Michael Vick Indictment
Submitted by Jim Wogan on July 18, 2007 - 6:14am.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank can't afford to wait for the NFL. He must suspend Michael Vick-- now.
Spare me the passionate "innocent until proven guilty" rhetoric. It belongs in a courtroom. Public opinion isn't always bound by constitutional constraints.
Vick is accused, among other things, of sponsoring dog fighting at his home in Virginia. That's the sanitized version. The 18-page federal indictment also alleges Vick and others executed dogs by hanging and electrocution. If it's true, it's sick stuff.
Obviously, there are people out there who take pleasure in seeing living things suffer. But I don't want them leading my team down the field on Sunday afternoon. I don't them wearing my company logo. I don't want them anywhere near my hard-earned (and legal) business empire.
If convicted, Vick faces serious prison time. Either way, he faces enormous legal bills. And it won't take the sound of a judge's gavel to scare off those who sign his endorsement checks.
Vick makes money from Coke, Nike, and Rawlings. Think they want an alleged dog killer selling their products? Think they will wait for a jury's opinion? I like the odds that their lawyers are pouring over the contracts right now.
Nike kept Kobe Bryant after he faced rape allegations in 2003. McDonald's dropped him like a burnt french-fry. Remember, no conviction.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has already cracked down on NFL miscreants Pacman Jones and Chris Henry. They received suspensions without convictions. What's preventing the NFL from doing the same here?
Vick is a $100 million dollar player. A quarterback. He's one of the NFL's biggest stars. He doesn't have the rap-sheet Pacman does, but the charges he faces are serious and disturbing.
The Falcons should act now. Pay him, but don't play him. Make a statement. If Vick's innocent, he'll scramble back. He's pretty good at that.
Disturbing doesn't even come
Disturbing doesn't even come close to describing the alleged behavior of a man who tortures and fights dogs for "sport." I agree that the advertisers' attorneys are probably hot on the trail of loopholes in any contracts that they have with this sick individual. To see this behavior from an man who should be setting a prime example for all of the young people (and adults, for that matter!) who tune in to cheer him on during the Falcons' season is disappointing and disheartening. There must be some sort of connection between the dog fighting ring and Vick (at his home, for one thing) . . . even guilt by association would be enough to deter a normal human being from supporting anything this man endorses.
Just my opinion. Having worked in a municiple animal shelter for a stretch as the staff veterinarian, I have seen some fairly wicked things . . . some of the behaviors described in these indictments may seem bizarre but they do happen . . . there are some wicked, evil folks about and you just never know what is going through their minds. If they are guilty, I hope they receive the maximum penalty under the law.
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