Pacman Jones says he was arrested at airport after requesting to change his seat

The former Bengals cornerback had been working hard to improve his reputation.

We all know Pacman Jones’ past. But that’s the thing about the past. It’s no longer here.

Today, the Pacman I know is a tremendous father and a man who takes his media career very seriously. He also passionately supports the franchise he considers his family, the Cincinnati Bengals.

And so, in light of recent news about Jones being arrested at CVG airport, it’s important to take a deep breath, allow the facts to trickle in, and avoid passing judgment.

What was Pacman accused of?

We still don’t have the official police report.

According to a spokesperson for CVG, Jones was allegedly an “unruly passenger.” WCPO reports that he was charged with “alcohol intoxication, terroristic threatening, and disorderly conduct.”

How accurate those charges were will be made clear in the future.

So what is Pacman’s perspective?

I spoke with Jones multiple times Monday, and here’s what he told me:

Very early in the morning, Pacman was on his way to his flight, clearly in good spirits, even posting a video to Twitter at 4:18 AM about the Bengals as he walked to his gate.

Jones then got to his seats. Yes, plural. He purchased two seats and shared the transaction details with me to post here.

So Pacman sits down, and the outlet near his seats isn’t working.

Why was this so important? Well, he needed to charge his iPad for work, as he was on his way to do a show for Monday night.

Pacman pointed out to a flight attendant that he paid for two (rather expensive) seats, and he requested to be moved to another seat. He explained the urgency involved in charging his device.

The flight attendant told him that, in order to be able to move him, they would have to take the plane back to the gate.

“You gotta do what you gotta do, sir,” Jones told me he said to the flight attendant in response.

At that point, Jones said, the flight attendant walked away to speak with the pilot. The pilot began to return to the gate. After the plane was returned to the gate, Jones would be asked to deplane.

Jones believes that the pilot called the police as soon as the flight attendant relayed to the pilot Jones’ request, because when Jones deplaned, there were a number of officers waiting to arrest him.

You can hear Pacman tell the story here as well:

Pacman later posted a screenshot that appears to support his side of the story.

It’s important to not let a man’s reputation determine how we judge him; Pacman, like everybody else, is innocent until proven guilty.

We’ll talk to Pacman tonight about what happened on our show, “Pacman Jones Keeps Crazy Company.” And in case you missed it, make sure to check out Pacman’s recent interview with Tee Higgins:

Follow our Twitter page and then like our Facebook page for more Cincinnati Bengals news and views.