Shortly after Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman†Jones was ordered to pay $11.65 million to victims of a 2007 strip club shooting, Jones’s lawyer said that’s more than he can afford to pay.  Read more after the jump.
“It’s obviously a devastating amount for him financially,†attorney Lisa Rasmussen told the Associated Press. “He has really worked hard to make a comeback with his NFL career. He doesn’t make enough money to pay that judgment.â€
Although the shooting took place shortly after Jones set off a melee inside the strip club, Rasmussen said there is no evidence that Jones was involved in the shooting. And she thinks the jury’s verdict was motivated by a combination of sympathy for the two injured strip club employees, Tommy Urbanski and Aaron Cudworth, and the belief that Jones is a wealthy celebrity who can easily afford to pay.
“People perceive him as a person who is able to pay $11 million,†she said. “Adam doesn’t even get paid until he plays his first game.â€
Yes, it’s true that Jones’s base salary is paid out one week at a time, starting with the first game of the season in September. But Jones has been a professional football player since 2005, when he signed a rookie contract as the sixth overall pick in the NFL draft that guaranteed him $13.5 million. If Jones were smart with his money, he would have a lot of it. Of course, if Jones were smart with his life decisions he wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. The reality is that he probably doesn’t have anything close to the $11.65 million.
Still, Cudworth’s lawyer, Richard Schonfeld, said whatever money Jones does have, his client deserves.
“If he is making money, I am going to be there trying to collect,†Schonfeld said.
Jones is slated to make $950,000 this season with the Bengals.
