2017 has not been a good year for Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones.
On the third day of the year, in the early morning hours, Jones was arrested in downtown Cincinnati and charged with three misdemeanors and a felony. The felony has been dropped and he’s reportedly pleading not-guilty to the remaining charges. Regardless of the legal outcome, Jones could face suspension from the NFL.
He’s due back in court next week for a pretrial hearing.
Jones also made headlines this offseason for yelling at a Cincinnati reporter for asking him a question about the arrest. That occurred during the first open locker room session of the year, one for which Jones had the option to be present.
On top of that, this week Jones was involved in a car accident that caused damage to his Rolls-Royce. The 18-year-old driver of the other car involved has set out to make Jones look bad in the aftermath of the accident. Though, he put that on himself after cursing and screaming in reaction to the accident. The accident likely wouldn’t have been news if we weren’t talking about someone who’s in anger management, has double digit arrests to his name and was arrested just months ago, including for a count of assault.
"NFL No Huddle" had Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis on the TuneIn program as a guest this week and of course, asked him about Jones’ behavior and the manner in which he conducts himself.
"He's got to continually work at that," Lewis said of Jones. "He's a passionate teammate for these guys. A diligent pro. He's got to just continue to handle himself within the scope of day to day and be a great pro. He's overcome his background, and it's a day-to-day process. Most importantly, he's at the point in his career where these things have to stay pointed towards football."
Lewis has defended Jones and given him second, third and fourth chances. So, it’s no surprise to hear him defending Jones once again. The question is, will Jones continue his string of poor behavior or can he actually clean up his act and stay out of the headlines?
After more than 10 years in the NFL and multiple suspensions, you’d think Jones would have learned by now. It seems, however, he has not.