Late last week, new Dallas Cowboys cornerback Pacman Jones moved to the Dallas area.
The only thing left for him to do now is become eligible to play for the team that traded for him in April. He plans on taking a step in that direction in the next few days.
Jones said he and his agent, Manny Arora, will call NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and ask for permission to join the team's player program with consultant Calvin Hill, begin working out with the team and participate in organized team activities (OTAs), which begin Tuesday morning. Under the terms of his suspension, Jones is not allowed to visit the team facility or participate in any team-organized training.
"Hopefully I can get around my new teammates and start doing OTAs and working out with them," Jones said Sunday at Score Foundation All-Star Bowl 2008. "I still have to go through the process, and I'm just waiting. I'm ready to get in there and learn the defense. And I've been out of the game for a year, so I need to shake off all the rust to get ready to play."
When reached on Sunday, Arora declined to comment.
Sunday's event, hosted by Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, was the first opportunity Jones had to be around his new teammates en masse.
Jones, who brought his own bowling ball and had the highest score (189), said he already feels accepted by most of his new teammates. And he's ready to prove to the rest that he can be trusted.
"It feels really good to be here with your new teammates and feel the vibe and be around them and let them see the real Pacman," Jones said. "There are going to be a couple guys that don't want me to let them down, but it's all on me. I've got everything in place, so if I let anybody down, it's all on me, and that's not my plan."
The Cowboys' Tank Johnson, who served an eight-game suspension at the outset of last season after being released by the Bears, and Jones stayed close for most of the festivities. Jones said that he's already leaned on his new teammate.
"Tank has helped me," Jones said. "He's been through a lot of the things I've been through."
Jones also seems to have made a strong first impression on Witten, who said Jones came off as "very nice" in a recent conversation.
Jones expects to make more favorable impressions.
"I'm on my last straw, plain and simple," Jones said. "If I mess up, it is what it is. I know that. The group of people around me knows that. Jerry [Jones] knows that, and I looked him in his eyes and told him I won't let him down, and that's the main reason I think I'm here."
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