Pacman Jones, cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals, is paying dearly for a chaotic event that resulted in one person being paralyzed and another man shaken up. In 2007, Jones and a friend entered the Minxx strip club in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the party began to take off, Jones added to the excitement buying throwing several hundred dollars in singles into the air. As a dancer began to grab the money a fight ensued that was eventually taken outside the bar. Shots were fired by Jones’ friend and two employees of the club were wounded.
The club’s manager, Tommy Urbanski ended up being paralyzed from the waist down due to the injuries he received. The club’s bouncer, Aaron Cudworth received minor wounds. The couple sued Jones, even though he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger. They claim that his actions caused the melee that led to the strip club shooting. Apparently a Nevada judge agreed and awarded the men almost $11 million dollars. Urbanski will receive the bulk of the settlement because of his paralysis. His wife was awarded almost $750 for loss of marital benefits and distress.
Jones had just resigned a single year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals for a modest $950k. A stipulation of the contract was that he only receives the money for as long as he is able to play. After being sidelined a part of last year with a neck injury, the club was unsure of how he healthy he would be for this season. The encouraging aspect of it was that even though he was injured, he did manage to start 7 of the last games of the season.
While Jones continues to work to train on the football field, he also maintains his innocence. He claims he had no part in the shooting, even though the man who admitted to firing the gun said he did it on a request from the cornerback. Only time will tell whether Jones decides to appeal the court’s costly decision.
