Police: Ex-Cowboy Whitehead misidentified in heist

OXNARD » Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Lucky Whitehead’s identity was falsely used in a shoplifting arrest, police in his home state of Virginia said Tuesday.

Prince William County police said they were confident the man charged in a case involving $40 worth of stolen food and drink from a convenience store in June wasn’t Whitehead. The Cowboys released him Monday after reports that he was arrested and subsequently cited for missing a court hearing.

Whitehead’s agent, Dave Rich, contended that his client wasn’t in Virginia at the time of the reported arrest. Police said they are seeking the person who used the identity of Whitehead, whose given name is Rodney Darnell Whitehead Jr.

Police said the person arrested June 22 didn’t have an ID but provided a name, date of birth and social security number matching Whitehead’s given name. Officers checked a photo driver’s licenses.

“Officers acted in good faith that, at the time, the man in custody was the same man matching the information provided,” Sgt. Jonathan Perok said. “The police department is currently seeking the identity of the man involved in the incident.”

The release of Whitehead came on the first day of training camp after a tumultuous offseason for the Cowboys, including the arrests of two defensive players.

Executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones and coach Jason Garrett said Whitehead’s release was an accumulation of events, although Garrett acknowledged Monday that the decision came after the club did more work gathering information.

News of the arrest broke while the team was on the field for its first morning walkthrough. Whitehead was escorted off the field by a member of the public relations staff, and in Virginia’s database of Garrett said he was unaware of the arrest before being told as he left the practice field.

Brown defends Bengals’ decision to keep Pacman

CINCINNATI » Bengals owner Mike Brown is defending his decision to keep cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones despite another arrest, saying he’s been “punished enough” for his latest troubles.

The NFL suspended Jones for the season opener because of his altercation with a hotel security employee and his profane outburst at police following his arrest in January. Jones pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge to settle the case.

Brown intimated at the team’s annual preseason luncheon on Tuesday that there was discussion in the front office about releasing Jones, but he was against it.

“I’m not going to say something wasn’t discussed, something wasn’t considered,” Brown said. “But what we did is what we did, and I’ll take responsibility for it. We’ll see how it turns out in the end. It if turns out well, I’ll be pleased. If it doesn’t, then blame me.”

Broncos bring back Kubiak

ENGLEWOOD, COLO. » Gary Kubiak’s from the NFL is over.

Kubiak is returning to the Denver Broncos in a scouting capacity seven months after stepping down as their head coach over health concerns.

Kubiak will serve as a senior personnel adviser, scouting college and pro players. He’ll be based out of his Houston home and make periodic trips to Broncos headquarters for personnel meetings, general manager John Elway said.

“With as much experience as he has evaluating players, Gary’s going to be a tremendous resource for our personnel department,” Elway said.

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