ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Jones

Please tell me the news didn't come as a shock. The reclamation project known as Adam "Pacman" Jones may have hit a snag in downtown Dallas early Wednesday morning.

At about 6:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, I was tipped off that Dallas-Fort Worth's local CBS affiliate, which happens to be the Dallas Cowboys network, was about to report that Jones had been involved in an altercation with one of his body guards at the trendy new Joule Hotel.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram cited two sources saying that Jones had been attending a party hosted by rapper Ludacris when he squared off with a member of his four-man security detail named Tommy Jones. The two men, reportedly, fought in a hotel bathroom, and finally had to be restrained by hotel security after breaking a mirror.

Dallas Deputy Chief Vince Golbeck, commander of the central patrol division, confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that the altercation took place and said that Jones -- wait for it -- may have been drinking. This comes on the heels of a recent report in which Cowboys owner Jerry Jones acknowledged that the club had asked the cornerback to keep a lower profile. The team had told Adam not to attend a celebrity volleyball tournament at a local bar after he had shown up on stage at a Nelly concert.

As luck would have it, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell happened to stop by Valley Ranch on Wednesday afternoon. He had told reporters in San Antonio that he planned on visiting with Adam, but he wasn't aware of the altercation at that point.

By the way, Jones' attorney Worrick Robinson talked to ESPN's Ed Werder on Wednesday evening.

"I'm not satisfied anything has happened," Robinson said. "I perform due diligence on rumors any time there is an allegation made against a player I represent, and at this point I can tell you that I'm not satisfied that anything occurred.'"

Something tells me that Robinson might have a pretty loose interpretation of "due diligence," because it's pretty obvious that something happened. At the very least, it looks like Adam will be invited to New York to explain his side to the commissioner. The police were called to the scene of Wednesday's altercation, but no official report was filed. When I talked to a high-ranking Cowboys official late Wednesday evening, he said, "We're under orders not to talk about Pacman -- and we don't have enough information anyway."

The coaching staff apparently thinks that Jones would have to be arrested in order to lose his playing privileges again, but I think a visit from the police would probably be enough to sway Goodell.

When you factor in Jones' previous body of work, it's not hard to imagine a scenario in which the commissioner suspends him again. Jerry Jones has said himself that the cornerback has lost the right to be given the benefit of the doubt. Under a zero tolerance policy, it would seem that an altercation with a member of his own security detail could warrant another suspension.

From a football standpoint, the loss would be devastating to the Cowboys defense. Werder reported earlier Wednesday that Pro Bowl cornerback Terence Newman is seeking a second opinion on what might be a sports hernia, which could keep him out for up to six more weeks.

If they lose Jones, the Cowboys would have rookie Mike Jenkins playing opposite Anthony Henry, with another rookie, Orlando Scandrick, playing the nickel.

And that loud I-told-you-so can be heard all the way from Nashville. I'm certain we'll soon hear that this was all a big misunderstanding, and that Pacman didn't really mean to get in a fight with his own body guard. But even if you give this guy a sixth or seventh chance (I've lost count), he'll eventually mess up again.

By continuing to get his nightlife reps, Pacman is defying a direct order from Jerry. The owner should cut his losses and release the player Thursday.

But he won't do it. Perhaps, though, the commissioner will do it for him.

Update: Looks like at least one columnist agrees with me this morning.