The Castigation of Michael Vick

by Don, With Malice...

Quite a while back I took some flack (via email of course) about my stance on Michael Vick in a few articles on my own blog, and most of them said I was kidding myself with my opinion that Vick wouldn't be starting the '07 season (in 'Some Consistency... Please'). Well, with Roger Goodell's instruction for Vick not to attend the Atlanta training camp, I guess that the smart money would now be on Vick not being in a Falcons uniform come September 9th.

A lot of people are decrying this decision by the Commissioner, I still find it far too lenient, and it goes against the precedent set thus far by Goodell. Arthur Blank stated that he was prepared to suspend Vick for the maximum allowable (for teams) 4 games, but Commissioner Goodell requested the Falcons leave it to him, and Vick was told not to go to camp. It would appear that justice is catching up with Vick... so why am I not mollified by this ruling?

Yet again - I'm disappointed in the lack of consistency.

At this point in time, Vick has not been suspended. This is exactly what Goodell stated: a direction to not attend training camp. There is still a glimmer of hope that Vick might manage to salvage his career, or at least the start of the season. Either way - he still gets paid until Goodell announces that this will be a suspension. That's a leniency that was not shown to Jones, Johnson or Henry. And don't get me wrong on that: I think they all got their just desserts, I just don't consider Michael Vick to be getting his.

And before the bleeding hearts start with the 'innocent-until-proven-guilty' tripe, that's irrelevant when considering 'bringing the game into disrepute' - which is what all the suspensions have come under. Roger Goodell told Michael Vick that whatever happens at his house, it was his responsibility...

With that in mind Goodell should suspend him. Is there any doubt that dog-fighting occurred at the house on Moonlight Road (will that make a good title for the Michael Vick fall-from-grace movie that will inevitably grace the small screen, or what?)? Not at all. Then do what you stated you were going to do, Commissioner: hold him responsible, and as you did with Jones, Johnson & Henry.

I bet Surry County Attorney General Gerald Poindexter's feeling the heat a little too. After claiming that there was not enough evidence to even prosecute a second warrant (after having problems with the wording of the initial warrant), now when all said and done, Vick faces an indictment, and Federal charges will almost certainly result in a greater penalty than the 5 years maximum under Virginia state law (for dogfighting & animal cruelty).

And from what I've read in Yahoo Sports, Michael Vick doesn't realise the dire straights he's in. Surely he's not that naive in thinking that this will all blow over before the commencing of the 07 season...

So the Falcons will begin training camp with the much-maligned Joey Harrington at the helm, and from all indications, that's who they'll be starting the '07 season with. A massive difference there: to go from Vick - who is perhaps the most physically gifted of all NFL quarterbacks, to Harrington - who has thus far shown little to support the #3 pick he was taken with in the '02 draft.

This all happens under the cloud of assertions that 'every player in the NFL knows someone who's been to a dogfight' (SI.com). Well, yeah... especially if you know Michael Vick.