SI.com is reporting that troubled cornerback Pacman Jones will head to Winnipeg to play a year in the CFL. From the report:
If controversial cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones is going to return to the NFL, it will be via the Canadian Football League. Jones agreed in principle to a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers late Monday night and is expected to join the team as early as Wednesday. ... Several NFL general managers said in the last week that Jones has the skill set to be a productive player, but one added: "He's already got 2 1/2 strikes against him, so he's just not worth the time."
John Murphy, the Blue Bombers' director of player personnel, understands that sentiment. But he says none of the NFL coaches or personnel people he has spoken with the last two weeks has called Jones a bad teammate or malingerer, and Jones has not had any run-ins with the law since 2007.
"If I was in the same position in the NFL I might have a lot more reservations," Murphy said. "But for me it's a win-win. I'm smart enough to know that if I'm looking for somebody who can be a playmaker for the second half of our season, there isn't a better football player who's not in the NFL, at 25 years old, who's ready to play football, is going to play with a chip on his shoulder, and is going to bring some fun and excitement to our team, our locker room, our city, and our league."
Winnipeg, of course, is no stranger to taking on troubled players. You'll recall the Blue Bombers also brought a certain Whizzinator-addled Onterrio Smith to camp in 2006. That begs the question: if you combine The Whizzinator with Making it Rain, what happens? Or do you really want to even think about it?
