CINCINNATI -- Bengals cornerback Adam Jones caused a scene in front of news cameras.
Jones was swarmed by reporters in the Bengals locker room Monday, the first day of locker room interviews during the 2017 offseason. He answered a slew of questions about new players, the upcoming NFL draft and his age -- he's almost 34. Before the interviews began, though, Jones said he wouldn't talk about legal trouble he wound up in this past winter.
At the end of the four-and-a-half minute interview, a reporter asked Jones how, and if, he planned to win back fans after the offseason controversy.
"Is there anything you have to show to fans, have to prove to the fans for them to welcome you back since there were a lot of people upset with the way things went down in the offseason for you?" Jones was asked.
"Turn around, go back. See you. Next question." Jones said.
When the other reporters went silent, Jones said "That's his last interview for the year. Don't come over here for the rest of the year."
Watch the full video in the player above.
Jones, 33, was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and obstructing official business Jan. 3 after he pushed and poked a security guard in the eye, according to court records. They also state that Jones refused to enter a police cruiser by pulling away, kicking and head-butting as he was being arrested.
A 20-minute police cruiser video from the night of his arrest shows Jones berating the police officer driving and asking him questions, calling the officer a b---- a-- n----- and telling the officer to s--- [his] d---. He also repeatedly asks why he has been arrested.
"I hope you die tomorrow," Jones tells the officer in the video.
Jones denied the charges filed against him, even after 911 calls and video were released.
"I’m sorry that this happened, and it’d be different for beating people’s a**, but for touching someone, come on," Jones said.
The felony charges were eventually dropped against Jones. He could have faced a felony assault charge for spitting on the woman, but Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said Wednesday that he would not press such a charge against the player.
“My focus was making sure that we treated him exactly like we treat anybody else in these circumstances,” Deters said. "He was just a drunken idiot. He was. And people make mistakes all the time.”
Jones entered anger management and alcohol-related treatment after his arrest, and Deters said that "played into" his decision to avoid felony charges.
The cornerback, an Atlanta native, once had one of the longest rap sheets in the NFL. Assault and disorderly conduct make frequent appearances on the list of charges that have been filed against him since his college years. Between signing with the Bengals in 2010 and his most recent arrest Tuesday morning, he was arrested three separate times and fined heavily for an on-field scuffle with Steelers linebackers coach Joey Porter.
At one point, Jones' future with the Bengals was uncertain; the team could have cut him after any number of legal and criminal mishaps during the past seven years in Cincinnati.
Monday, Jones expressed gratitude that he got another chance with the Bengals.
"Words can’t express my gratitude for the organization, Mr. (Mike) Brown, the coaches, my teammates...the City of Cincinnati," Jones said. "I love playing football. I am more than happy to be here."
