The Cowboys have successfully kept cornerback Pacman Jones out of trouble during his time with the team.  According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, however, it hasn’t been easy.

Unnamed sources in the Cowboys organization have described Jones as a “work in progress.”  He is required as part of his reinstatement to stay away from parties, nightclubs, and strip clubs.  He reportedly was reprimanded for going to a Hooters restaurant in August.

Recently, the Cowboys prevented Jones from following through on plans to headline a Celebrity Beach Volleyball event.

“What we are doing is trying not to be as visible,” owner Jerry Jones said. “It’s a question of visibility. . . .  It’s in his best interest to keep that profile low.”

For Pacman Jones, it has meant staying away from any and all social events.

“We are trying to protect each other from being in the wrong situation,” defensive tackle Tank Johnson said.  “They are trying to protect you.  If Jerry wants to protect us and he feels it’s not in our best interest to be there . . . they are protecting you.  As a little kid, you might throw a fit.  As a grown man, you know it’s in our best interest.”

It’s a far cry from the Cowboys of the 1990s.  In the new book Boys Will Be Boys, author Jeff Pearlman describes former Dallas middle linebacker Robert Jones as a guy who was so conflicted by his devotion to his wife and his teammates’ love of the nightlife and strip clubs and all that that implies that it actually affected Robert Jones’ performance on the field.

For the current Jones who plays defense for the Cowboys, it remains to be seen whether an all-out effort to make him into something that he simply isn’t off the field will keep him from being all that he can be on the field.