(Reuters) – Cincinnati Bengals’ cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones told a police officer “I hope you die” after his arrest earlier this month for disorderly conduct, according to an expletive-filled dashcam video released by police. Jones, an 11-year National Football League veteran, shouted profanities and racial slurs at the black officer and kicked the patrol car door during the tirade caught on video and made public by Cincinnati police on Monday. “I hope you die tomorrow,” Jones, who is also black, said to the officer at one point during the recording.
From the back seat of the police cruiser, Jones repeatedly asked what he was charged with. He appeared to indicate that the video would clear him. “It’s all on camera,” he said.
Jones, 33, was arrested on Jan. 3 after a disturbance at a downtown Cincinnati hotel. A police spokeswoman said Jones allegedly shoved a security guard and poked him in the eye.
He was charged with assault, obstruction and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors.
Jones was also charged with spitting on a nurse during a medical exam while being booked into jail.
Jones apologized in a statement from his lawyers, the firm of Fessler, Schneider and Grimme, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
“Adam Jones is deeply embarrassed and remorseful for his conduct and language after being arrested in early January,” and is committed to counseling and anger management, the statement said. “The behavior in the video is not what we expect from our players,” the Bengals said, according to the Enquirer.
Jones was fined $28,940 by the NFL after drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for physical contact with a game official when he raged against Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Joey Porter during a wild card game earlier this month. Jones had a career-high 66 tackles during the 2016 season, along with one forced fumble and one interception.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Benkoe)
Reuters
