COVINGTON, Ky. — A Kenton County judge has sentenced Adam "Pacman" Jones to five years of probation, pending a plan that includes his specified community service and face-to-face apologies, after the former Bengals player pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including assaulting an officer outside a Covington bar.
Covington police said officers responded to Second Story bar at around 12:45 a.m. on June 7, 2025, for a "report of a disturbance involving a customer and an employee." Jones's attorney said in court that he hit a bouncer in the chin while he was leaving the building.
When police arrived, they found Jones inside a car attempting to leave the area. The now-42-year-old was then arrested on charges "related to his level of intoxication and his behavior."
While he was being taken to the Kenton County Detention Center, police said Jones assaulted the arresting officer. He pleaded guilty to six charges, including assaulting a police officer, menacing and resisting arrest.
Jones read a statement in court, apologizing to the officer he pleaded guilty to assaulting, stating it was his "rock bottom" moment before deciding to get sober.
"It's one of the best decisions I've ever made," he said before asking the judge for probation.
You can watch his sentencing here:
Jones's wife also spoke in court, saying that her husband is not perfect, "but what I have been seeing is a big difference."
"He's been wanting to change; that's the difference that I see," she said. "He wants to do better, he wants to get right."
However, prosecutors said Jones's repeated conduct "is concerning," asking the judge to sentence him to 18 months in jail.
In 2023, Jones pleaded guilty to a charge connected to "unruly" behavior at Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but with the stipulation that he'd be conditionally discharged if he no longer engaged in any "unlawful conduct" at CVG for two years.
Two years prior, Jones ended up in the Hamilton County Justice Center after police said he punched and kicked a person in the head until that person was unconscious.
The judge asked Jones, whom she said she knows to be a gambling man, if he wanted to gamble jail time. She said she'll sentence him to five years of probation, but if he gets in trouble again, he'll spend a significantly longer time in jail than the requested 18 months in jail.
"You've got a lot on the line," the judge said.
She said Jones must take courses on behavioral management and parenting, as well as participate in cognitive behavioral therapy. His team will also need to provide her a plan for his community service, including possible face-to-face apologies to the officer and employee he assaulted.
Jones retired from the NFL in 2019. Despite being from the Atlanta area, he's remained in the Tri-State since his career ended.
