There are many reasons why athletes go broke; some legitimate and some not.  Adam "Pacman" Jones however is the poster child for spending money frivolously and recklessly.   Seemingly having learned from the errors in his ways, Pacman Jones recently addressed the incoming NFL crop at the 2012 Rookie Symposium warning them of some of the pitfalls of wild spending and the NFL lifestyle.

Pacman Jones was a can't miss prospect in 2005 and was drafted with much fanfare by the Tennessee Titans in 2005.  Although he lived up to the hype on the field, his off the field behavior was a constant source of embarrassment and frustration for the team.  Bar fights, wild partying and team suspensions derailed his efforts and ruined what was a potential hall-of fame career.

Pacman Jones' most infamous and most unfortunate incident occurred in 2007 when a shooting at a strip club in Las Vegas left one man paralyzed from the waist down.  Jones was recently deemed responsible for the incident and was ordered to pay $11 million to the victim.  His current 1-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals will net him $950,000 (if he earns his bonus).

Click here to listen to Pacman Jones speak about the 2012 Rookie Syposium

According to a recent Sports Illustrated article by Coby Fleener "Jones contacted the NFL and asked to be at the symposium to share what he had learned with the rookies,"  Jones said there will not be another 'Pacman' in the NFL, and credited [NFL Commissioner Roger] Goodell for having changed him as a person. Jones understood that he put himself in a position to be suspended. Jones regretfully recounted spending $1 million in one weekend!

Related articles: Why Athletes Go Broke

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