NFL’s ‘Pacman’ Jones pleads no contest in Las Vegas club melee

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) -Suspended NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones pleaded no contest Thursday to a reduced charge in a Las Vegas strip club triple shooting that left a man paralyzed.
The Tennessee Titans cornerback appeared in Clark County District Court to take a plea deal that officials said will get him probation in return for his testimony about the gunman who opened fire outside the club at the end of NBA All-Star weekend in February.
The 24-year-old Jones, who is seeking reinstatement to the Titans, received one year of probation for agreeing not to contest a charge of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, a gross misdemeanor.
Prosecutors dropped two charges of coercion, a felony carrying a possible sentence of one to six years in prison.
Clark County prosecutor Victoria Villegas has said authorities hope Jones can help identify the gunman.
Defense attorney Robert Langford has declined to say if Jones knows the shooter’s identity.
No one has been charged in the shooting, and Las Vegas police have not linked Jones to the gunfire.
Police have instead called Jones the instigator of the melee that broke out inside the club after he showered dancers with dollar bills pulled from a black plastic trash bag – a stunt known as “making it rain.”
Witnesses told police that Jones and members of his entourage threatened people while they were being ejected, and that Jones spoke outside the club with the man who was suspected of opening fire minutes later.
Under the plea deal, Jones will receive a suspended one-year jail sentence, must attend an anger management program, complete 200 hours of community service within a year and submit to random drug testing.
Langford said the probation and community service requirements might be fulfilled near Jones’ home in Tennessee. Jones already is subject to the NFL’s drug testing program.