There is no love lost between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Adam 'Pac-man' Jones. Jones spent many years in the NFL before finishing his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his time in Cincinnati the Steelers routinely walloped the Bengals time after time. And with each beating the anger towards the Steelers would grow inside of Jones.
All the pent up frustration finally came out on the field during the Steelers and Bengals January 2015 AFC Wild Card game. With the Bengals winning late in the game Jones would erupt after teammate Vontaez Burfict was penalized for a helmet to helmet hit on Antonio Brown. Jones pushed former Steelers player and then linebackers coach Joey Porter after the two sides came together in a heated exchange. Jones was penalized an additional 15 yards and that would put the Steelers in range for Chris Boswell to end the game.
Following the game Jones would let out an explicate laced interview famously calling Porter 'Jerry Porter' and blaming the situation on him.
Then there was the time that someone shipped two boxes full of signed Joe Haden jersey to Jones. Jones posted a video on social media of him burning the jerseys and blaming Haden.
The video prompted a response from Haden's agent.
Statement from @RosenhausSports regarding Adam Jones burning Joe Haden jerseys pic.twitter.com/PPHUZyUrpk
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 13, 2020
On Monday the latest episode of the I AM ATHLETE podcast dropped. On the episode Steelers receiver Chase Claypool joined Jones, and former NFL players LeSean McCoy, and Brandon Marshall. During the conversation Jones was posed with this question:
You never played for the Bengals. You're looking at this division. This division, you get picked one team to play for. Who you playing for?
"Like, if I didn't play for the Bengals at first?" Jones asked the group. He was greeted with a 'Yeah' from Marshall. "My mentality and the way I carry myself is a Pittsburgh type of guy. You get what I'm saying? And that's honest. And Coach Tomlin came from a long line of coaches that I had the chance to play for in West Virginia. But that tight, grit, you know what I mean? Glass eater you know? Play hard, bring two chin scraps. I think that's the Pittsburgh culture. I had to be honest with that."
This has to come as a surprise to many. Jones has to loath the Steelers for everything that they stand for. It also has to make you sick if you're a Steelers fan. I don't believe anyone would have wanted Jones on the Steelers roster at any point. He's had several run ins with the league, and suspensions. No thanks to that thought.
