Shock details of NFL star’s violent struggle in police custody emerge amid ‘overzealous policing’ claims

New shocking details into the early Saturday morning arrest of former NFL star Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones have been revealed, including a violent struggle in police custody amid ‘overzealous policing’ claims. 

Jones reportedly ‘intentionally’ threw an elbow a police officers face during his detainment at the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Kentucky, just before 2am local time. 

The alleged strike was thrown around an hour after Jones was arrested for alleged public drunkenness. 

Jones’ arrest was first publicized on Saturday, with the shocking new details appearing in new court documentation, per TMZ.  

The 41-year-old Jones, who played 13 seasons in the NFL, was detained on multiple charges, including third-degree assault on a police officer, public intoxication, and second-degree disorderly conduct.

He was released at around 11:30am after posting a $10,000 bond. Jones is due back in court on Wednesday. 

The documents state Jones was questioned by police outside of a Kentucky bar around 12:45am, cussing and displaying signs of drunkenness, including ‘slurred speech’ and ‘glossy eyes’. 

‘Officers determined [Jones] to be a danger to himself and others in his current intoxicated state,’ the documents stated. ‘[Jones] was causing annoyance and alarm to the pedestrians nearby.’

After Jones was taken to the detention center,  he ‘intentionally threw his elbow upwards’, which struck and officer in the face, and caused “the inside of [the cop’s] lip to bleed.’ 

The agent for Jones has accused Northern Kentucky of abusing their authority and declared his client’s innocence after the former Bengals cornerback was arrested in the Cincinnati suburb. 

‘The recent arrest of Adam “Pacman” Jones in Covington, Kentucky, is yet another example of overzealous policing and the systemic issues that plague our justice system,’ began the statement from agent Peter Schaffer. ‘Adam did nothing wrong other than exercise his right to ask why he was being detained – a fundamental question that every citizen should be allowed to ask without fear of retaliation.’ 

‘Initially, officers claimed he was being arrested for assault and then shifted to public intoxication (which, in itself, is not a crime in many jurisdictions unless it leads to dangerous behavior), and finally settled on disorderly conduct – simply for asking why he was being detained,’ the statement continued.

‘This pattern of escalating and inconsistent charges is a clear abuse of authority and demonstrates a troubling trend of police officers prioritizing their own discretion over constitutional rights.’ 

Schaffer insisted his client is ‘innocent until proven guilty’ before arguing that Jones’ past is ‘being used against him in the court of public opinion.’

‘The repeated mischaracterization of his encounters with law enforcement – often stemming from minor incidents – only reinforces the need for accountability in policing,’ Schaffer wrote.

The arrest is just the latest in a storied history with the law for Jones, who enjoyed stints with the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys , Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos before calling it quits in 2018.

It marked at least the fourth time since 2021 that Jones has been arrested and the second in almost seven months . In each of the past three years, he has been booked on a public intoxication charge.

Last November, Jones was taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday morning after watching Jake Paul ‘s victory over Mike Tyson. Jones was arrested on a number of charges outside Loews Arlington Hotel – a short walk away from the fight venue – including public intoxication, resisting arrest, evading arrest and assault on a police officer.

In December 2023, Jones, pled guilty to a disorderly conduct charge in a Kentucky courtroom after a meltdown on an airplane.