Adam Jones Detained At Canada Border For Hours
TORONTO — Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was detained by Canadian immigration officials for a few hours Thursday night after he landed in Toronto for this weekend's series.
"They said I had a criminal record," Jones said. "My mom raised me better than that. I've never done anything like that, been involved in anything criminal in my entire life. It was a long, pointless situation because of the circumstances, but I'm glad everything got cleared."
Jones had to leave the airport for extra screening. He was not able to go until about 5 a.m.
"We went to immigration," he said. "I was considered detained."
Jones blamed the incident on a case of mistaken identity.
"They had the wrong person," Jones said. They thought I was somebody else."
Jones said he was not told whether he had been mistaken for NFL player Adam "Pacman' Jones," who has had frequent legal troubles.
"I don't know if it's him," Jones said. "We've got the same name, obviously, but I don't know if it's him."
Jones posted a note about the incident on his Twitter account but deleted it shortly afterward.
A message written about 5:30 a.m. Friday read: "detained by immigration in canada for no false accusations till 5am and appreciate someone from the team making sure were ok NOOOOOOTTTTT"
Jones said at least one other Baltimore player had to go through extra screening, too.
Earlier this month, the major league players' union warned members with criminal convictions or arrests to contact the association before trying to enter Canada.
In a memo sent to agents by Doyle Pryor, a union assistant general counsel, this series between the Orioles and Blue Jays was specifically mentioned, as were upcoming visits to Toronto by Tampa Bay (May 31-June 2) and the New York Yankees (June 4-6).
"Individuals who are not Canadian citizens may be detained at the border and, in certain cases may not be permitted to enter Canada at all, if they have any sort of past criminal record," the memo said. "Recently, Canadian authorities have stepped up enforcement of these laws, resulting in several non-Canadian players traveling to Toronto with their teams being detained at the border because of a past criminal record."
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05/28/10 07:41 PM ET Associated Press