The curious case of Pacman Jones

Here, friends, is another thread in sport’s rich tapestry, another narrative to weave into America’s on-field mythology.

Take two hip-hop stars – Nelly and Jermain Dupri – gridiron star Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, Sin City, a gaggle (is that the collective noun) of strippers and $100,000 in dollar bills. And what do you get? A near-riot in a lap-dancing club and a subsequent attempted murder investigation.

New amateur footage has emerged, giving the clearest picture yet of what happened inside a Las Vegas strip club on February 19, 2007, when Pacman showered scantily clad dancers with money – or to use the vernacular, he ‘made it rain’.

Jones was involved in a fight inside the club and a short time later, three people were shot outside.

Pacman was initially charged with felony coercion for his role in the incident but the charge was later was reduced. His career is on the brink however as he remains unemployed.

It sounds like a great night out in fairness; Jones was in Las Vegas for NBA All-Star Weekend – a guest of Michael Jordan. After losing up to $60,000 gambling at Caesars Palace, Jones went on a hot streak, winning $120,000 at the Palms hotel and casino.

He then hit the Minxx Gentlemen’s Club & Lounge, cashing in 100k for singles; he gave rapper Nelly $10,000. At one point, music producer Dupri berates the dancers as they stop entertaining the crowd and start collecting the cash in buckets. “Don’t start getting the money until I tell y’all to get off the stage,” Dupri said. “… Just keep f*****g dancing! Don’t bend down and try to get your money.”

Moments after Dupri made those comments, the video ends. It was after 4:30am when trouble inside Minxx began. The video’s above but, be warned, it’s not pretty.