involvement in dogfighting ring might end star QB's career....
He was a perennial starting quarterback in the NFL. He had endorsements that other players envy. He was truly one of the NFL's most exciting players. He got "the cover" of the most popular sports videogame franchises ever. As the old cliche goes, women wanted him and men wanted to be him. Michael Vick had it all.
So, last year, when Vick was busted in an airport for possession of a small amount of pot, most people were left wondering, "what is this guy thinking?" Even if someone doesn't have any moral objections to marijuana and what Vick does on his "own time" the fact that he got busted in such a stupid way was disheartening. Not to mention the fact that Vick was on his way home. If he liked to smoke pot, one would assume that he would be better off having it kept safely there instead of trying to smuggle a couple of joints through a post 9/11 airport. Or at least have someone else "hold it" for him. The guy makes millions. So was he too cheap or too stupid to hire a mule to protect his career?
But this week Vick was indicted on charges concerning his involvement in a "dog fighting for cash" ring. In fact, it was property he owned, and operated by relatives, that is the "central front" in this ring. This kind of makes the pot thing look like a small indicator in a larger pattern of stupitidy.
Of course, Vick hasn't been convicted of anything so far. But this isn't a case where it's a matter of him having no involvement or knowledge of the ring. There may be technical questions of evidence gathering methods or other technicalities that might end up freeing Vick of some of the charges. But it is obvious that Vick had knowledge of what was happening on his property and strong evidence to suggest he was at the center of the activity.
Apparantly, Vick and his relatives made the same stupid mistakes that many people make when designing their criminal empire. More specifically, the notion that "they can't prove nuttin" if one doesn't technically say one thing, or tink that a series of "wink-wink, nod-nod" conversations that often contain the phrases "you didn't get that from me" or "I was never here" actually will stop the long arm of the law from coming in.
You know the conversations and "technicalities" i'm talking about. Vick was merely acting with the mental dexterity of someone getting busted on "Cops" or "To Catch A Predator" where scores of perverts think "no one can get em" if they don't get caught with their d*ck inside a 13 year old girl. Of course they soon learn that they are no Johnny Cochran and what they see on TV where people like OJ and Scooter Libby are concerned, doesn't necessarily apply to them or their situation.
And of course, they learn that their cronies are hardly of the muster that are found in the Mafia or other ethnic mobs whose lips are as sealed as can be and not even a crowbar or promise of leniency can pry them open. And simply winking and saying "i was never here" hardly will protect you when the boom of the law is lowered.
The "bloodsport" of dogfighting is about as cruel and inhumane as one can get. It is a soul-less exercize in gambling at the expense of the lives of what is commonly referred to as "man's best friend." If Michael Vick even knew that this was happening he has no place in the NFL as far as I am concerned. And this goes well beyond what a criminal court of law can prove. This makes anything Pac-Man Jones may have done look superficial.
The Commissioner should certainly suspend Vick. And if he doesn't , the Falcons should. Better yet, Vick should "man-up" here and simply step back from the sport of football until all this is sorted out.