Is There Any Hope for Pacman Jones?

I don't know. But I think NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has acted wisely in setting out the terms and conditions of Pacman's suspension. Over the past two years Pacman has given no indication that he will change his lifestyle and stay out of trouble, but I believe that punishment should always been accompanied by an opportunity for rehabilitation. With that in mind, two conditions of Pacman's punishment stick out to me:

1) He must comply with all required counseling, education and treatment assigned by the NFL or the judicial system.

I still fault the NBA for not requiring Ron Artest to undergo anger management classes or other psychological treatment in conjunction with his suspension following the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills. I'm glad that Goodell has the foresight to make "counseling, education and treatment" a condition of Pacman's punishment.

2) He may not be at the Titans' facility through May 31 and may not participate in any practices or workouts during his suspension. Starting June 1, he must visit the team facility once per week to meet with the team's player development director. Also, beginning June 1, he is permitted to spend one day a week at the team facility for conditioning, film study and other activities.

I'm glad that Pacman will be required to have regular contact with the team and will have the opportunity to participate in the life of the team through conditioning and film study. Dan Patrick yesterday on his radio show questioned the wisdom of giving Pacman a year off to spend with "his boys"; but Pacman isn't being completely cut off from the Titans. If Pacman has any hope of rehabilitating his life and his career, he'll need to maintain a connection to his team, even if he can't participate in practices or play on Sunday (or get paid).

The Tennessean has more.

Image from The Tennessean.