Adam “Pacman” Jones wants everyone to get rid of the gobble gobble in an effort to show folks he is truly trying to change his life around. I think I’ll go on a wait and see for this one.

SCOTT JACOBS

He’s not the first. He certainly won’t be the last, but this week Adam “Pacman” Jones was the most recent to change his name. Okay, well unofficially at least. The last prominent athlete who actually changed his name, to my memory’s recall, was a young man by the name of Jason Williams. Williams, the once number 2 draft pick of the Chicago Bulls, changed his name to Jay, to avoid confusion with former NBA nut-job Jason Williams.

He had good reason.

As for Adam Jones… well, he’s trying to run from his shadow. Or the image he has built up in such a short pathetic time, that has led to such a negative connotation surrounding his name. Heck, rumors have been swirling that Mr. and Mrs. Pacman are contemplating suing his ass for defamation, but luckily for Jones, they’re just animated graphics.

On a serious note though, this comes as an intriguing effort in what appears to be a long rebuilding process. But let’s not kid ourselves here. The truth is simple.

If Mr. Jones, or Adam Jones, or whatever the heck he wants to be called, avoids trouble, plays to his talent, and keeps a low profile, the media and the fans will quickly grow to love him again. He will be another Josh Hamilton story. Young kid who got in a lot of trouble early in life, had a lot of problems, nearly lost his career because of it, rehabilitated his image, started over with a new team, and found new found success leaving his grim past behind. Of course, Hamilton’s problem was with drugs. Jones’ problem has apparently been because of his nickname, I mean, stupidity.

Adam got the nickname “Pacman” from his mom when he was younger. Anyone know why? Did he like to eat yellow dots or something?

He says he can accept his mom still calling him that, and even his teammates, but he wants the media to stray from the horrifying nickname that unofficially became his first name as his life went on.

Of course, Jones, who is now a Dallas Cowboy, not a Tennessee Titan, has to get reinstated by the league first. Rumor has it, you can’t play no football, until you prove you decent human being, or something like that.

The renaissance has already begun too. Jones signed autographs for kids at a basketball camp hosted by Maverick Brandon Bass, but he refused to sign Pacman. (Side note: those things were immediately put on Ebay, after the kids realized they were the first not to get Pacman inscribed on their paraphernalia).

Anyways, Pacman, whoops I mean Adam, has given no indication that he’ll pull a Tampa Bay and charge a buck to every media member who wrongly says “Pacman”, like the “Rays” did with “Devil.” So at least a slip up here and there won’t cost you a GW.

Another slip up for Pacman though will ultimately end his career. You only get so many chances, even in the National Football League. And Pacman, Adam, Mr. Jones, whatever he wants to call himself, has to prove that he can avoid problems.

But he appears to be on the right track. By calling himself Adam Jones, and taking out the “Pacman” he already got a little more boring.

And that’s his best chance to fade back into a career of normalcy.

Popularity: 4% [?]