The Dallas Cowboys have been in the storylines all offseason — with all of the speculation about the direction of the franchise — considering they haven’t locked down contract extensions with their three star players and have added almost no talent, while losing several starters in free agency.
But according to a report from TMZ, the NFL franchise is in the headlines once again due to a recent altercation involving former Cowboys’ Pro Bowl defensive back Mike Jenkins.
The incident happened at The Kenwood on Sunday night in St. Petersburg , Fla. after Jenkins had apparently become upset with the way one of the establishment’s employees had handled his credit card, according to the report.
In footage from the scene captured by TMZ, you can hear the ex-defensive back drop cuss words left and right — while insisting he did nothing wrong. Then, at one point, you can hear him yell, “Give me my motherf***ing card!”
A rep for the St. Petersburg Police Dept. told TMZ police were dispatched to the bar at around 1:39 AM on Monday morning due to “a fight or disturbance.” However, the spokesperson said no arrests were made. The rep added that Jenkins was issued a trespass warning — and nothing more.
Mike Jenkins Thrived For Dallas Cowboys During NFL Career
The Dallas Cowboys traded up with the Seattle Seahawks moving from the 28th to the 25th position, in exchange for a fifth ((#163-Owen Schmitt) and seventh ((#235-Brandon Coutu) round draft choices, in order to select Jenkins in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. On July 26, he signed a $9.725 million contract with $6.75 million guaranteed, including a $3.1 million signing bonus.
In 2009, Jenkins found his groove in Dallas, winning the starting CB position over Orlando Scandrick after an impressive Week 3 performance against the Carolina Panthers.
Jenkins finished the 2009 season with 5 interceptions (tied for 12th in the NFL), 23 passes defensed, 49 total tackles and was selected as an alternate to the 2009 Pro Bowl. He moved to the official line-up on January 25, 2010 when Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield withdrew due to injury.
In 2010, Jenkins put together another solid campaign for the Dallas Cowboys as a starting corner, finishing the season with 55 total tackles, 15 passes defensed (led the team), 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception, while starting every game of the season.
Despite missing four games in 2011 due to a variety of injuries, Jenkins once again thrived, even though he wasn’t fully healthy for the remainder of the year. The Cowboys CB managed to have a solid season recording 22 tackles, 10 passes defensed (led the team) and 1 interception. By fighting through injuries, he displayed toughness that had been called into question by fans and media in past seasons.
Entering the final year of Jenkins’s rookie contract (which paid him around $1.05 million), the Dallas Cowboys drafted cornerback, Morris Claiborne, with the 6th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The presence of Claiborne added yet another talented defensive back for the Cowboys with newly signed free agent Brandon Carr and veteran Orlando Scandrick.
With Jenkins in the final year of his contract and the new additions at cornerback, there was speculation about his future in Dallas.
He skipped the voluntary 2012 Organized Team Activities (OTAs) while rehabbing from shoulder surgery allegedly because he was unhappy with his current contract and his place on the team’s depth chart.
Jenkins was supposedly hopeful he would be traded from the Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts allegedly showed interest in him. The Dallas Cowboys‘ management repeatedly stated publicly they would not trade Jenkins and allegedly turned down several offers. In the first day of training camp, Jenkins clarified that he did not ask the Cowboys to be traded.
Because of his contract dispute, he decided to rehab his injured right shoulder outside of the team’s training facilities, which delayed his recovery time, forcing him to miss all of the 2012 off-season and preseason action.
Jenkins was cleared to practice by his doctor about a week before the season opener and lost his starter job to Claiborne. He played in 13 games (2 starts), and recorded 14 tackles (10 solo) and 3 passes defensed. At the end of the season, the team did not offer Jenkins a second contract because of the investment they made in Claiborne and Carr.
He had stints with the Raiders, Cardinals and Buccaneers before retiring after the 2015 season.
In his 8 NFL seasons, Mike Jenkins recorded 244 tackles, 54 pass deflections, 10 interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown.
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