Former NFL defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones pleaded not guilty Wednesday to multiple charges following his arrest over the weekend in greater Cincinnati.
Jones, 41, was arrested by the Covington Police Department early Saturday morning and charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place, disorderly conduct, and assault of a police officer or a probation officer. Jones posted a $10,000 bond and was released around 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Jones’ attorney, Pete Schaefer, addressed the charges Wednesday, accusing the police and media of embellishing the facts of the case.
“The recent arrest of Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones in Covington, Kentucky, is yet another example of overzealous policing and the systemic issues that plague our justice system,” Schaefer said. “Adam did nothing wrong other than exercise his right to ask why he was being detained. … Initially, officers claimed he was being arrested for assault and then shifted to public intoxication, which, in itself, is not a crime in many jurisdictions unless it leads to dangerous behavior, and finally settled on disorderly conduct — simply for asking why he was being detained.”
Schaefer also suggested his client has received unfair treatment since his detention.
“Adam, like every American, is innocent until proven guilty. Yet, once again, his past is being weaponized against him in the court of public opinion, while the officers involved face no scrutiny for their conduct. … Adam deserves fairness, not another headline designed to paint him as a villain for clicks.”
Saturday’s arrest in Covington, which is directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, marks at least the fourth time since 2021 that Jones has been arrested. He has now been booked on a public intoxication charge three years in a row.
In 2023, Jones was removed from a flight scheduled to take off from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and was charged with alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening. Last year, Jones was arrested for public intoxication and assaulting a peace officer while in Arlington, Texas, for the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing event.
The most serious incident in recent years was in 2021, when Jones pleaded no contest to two counts of misdemeanor assault for an altercation at a Cincinnati bar. He ultimately served 18 days in jail, Hamilton County court records show.
Jones was the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft and spent 12 seasons in the NFL from 2005 to 2018, with eight of those seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was an All-Pro selection as a kick returner in 2014 and made the Pro Bowl in 2015 as a cornerback.
Information from ESPN’s Ben Baby and Field Level Media was included in this report.
