At this point of the summer, there isn’t a NFL fan out there who doesn’t know what has gone wrong in Adam “Pacman” Jones’ lift. After being drafted high in the first round by the Tennessee Titans, Pacman has had nothing but problems and mishaps in his life, both on-the-court and off.

There isn’t much to say on the legal problems Jones has had. He has had double-digit run-ins with the law in just the last two or three years combined. Most of these incidents occur at nightclubs and strip clubs with a group of friends who are equally palpable to get into trouble as Adam is. But the altercations go beyond the simple arrests that many athletes and even coaches get into. Jones has been charged with felonies several times, with the most recent being for an incident in Las Vegas during the NBA All-Star break.

Think about that, during the professional basketball league’s All-Star game, the biggest story was a football player causing a shooting in a strip-club.

Now, even after Roger Goodell has suspended Jones for an entire season, he continues to get himself in sticky situations. The Las Vegas case could tack on one or two more felonies to his resume. During his felony trial, Jones is also being sought out by prosecutors in Atlanta, who believe his entourage shot up a nightclub there as well.

It is high time the media stops defending this kid and blaming his problems on the society or lifestyle he grew up in. Pacman Jones has been paid millions of dollars to play a sport he is lucky enough to be talented in. He has been asked to do nothing but stay out of trouble and play football. And yet he has failed multiple times.

And the problems aren’t just off-the-field. Pacman has been described as uninterested and unmotivated by his close friends towards the game of football. His on-field play has been lackluster and disappointing.

The problem with young football players today, and most young athletes in general, is they feel it is their right to make lots of money and to be above normal citizens. It is their right to be the hero of millions of children watching them on television. But it is not their right, it is a gift. A gift that the league they play for, whether it be the NFL or the NCAA, gives them in exchange for their talents. And no one player is bigger then the league they play for.

So what Adam Jones needs to realize is that there are dozens, no hundreds, of eager cornerbacks willing to work hard and stay at home during the nights to have the same opportunity he does. And if he doesn’t shape up soon, he will have no shot of ever playing professional football again.