default-cbs-image

Download the CBS Sports App today and get the latest offseason NFL news and alerts, plus NFL draft analysis and a look ahead to the 2017 season!

After getting arrested in early January, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones was hit with three misdemeanors and a felony charge. On Wednesday, Jones’ felony charge was dropped.

Jones allegedly spit on a nurse’s hand after he was arrested in an incident that allegedly involved him getting physical with a man and failing to cooperate with police. But that felony charge will not be pursued by Cincinnati prosecutor Joe Deters.

ESPN’s Katherine Terrell provided more information about Deters’ decision to drop the felony charge:

“It was a pretty ... ticky tack kind of charge,” Deters said Wednesday of the felony charge on the “Bill Cunningham Show” on 700 WLW in Cincinnati. “Jones had some chew in his cheek and he spit it out and hit the nurse’s hand and was charged for that.”

Deters said the nurse involved in the case appeared to be seeking a civil settlement from Jones, which factored into his decision to drop the charges.

“She said I talked to her; I never spoke with her,” Deters said. “I’ve still never spoken with her in any fashion about this case. Secondly, she denied that they were trying to get a civil settlement, which is entirely false. ... I’m not going to use the sledgehammer of criminal prosecution to get her money. She’s been untruthful in talking to me, she’s been untruthful about her willingness to settle this thing civilly.”

Deters said another factor was Jones’ willingness to enter alcohol-related and anger management treatment.

Jones is still facing three misdemeanor charges for assault, disorderly conduct, and obstructing official business. According to Terrell, Jones’ lawyer Timothy Schneider said that his client will plead not guilty to all three. A day after the incident, Jones told reporters that “none of this makes sense.” So, he appears to be standing by his previous assessment. 

As our Ryan Wilson wrote at the time, Jones was accused of pushing and poking a man in the eye. He was also accused of kicking and head-butting when police tried to get him into a police car, which Fox 19 explained.  A few weeks after the original story broke, a video emerged that showed Jones telling police, “I hope you die tomorrow.”

“Adam Jones was not violent, but he was in fact disorderly. ... He was just being, for lack of a better term, an idiot,” Deters said, per ESPN. Deters also said that he would dismiss the three misdemeanor charges if it were his decision.

Jones, who has a history of incidents away from the field, might be disciplined from the NFL regardless of what happens legally. Here’s what the NFL had to say about Jones:

Our review continues under the personal conduct policy, which states that a player may still be subject to potential discipline even if the conduct does not result in a criminal conviction.

In 2016, Jones registered just one interception and seven passes defended. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones allowed a 91.6 passer rating when quarterbacks targeted him in coverage. In 2015, Jones allowed a 60.8 passer rating in coverage.

Given Jones’ age (33), his declining skill set, and this incident, it’s worth wondering if his future with the Bengals could be in jeopardy. He’s scheduled to earn a little less than $7.7 million this season, but if the Bengals cut him, they’d be hit with a little more than $1.3 million in dead cap, according to Spotrac. 

In Jones’ decade-long career, he’s also played for the Titans and Cowboys. He’s accumulated 15 interceptions in his career, with 10 of those coming in the past four seasons.