?Pacman? says he went to Arizona to avoid prying eyes

Cornerback Adam ?Pacman? Jones left Tennessee in mid-April for a break because he said he feels he?s being smothered by constant public scrutiny and media attention in Tennessee.

?I can?t even breathe in Tennessee,? Jones said.

?Everybody acts like I killed somebody or something. Everything that?s happened, it?s either been a rumor or I wasn?t involved. But I?ve been a target ever since I?ve been there. I?m used to it. I just hope it gets better.?

The sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft easily has been the Titans? most controversial player since the franchise relocated from Houston to Tennessee in 1997.

He has been arrested once, although the charges were dropped in March. A car he loaned for use in a music video was confiscated by police in a drug investigation. Then he was questioned for being at a gas station April 19 when gun shots were fired.

Coach Jeff Fisher called Jones in for a meeting later that day, and Jones hasn?t taken part in the Titans? voluntary offseason conditioning program since then.

?Actually, at first the conversation wasn?t that good with Coach,? Jones told The Tennessean.

Jones spent time in Phoenix working out on his own, then bought a condominium in Miami before returning to Nashville on Monday night for the first of 12 remaining team workouts that started Tuesday.

?It?s his choice,? Fisher said of Jones. ?He knows where I stand on this, and this is his choice. I have reason to believe he is working out. Beyond that, I don?t know.?

Jones has heard some fans say the Titans should release him. That isn?t likely for a team that has paid him at least $9.2 million in bonuses, including a $5.63 million bonus last month adding 2009 to his contract. His base salaries are guaranteed through 2008.

?I am just trying to be a role model for the people that love me. I can?t worry about what the media and other people are saying because if I do that I definitely won?t be mentally strong. … But it seems like everyone wants me to snap.?

The latest string of trouble started April 14 when Nashville?s police chief said Jones was an acquaintance of the main suspect in a drug ring on April 14. They confiscated a 2004 Cadillac XLR from the apartment of Darryl Jerome Moore. The car?s front seats were embroidered with the ?Pac-Man? video game logo.

Jones said he was out of town when Moore, who describes himself as an aspiring rap singer, asked to use the car in a rap video. Jones said he was surprised to learn Moore allegedly was involved in a drug ring.

Then police identified Jones as a witness from a surveillance camera after shots were fired during an altercation at a gas station. Jones said the argument started when he ran into a rap artist who had used his name in a video without his permission.

?Then there were two shots, and I ran to the door of (the gas station),? Jones said. ?Now if I knew who fired the shots, I wouldn?t have run for the door. If somebody I knew was shooting, why would I be running??

That incident, which was followed by a shouting match with a television reporter in his driveway, made him more paranoid. As another reason for training out of town, he cited getting pulled over by a police officer for not wearing his seat belt and having his car searched by drug dogs.

Jones said he will take part in all the organized team activities, but not the offseason program. He may reconsider once he moves into a new home and said he loves playing in Nashville.

?And I know all the Titans fans aren?t against me,? Jones said. ?I still love all the ones that love me, and the ones that don?t love me, I love them even more.?