Adam Jones was scheduled to appear in court today for a pretrial hearing following his January 3, 2017 arrest.
But, the Cincinnati Bengals cornerback has had his court case continued to May 16, at which point there will be a pretrial hearing. The new date was set by Municipal Court Judge Dwane Mallory.
Jones faces three misdemeanor charges for assault, disorderly conduct and obstructing official business, in Ohio's Hamilton County. He was originally also charged with a felony for harassment with a bodily substance, but that charge has since been dropped.
Jones’ case has been delayed on numerous occasions. Originally, prosecutor Joe Deters wanted to delay the case in the hopes of the NFL punishing Jones before the legal system played out. The NFL has rarely, if ever, done such a thing. And, there’s no reason to expect that will happen. The case has also been continued (prior to today) due to Jones being in anger and alcohol management. Deters wanted to see how Jones was progressing with his anger and alcohol management before having the pretrial hearing. It’s unclear why the case was continued today.
Jones has the support of Bengals owner Mike Brown and head coach Marvin Lewis, and by all accounts, it seems Jones will be on the Bengals’ roster in 2017.
“I’m not condoning his actions. They were in all honestly embarrassing. He was out of control. He misbehaved. He made a fool of himself,” Brown said of Jones via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “No one knows that more than he does. I don’t know that I have been perfect in my lifetime, either. I probably did some things I wish I hadn’t. Most people would probably have to admit to that. He didn’t hurt anybody physically. He just hurt himself by how he comported himself. In some ways, that’s punishment enough right there. You have to live with that.”
We’ll keep you updated as more details emerge regarding Jones’ legal issues.