By John Garces/sports editor
The NFL Draft is fast approaching, and so, it seems, is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ willingness to overlook character issues when evaluating free agent and draft talent.
Take, for example, currently suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones.
It’s no secret here in the heart of Cowboy country that over the course of winning three Super Bowls in four years during the ’90s, America’s Team more often than not spent those years also running afoul of the law.
Fast forward a decade and 12 years of no playoff victories.
After buying the Dallas franchise, Jones initiated a character-first strategy in his talent acquisitions to clean up the club’s image.
So what happened to that strategy? Apparently, Jones has now gone for the ability-over-everything-else stance in an effort to bring titles back to Dallas.
Pacman carries the baggage of somewhere between eight and 10 run-ins with the law in his college and professional career anywhere he goes.
Currently on an NFL-mandated suspension, Pacman and his lawyers have planned to file for re-instatement before this weekend’s draft, which would open the door for the Titans to deal him to the Cowboys, who seek both his defensive and kick return abilities.
But why is everybody feigning shock at this potential deal?
Maybe it’s the long-suffering Cowboy fan in me, but a team totally consisting of “choir boys” may not be tough enough to handle the rigors of winning big in the cutthroat world of professional sports. History shows that to be mostly true.
The Detroit Pistons of the ’80s even flaunted it, christening themselves the “Bad Boys.”
What do Michael Irvin, Erik Williams, Nate Newton and the one and only Deion Sanders have in common?
These guys all have reputations, warranted or not, as troublemakers.
They also all helped the Cowboys win titles. Newton and Irvin won three, with Irvin always skating the thin line between jail time and probation. Newton actually did time for distribution of marijuana.
When the Cowboys brought in Tank Johnson to shore up their defensive line early last season, the move was met with mostly a good reaction, despite the gun charges brought against him as a member of the Chicago Bears.
Now, I’m not an expert, even though I do occasionally watch CSI and Law & Order. But why is it that going to strip clubs and “making it rain” are seen as bigger crimes than toting a gun around?
The answer is they are not.
Fans seem worried about a return of the days of the Cowboys being back on the police blotter as much as they are on primetime TV.
But if the ’Boys are the last ones standing in February because of it, then all those transgressions can be forgiven.
Winning cures everything, after all.
