3 former Cowboys with troubled pasts arrested within 72 hours of each other

USA Today

6 hours ago

3 former Cowboys with troubled pasts arrested within 72 hours of each other
The Dallas Cowboys have never been strangers with the red flag industry. Ever since their dominance of the 1990s, they've served as the poster franchise for taking risks on players with questionable pasts. Some times it works out, other times it doesn't, but since Jerry Jones has been owner of the club, they're well known to give second and third chances.
Three of the most recent second-chance players all found themselves in booking photos over a 72-hour period. On Thursday, it was reported that Greg Hardy, signed in 2015 after a domestic violence arrest, had been arrested on Wednesday afternoon or alleging assaulting a family member. In the early hours of Saturday, Adam "Pacman" Jones was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication. Also in the early hours of Saturday, recent second-round pick Kelvin Joseph was arrested after being involved in a fatal car crash.
While some have tried to paint the NFL in a bad light when it comes to arrests, the reality is they have a lower arrest rate (2.5 k per 100,000) than the general public (4k per 100,000) does. It's only that every arrest of an NFL player makes headlines.
And while it may seem like the Cowboys have a greater share of NFL arrests than other clubs, that's more than likely because their reputation precedes them.
Hardy, most famously, signed a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Cowboys after his 2014 arrest led to his release from the Carolina Panthers. He did not get along well, consistently missing meetings and clashing with the coaching staff and fellow players. No team signed him after that and he eventually turned to being an MMA fighter to try and capitalize on his athletic nature.
His career lasted from 2018 through 2022, when after losing three straight matches was released from the UFC.
Jones signed with Dallas in 2008, after being suspended by the league for 2007 after two seasons in Tennessee. He played just nine games before being suspended, as he was involved in a fight with the bodyguard Dallas assigned to babysit the player. After sitting out 2009, he rejuvenated his career in Cincinnati, playing eight seasons for the Bengals, earning First-Team All-Pro honors in 2015 and a Pro Bowl the following year.
Jones, 41, was booked just before 2 a.m. Saturday into Kenton County jail, according to the court log. He was arrested by the Covington Police Department and charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place, disorderly conduct, and assault of a police officer or a probation officer. Jones posted a $10,000 bond and was released around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Other details regarding the arrest were not immediately made available.
Saturday's arrest in Covington, which is directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, marks at least the fourth time since 2021 that Jones has been arrested. He has now been booked on a public intoxication charge three years in a row.
Joseph, part of the Cowboys' 2021 class that brought them Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa, was traded away before 2023. he had been arrested for his participation in a fight outside a bar that led to a murder. He was drafted following being removed from the LSU team and having to transfer to Kentucky a year before entering the draft.