are in that position.” He added, “All of the attention that has been placed on this matter will have a huge impact in decreasing the number of incidents, and it had a huge impact on the draft” (“OTL,” ESPN, 5/11).