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 The Tennessee Titans agreed Wednesday to a deal sending the rights to the suspended cornerback to the Cowboys. But there are so many loose ends that need to be tied down that the trade was not finalized Thursday.
It might not happen Friday, either. Yet it seems likely to be settled by early afternoon Saturday, in time for the start of the NFL draft. After all, the Titans are supposed to get Dallas' fourth-round pick.
"We're still in the process of finalizing the trade papers, the contracts, so it's a very complicated process with Dallas, the NFL, the player, ourselves," Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt said Thursday. "So until that situation is finalized, we will not comment on it. However, as soon as it is finalized, we will have some type of get-together to address the situation in detail."
Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said team owner Jerry Jones likely will discuss the trade once it's done. However, he doesn't expect Pacman Jones to comment any time soon.
Jerry Jones is putting out a small investment in hopes of a big return, giving up no more than a fourth-rounder this weekend and a sixth-rounder in
'09 to acquire a young player capable of solving the team's problems at cornerback and kick returner.
Capable is the key word because Pacman first has to get reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Should that happen, he'd have to stay out of trouble, which hasn't been easy.
Jones has been arrested six times and has been involved in 12 incidents requiring police action since being the top defensive player taken in the 2005 draft. The accumulation led Goodell to suspend Jones for the 2007 season.
If Goodell doesn't let Pacman return in '08, the Cowboys would get back an
'09 pick. They're also expected to be giving him a non-guaranteed contract, making it easier to distance themselves from him, if necessary.
Goodell said Thursday the deal would have no bearing on his pending decision. He also said he doesn't know if he will allow Jones to work out with his new team, as he let Tank Johnson do last season after Johnson signed with Dallas while suspended. The commissioner did not let Jones work out with the Titans last summer. He also was barred from working out on their property in February.
Goodell's stance on reinstatement remains that everything is riding on a meeting he plans to have with Jones before training camp, probably in June.
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A new wrinkle to Jones' case is his involvement in helping track down the alleged shooter in a February 2007 triple shooting at a Las Vegas strip club.
"We've encouraged him to cooperate with authorities," Goodell said.
Jones also is getting encouragement from Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
Brown, who has often reached out to wayward players, told The Associated Press in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday that he has spoken three times with Pacman and his agent.
"If I can be helpful with the Cowboys, with the Titans, with him and the commissioner, and the league, that's my goal," Brown said. "It's not just about him. It's about the total situation."
The total situation has drawn so much attention that the Internet gambling site Bodog posted odds Thursday on how things will work out.
They're taking bets on obvious things like whether he'll be reinstated and how he'll play. Money also can be wagered on things like when Pacman will first be written up for visiting a Dallas strip club (even for during the 2008 NFL season), whether Terrell Owens will join him, and both if and when Jones will be arrested.
[Associated Press; By JAIME ARON]
AP Sports Writers Teresa Walker in Nashville and Dave Goldberg in New York, and AP writer Lucas L. Johnson II in Nashville contributed to this story.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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