One of the things my mother always used to tell me is that you can't
reason with a fool. You can't try and teach a fool a lesson and most
importantly, you can't change a fool. So if NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell had been one of my eight siblings and grown up in my household,
he would know that simply suspending troubled NFL cornerback Adam
"Pacman" Jones is not enough because the man has "fool" written all
over him.
Don't
let his recent charity work in Atlanta trick you into thinking that
he's learned his lesson. The man needs psychological help and until he
gets it, he will continue down the same path he's been on his entire
career.
You need proof that Pacman is a fool? Well here it is.
Since joining the NFL in 2005 Pacman was arrested more times than he's
caught interceptions. The Tennessee Titan cornerback has had several
altercations in several night clubs and strip joints and even was
involved in an altercation at a Vegas strip club that ended with a
bouncer being shot and paralyzed.
Goodell suspended him
indefinitely a year ago for his actions, but here's the crazy part.
After getting into so much trouble at strip clubs, Pacman decided to
visit one the day before his appeals meeting with the commissioner.
When asked why, he stated that he "just wanted something to eat." I guess McDonald's closed early that night or something.
During
his suspension, in an effort to show Goodell that he could stay away
from the drama and negative headlines, he joined TNA Wrestling. After
his three-month stint in professional wrestling failed to work out, he
again tried to prove to Goodell that the life of crime, sex, money, and
drugs was a thing of the past by becoming a rapper. His label was named
National Street League Records and his group was called the Posterboyz.
Now does this sound like a changed man to you? Of course not!
You have to be seriously sick in the head to think that any of this is
acceptable behavior so why let someone, who clearly doesn't see a
problem with it, back into the league without the help of a
psychologist?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to judge the man now without looking
at his past. Pacman grew up on one of the toughest streets in Atlanta.
When he was just five years old his father was shot and killed. His mom
spent part of his childhood in prison forcing him to be raised by his
grandmother. He saw several of his peers slain in the streets and had
to protect himself by creating his own "gangster" mentality and
persona. If it weren't for his skills and abilities on the football
field, I am confident that he would have just been another homicide
statistic in the poverty stricken inner-city community.
That's
why I don't blame him for being a fool and making a lot of bad choices.
It's easy to judge people without fully placing yourself in their shoes
and understanding where they came from. That's why Pacman needs
counseling as well as better role models around him.
So many
people will sit up on their high horses and criticize those down below
without ever giving a thought to how instrumental their own parents,
mentors, teachers, friends, and community were in the process.
But
what about those who don't have any of those things? People say that
everyone knows right from wrong but what they fail to see is that
different people have varying perceptions on what is right and what is
wrong.
I'm not justifying Pacman's behavior. I'm just trying to
get Goodell to see that the problem is much deeper that the surface. He
has to dig into the roots in order to get the best results out of this
situation. Jones is a troubled young man who needs serious help. I just
hope the commissioner sees that.