The nickname of the currently unemployed NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones once referred to his ability to gobble up interceptions from unsuspecting quarterbacks, but now has become one of the most ironic anomalies in the world of athlete nicknames.

Since his arrival nearly 30 years ago, the famous yellow circle has been teaching children the value of gobbling up every little “dot of opportunity” while avoiding the bad influences of the world that try to eat him up at every turn. He can temporarily drive these evils away, and even turn the tables and devour them by taking advantage of the bigger opportunities that come around. Perhaps these are extracurricular activities, a college education, or the like. Finally, the Pacster has shown that, through perseverance, you’ll be rewarded with the occasional piece of delicious fruit.

“Pacman” Jones has done his part to defile the name, however, by being involved in seemingly endless incidents with various police departments around the country. He was released by the Dallas Cowboys last Wednesday after new allegations surfaced that he had arranged a June 2007 shooting following a confrontation at an Atlanta strip club.

This is just the latest allegation to surface during an NFL career that has seen well over 10 run-ins with police, which have included felony charges and multiple arrests, all in the short period since Jones was drafted in 2005.

In lieu of all of this, I’ve come to realize just how much I miss the days when professional athletes were dependable, admirable role models.

The despicable behavior of many professional athletes over the past five years, which Jones has helped magnify, is telling of the turn that many athletes have taken since the days of the Michael Jordans and John Elways of the world. These days, for every well-behaved Tim Duncan there are five Chris Henrys and Ron Artests.

But children aren’t the only people that should be wary of taking cues from these anti-role models. College athletes that are looking to make the transition into the high-paying professional sports world can look to athletes like Jones to see what not to do.

Professional athletes have to realize that, as stupid as it sounds, there are always going to people that gravitate toward them because they are famous and they have money. It’s simply unfortunate that some of these people are bad news. It’s up to the athlete to know who to surround himself with. In Jones’ case, the gang-bangers with the fleur-de-lis tattoo between their eyes might be a bad idea.

Just as important is making sure that all that money is being used for the right purposes and not rubbed in the face or flaunted in front of people who would take issue with that. I mean, I love “making it rain” as much as the next guy, Pacman, but can you honestly expect your night to end well when you do it in a place like a strip club where everybody is going to be attention-starved as is?

It seems like common sense to me. The Pacman Jones of the world need to take a cue from athletes like Brett Favre and Tim Duncan in getting their life under control. Understand that you get paid millions of dollars to play a game and to do anything to squander that opportunity is nothing short of epically idiotic. Football is just a game, Pacman; it’s more important that you get your life in order.

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