The Bark and the Bite: The NFL on Michael Vick
Posted on
Thursday, July 19, 2007
by Gary A. Ballard
For those who have not yet heard, NFL Star Quarterback Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons has been indicted on charges of competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting an illegal dogfighting business across state lines. The charges are a disgusting menu of inhumane acts against dogs that should make every pet owner want to pick up a pitchfork and storm the castle. Dogfighting in itself is a disgusting barbarity, but the particulars of this case are even more savage. Dogs were killed by electrocution, hanging, brutal beatings or shootings. As the owner of three fantastic dogs, I can think of plenty of Gitmo-style punishments too good for anyone convicted of these crimes. But what is truly disgusting is the NFL's hypocritical response to this whole mess.
For the past year, the NFL has taken copious amounts of flak for the rampant, serial misbehaviour of some of its stars. Players like Pacman Jones, with his 11 arrests, Chris Henry with his four arrests, Tank Johnson's arrests for parole violations and the multiple offenders on the Cincinnati Bengals that were arrested on multiple occasions over the season have all given the NFL a reputation as a thug league. To combat that perception, Commissioner Roger Goddell instituted a crackdown, throwing out some harsh suspensions to these players. Henry and Johnson both received eight-game suspensions and Pacman Jones is out for the entire year, with his future beyond that in doubt as well. Of these three particular cases, Jones was the standout not only for the length of suspension, but for the fact that he hadn't even been indicted in any of the cases when the suspension was served. I applauded the suspensions. Yes, Jones is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but even if he turns out to be exonerated on all the charges, he has still proven that he cannot avoid trouble. He has caused shame on the game and the league, and the league should punish him for that, whether he's convicted or not. If it's his "posse" that's getting him in trouble, he has chosen to remain with that posse and that action alone is enough for me to justify the league's actions.
But now that Vick, one of the league's poster boy stars for his electrifying performances on the field, has been indicted on these heinous charges, no action has been taken. Goddell and Falcons' owner Arthur Blank are content to let the law take its course. They are hiding behind the legal fact that Vick is innocent until proven guilty.
Here's the simple facts. Vick has claimed that his family members and friends used the property in question for dogfighting, an activity of which he was unaware. If that is true, it still happened on his property. He let his "posse" run wild at the house, and that "posse" killed dogs for sport and ran a criminal enterprise at Vick's house. That alone is enough in my mind for Goddell or the team to suspend him for four games. The player didn't keep his house in order, the activities at the house made the NFL look bad because they were connected to the player and thus the NFL is justified in punishing Vick. They are justified in punishing Vick even if he had nothing to do with the dogfighting. If an NFL player throws a party in his hotel room and some underage girls get caught drinking at that party, the NFL player is responsible for that crime and should be punished by the NFL. That's exactly what happened to Chris Henry, and he served jail time and has an NFL suspension to show for it.
Pacman Jones has been indicted but not tried or convicted and he's out for a year. So why hasn't Michael Vick been punished yet? Is it because he's a marquee player, a huge draw at the box office and a ratings bonanza? Is it because Arthur Blank has invested millions in Vick's contract, as well as marketing the Falcons' team using Vick's image? Do star players get preferential treatment in the NFL?
If Mr. Goddell does not hand down some kind of punishment on Michael Vick within the week, then I'd say the answer to all those questions is a very sad "Yes." Goddell's get tough policy is instead a blowhard PR campaign that is applied with determined inconsistency and naked hypocrisy. It's time to match your bite to your bark, Mr. Goddell. There are a ton of dead dogs who deserved better treatment than they got, and the fans of the NFL deserve better than you are giving them here.
For the past year, the NFL has taken copious amounts of flak for the rampant, serial misbehaviour of some of its stars. Players like Pacman Jones, with his 11 arrests, Chris Henry with his four arrests, Tank Johnson's arrests for parole violations and the multiple offenders on the Cincinnati Bengals that were arrested on multiple occasions over the season have all given the NFL a reputation as a thug league. To combat that perception, Commissioner Roger Goddell instituted a crackdown, throwing out some harsh suspensions to these players. Henry and Johnson both received eight-game suspensions and Pacman Jones is out for the entire year, with his future beyond that in doubt as well. Of these three particular cases, Jones was the standout not only for the length of suspension, but for the fact that he hadn't even been indicted in any of the cases when the suspension was served. I applauded the suspensions. Yes, Jones is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but even if he turns out to be exonerated on all the charges, he has still proven that he cannot avoid trouble. He has caused shame on the game and the league, and the league should punish him for that, whether he's convicted or not. If it's his "posse" that's getting him in trouble, he has chosen to remain with that posse and that action alone is enough for me to justify the league's actions.
But now that Vick, one of the league's poster boy stars for his electrifying performances on the field, has been indicted on these heinous charges, no action has been taken. Goddell and Falcons' owner Arthur Blank are content to let the law take its course. They are hiding behind the legal fact that Vick is innocent until proven guilty.
Here's the simple facts. Vick has claimed that his family members and friends used the property in question for dogfighting, an activity of which he was unaware. If that is true, it still happened on his property. He let his "posse" run wild at the house, and that "posse" killed dogs for sport and ran a criminal enterprise at Vick's house. That alone is enough in my mind for Goddell or the team to suspend him for four games. The player didn't keep his house in order, the activities at the house made the NFL look bad because they were connected to the player and thus the NFL is justified in punishing Vick. They are justified in punishing Vick even if he had nothing to do with the dogfighting. If an NFL player throws a party in his hotel room and some underage girls get caught drinking at that party, the NFL player is responsible for that crime and should be punished by the NFL. That's exactly what happened to Chris Henry, and he served jail time and has an NFL suspension to show for it.
Pacman Jones has been indicted but not tried or convicted and he's out for a year. So why hasn't Michael Vick been punished yet? Is it because he's a marquee player, a huge draw at the box office and a ratings bonanza? Is it because Arthur Blank has invested millions in Vick's contract, as well as marketing the Falcons' team using Vick's image? Do star players get preferential treatment in the NFL?
If Mr. Goddell does not hand down some kind of punishment on Michael Vick within the week, then I'd say the answer to all those questions is a very sad "Yes." Goddell's get tough policy is instead a blowhard PR campaign that is applied with determined inconsistency and naked hypocrisy. It's time to match your bite to your bark, Mr. Goddell. There are a ton of dead dogs who deserved better treatment than they got, and the fans of the NFL deserve better than you are giving them here.
Labels: Corporate Corruption, Michael Vick, NFL, Sports
posted by Gary A. Ballard @ 9:23 AM
0 Comments
|
|
Save This Page
| 
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home