Vick, da Prick, IMO is Done- Goodell's letter is the dagger

[Bretsky]

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/070824/michaelvickletter.pdf


This is an interesting read. I think Goodell effectively worded this to send a strong message, and announce the forewarning that the NFL is done with Michael Vick, permanently.

Earlier in the letter, the commiss notes Vick lied to players, his team, his owner, and the commissioner personally. Then he goes on.

LOOK AT THE VERBIAGE; VERY CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED LEGAL TALK

""Your plea agreement and the plea agreements of your co-defendants also demonstrate your significant involvement in illegal gambling.

EVEN if you did not personally place bets, as you contend

your actions in funding the betting, and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract, and expose you to corrupt influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player


Maybe I'm too dam bored so I'm reading too much into this.

But I think Vick da Prick's NFL career is over; this letter sets that tone well.
He's history.

[GrnBay007]

Now that's a pink slip!!!

[retailguy]

Look, I'm not saying Vick doesn't deserve this, but if you were Vick, wouldn't you be comparing your life to the life of Mary Winkler?

She shot her husband in the chest, took off with the kiddies, and got caught in Orange Beach Alabama. Got convicted of manslaughter and did 67 days in a mental hospital....

Vick killed 8 dogs and gambled illegally.

That's life in the USA. I just wish there was more of an outrage directed at Mary Winkler.... He might have abused her, and he might not, we don't know, but he was a human and she killed him instead of seeking help.

Shouldn't that be worse?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20296389/

[Oscar]

Yep R.G. thats life in the U.S.A. No one truly knows what goes on behing closed doors. Abuse or not.. I'd say Mr. Vick felt that since he was/is an NFL star he is/was above the law..Just my 2cents...

[Scott Campbell]

That's life in the USA. I just wish there was more of an outrage directed at Mary Winkler.... He might have abused her, and he might not, we don't know, but he was a human and she killed him instead of seeking help.

Shouldn't that be worse?


Irrelevent, and has nothing to do with the Vick situation.

[Rastak]

Look, I'm not saying Vick doesn't deserve this, but if you were Vick, wouldn't you be comparing your life to the life of Mary Winkler?

She shot her husband in the chest, took off with the kiddies, and got caught in Orange Beach Alabama. Got convicted of manslaughter and did 67 days in a mental hospital....

Vick killed 8 dogs and gambled illegally.

That's life in the USA. I just wish there was more of an outrage directed at Mary Winkler.... He might have abused her, and he might not, we don't know, but he was a human and she killed him instead of seeking help.

Shouldn't that be worse?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20296389/


Not if he was abusing her, then I say jolly good show lass......by the way, I know why I'm not as outraged....WHO THE HELL IS MARY WINKLER?

[CaliforniaCheez]

The coward who can't come clean

By Jeff Schultz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/25/07

A coward to the end.

He won't directly say he killed dogs. He will admit to heading a group of degenerates when dogs were killed. Does somebody award points for semantics? "Ookie" tells "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk" to "Drown the dog," but he keeps his hands in his pockets. Is this the Vito Corleone defense?

A coward to the end.

He won't admit to gambling on dogfights. But he'll admit to funding an illegal business enterprise that gambles. Well, that should appease NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Because I'm sure if "Bad Newz Kennels" ever accumulated significant gambling debts, a bookie would pressure "T" or "Q" or "P Funk" —- not the NFL player with the $130 million contract who gave the money to "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk."

How does this happen? How can somebody we admired for his courage on the field turn into such an invertebrate off it?

He runs in games. Did he have to run in the real world? Is it that difficult to admit guilt and say, "It's my fault. Everything."

We are, by nature, forgiving. We embrace the comeback. We want people to overcome obstacles, shed their baggage, become whole again.

This we shouldn't forgive. First, we need to see remorse. Michael Vick hides behind attorneys like an offensive line. If only he had hid that well as a Falcons quarterback, he never would've been sacked.

He doesn't care about the truth. He cares about exact wording in legal PDFs.

He doesn't care about accepting responsibility. He cares about limiting blame.

If he feels anything, he doesn't show it. It's only obvious that he's sorry he got caught. That doesn't count. That's pathetic. He's pathetic. Vick doesn't need a 12-step program for healing. He needs a conscience.

When will he realize that he did something wrong? When he's lying in a cell, wide awake at 2 a.m.? When he's scrubbing a floor or washing dishes for 12 cents an hour? Maybe while he's under house arrest, walking around with an ankle bracelet?

Try avoiding the rush with that, big guy. There's your new Michael Vick Experience.

This is not how people with character defects should begin rehabilitation. This is not how to repair an image or damaged career aspirations.

Come clean on everything. Express sorrow, contrition —- then we'll talk.

Vick did what cowards do. He not only hid behind some legalese, he agreed to cooperate with the government in turning in others. Maybe you view that as being a team player. But there's another view: There goes the street cred.

Page 5 of the plea agreement reads: "The defendant agrees to cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States, and provide all information known to the defendant regarding any criminal activity as requested by the government." It states this includes testimony at grand juries and trials. Vick also must submit to a polygraph test at the whim of the government.

Nobody agrees to such mandates unless they're backed to the edge of a cliff, with the cavalry approaching. So why not just come completely clean? At least he would look like he cared.

I can't imagine the hundreds of thousands of dollars Vick will have paid attorneys when this is over. I hope the verbiage was worth it.

We knew he struggled to read defenses. Turns out he can't read an offense, either. The story broke in April in Surry County, Va. Vick's reaction: "I'm never at the house. I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing. ... It's unfortunate I have to take the heat behind it."

He thought it would go away, of course, like a disappearing water bottle incident. He goofed. Had he settled things with Virginia authorities, maybe the "United States vs. Michael Vick, a/k/a 'Ookie' " never happens.

Then officials dug up the yard at 1915 Moonlight Road. They found dog corpses. Vick still thought, "I can't be tied to this." The lying continued. Vick's fan base screamed racism or warnings about the Duke case revisited.

Then it fell apart. "T" and "Q" and "P-Funk" rolled on him. Suddenly, Vick was the last man standing. The last coward standing.

Maybe one day he'll step to a microphone and express remorse. But we're past the point of trust. Repentance needs to be wired to a polygraph.

**********************************************

He never had the guts to stay in the pocket and do his job for his team.

He never admitted to spreading herpes without concern for others.

He got his lawyers to cover up the marijuana at the airport.

One of his entourage stole a watch at the airport metal detectors.

He gave the "dirty bird" to paying customers of the NFL.

After all this time in the NFL he was 31st of 32 starting QB's in passer rating.

Missing work for appearances in Criminal Court and prison.

Model Employee eh?

He would get fired anywhere else, why not the NFL??

[Rastak]

The coward who can't come clean

By Jeff Schultz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/25/07

A coward to the end.

He won't directly say he killed dogs. He will admit to heading a group of degenerates when dogs were killed. Does somebody award points for semantics? "Ookie" tells "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk" to "Drown the dog," but he keeps his hands in his pockets. Is this the Vito Corleone defense?

A coward to the end.

He won't admit to gambling on dogfights. But he'll admit to funding an illegal business enterprise that gambles. Well, that should appease NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Because I'm sure if "Bad Newz Kennels" ever accumulated significant gambling debts, a bookie would pressure "T" or "Q" or "P Funk" —- not the NFL player with the $130 million contract who gave the money to "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk."

How does this happen? How can somebody we admired for his courage on the field turn into such an invertebrate off it?

He runs in games. Did he have to run in the real world? Is it that difficult to admit guilt and say, "It's my fault. Everything."

We are, by nature, forgiving. We embrace the comeback. We want people to overcome obstacles, shed their baggage, become whole again.

This we shouldn't forgive. First, we need to see remorse. Michael Vick hides behind attorneys like an offensive line. If only he had hid that well as a Falcons quarterback, he never would've been sacked.

He doesn't care about the truth. He cares about exact wording in legal PDFs.

He doesn't care about accepting responsibility. He cares about limiting blame.

If he feels anything, he doesn't show it. It's only obvious that he's sorry he got caught. That doesn't count. That's pathetic. He's pathetic. Vick doesn't need a 12-step program for healing. He needs a conscience.

When will he realize that he did something wrong? When he's lying in a cell, wide awake at 2 a.m.? When he's scrubbing a floor or washing dishes for 12 cents an hour? Maybe while he's under house arrest, walking around with an ankle bracelet?

Try avoiding the rush with that, big guy. There's your new Michael Vick Experience.

This is not how people with character defects should begin rehabilitation. This is not how to repair an image or damaged career aspirations.

Come clean on everything. Express sorrow, contrition —- then we'll talk.

Vick did what cowards do. He not only hid behind some legalese, he agreed to cooperate with the government in turning in others. Maybe you view that as being a team player. But there's another view: There goes the street cred.

Page 5 of the plea agreement reads: "The defendant agrees to cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States, and provide all information known to the defendant regarding any criminal activity as requested by the government." It states this includes testimony at grand juries and trials. Vick also must submit to a polygraph test at the whim of the government.

Nobody agrees to such mandates unless they're backed to the edge of a cliff, with the cavalry approaching. So why not just come completely clean? At least he would look like he cared.

I can't imagine the hundreds of thousands of dollars Vick will have paid attorneys when this is over. I hope the verbiage was worth it.

We knew he struggled to read defenses. Turns out he can't read an offense, either. The story broke in April in Surry County, Va. Vick's reaction: "I'm never at the house. I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing. ... It's unfortunate I have to take the heat behind it."

He thought it would go away, of course, like a disappearing water bottle incident. He goofed. Had he settled things with Virginia authorities, maybe the "United States vs. Michael Vick, a/k/a 'Ookie' " never happens.

Then officials dug up the yard at 1915 Moonlight Road. They found dog corpses. Vick still thought, "I can't be tied to this." The lying continued. Vick's fan base screamed racism or warnings about the Duke case revisited.

Then it fell apart. "T" and "Q" and "P-Funk" rolled on him. Suddenly, Vick was the last man standing. The last coward standing.

Maybe one day he'll step to a microphone and express remorse. But we're past the point of trust. Repentance needs to be wired to a polygraph.

**********************************************

He never had the guts to stay in the pocket and do his job for his team.

He never admitted to spreading herpes without concern for others.

He got his lawyers to cover up the marijuana at the airport.

One of his entourage stole a watch at the airport metal detectors.

He gave the "dirty bird" to paying customers of the NFL.

After all this time in the NFL he was 31st of 32 starting QB's in passer rating.

Missing work for appearances in Criminal Court and prison.

Model Employee eh?

He would get fired anywhere else, why not the NFL??


Already posted in the main Vick thread.....and I agree with the guy...

[Patler]

Look, I'm not saying Vick doesn't deserve this, but if you were Vick, wouldn't you be comparing your life to the life of Mary Winkler?

She shot her husband in the chest, took off with the kiddies, and got caught in Orange Beach Alabama. Got convicted of manslaughter and did 67 days in a mental hospital....

Vick killed 8 dogs and gambled illegally.

That's life in the USA. I just wish there was more of an outrage directed at Mary Winkler.... He might have abused her, and he might not, we don't know, but he was a human and she killed him instead of seeking help.

Shouldn't that be worse?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20296389/

There is also a difference between a person who "cracks" and commits a single heinous act, and one who continually over a period of years plans and carries out an ongoing activity that society finds revolting.

[LEWCWA]

blah, blah, blah. Anyone want to make George Washington into a villain. He was into fighting animals....This shit is getting way outta hand. Next thing ya know we will be facing charges if we hit a squirrel....

[Rastak]

blah, blah, blah. Anyone want to make George Washington into a villain. He was into fighting animals....This shit is getting way outta hand. Next thing ya know we will be facing charges if we hit a squirrel....
\

Out of curiousity, are you some sort of unfeeling asshole?

[LEWCWA]

No not really. I think what was done was wrong, but not the end of the world. Many people in this world consider this type of behavior just fine. Cock fighting is very popular around the world, Bull fighting is very popular in places as well. This stuff has been around for centuries and to act like you are just appalled by it when an NFL player is involved is hypocritical. Where was all your outrage a year ago!

[LEWCWA]

Ya know, being from the deep south it wouldn't suprise me one bit to find out everyone's hero has been to a cock fight or two in his days. Not that he would ever admit it, but it sure wouldn't suprise me much.

[Patler]

No not really. I think what was done was wrong, but not the end of the world. Many people in this world consider this type of behavior just fine. Cock fighting is very popular around the world, Bull fighting is very popular in places as well. This stuff has been around for centuries and to act like you are just appalled by it when an NFL player is involved is hypocritical. Where was all your outrage a year ago!

For me it isn't so much the dog fights, although I think they are mindless, sick and repulsive. It isn't even the killing of an animal that doesn't fit your purpose any longer. Farmers do it all the time. Breeders of all sorts do it with young animals at times. What bothers me in this whole story is the senseless torture of the animals while killing them, seemingly done for entertainment value. Reminds me of the "entertainment" centuries ago at the Roman coliseum.

As far as where we were a year ago, have you forgotten the discussion and my complaints about bullfighting and the way the bulls are tortured? I believe it was last summer that we had that discussion.

[LEWCWA]

Bravo to you Patler, if you voiced an outrage to something b4 you had a soapbox to stand on. Be careful about assuming that the killing was done for entertainment. That is you opinion, nobody knows why they did it how they did it. Maybe they were looking for the easiest ways. Who knows....

[Harlan Huckleby]

For me it isn't so much the dog fights, although I think they are mindless, sick and repulsive.

I'm most bothered by the dog fighting. The reason being is that it is on the cusp of respectability, meaning a fair number people think its OK and participate.

The torturing of animals is obviously disgusting, but like Jeff Dahmer, it's something that happens (I hope) rarely, on the fringes.

The people who torture dogs are pretty far gone, perhaps lost causes. I'm more concerned about giving a wake-up call to people who support dog fighting and deer hunting.

Only kidding about deer hunting! Don't shoot me Nutz! Hey, that's funny, don't shoot me-nuts.

[LEWCWA]

I also find it very disturbing that a country that says it is ok to kill your unborn child gets so up in arms over a damn dog! Funny thing is many of you pining over these dogs have probably committed murder!

[the_idle_threat]

The coward who can't come clean

By Jeff Schultz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/25/07

A coward to the end.

He won't directly say he killed dogs. He will admit to heading a group of degenerates when dogs were killed. Does somebody award points for semantics? "Ookie" tells "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk" to "Drown the dog," but he keeps his hands in his pockets. Is this the Vito Corleone defense?

A coward to the end.

He won't admit to gambling on dogfights. But he'll admit to funding an illegal business enterprise that gambles. Well, that should appease NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Because I'm sure if "Bad Newz Kennels" ever accumulated significant gambling debts, a bookie would pressure "T" or "Q" or "P Funk" —- not the NFL player with the $130 million contract who gave the money to "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk."

How does this happen? How can somebody we admired for his courage on the field turn into such an invertebrate off it?

He runs in games. Did he have to run in the real world? Is it that difficult to admit guilt and say, "It's my fault. Everything."

We are, by nature, forgiving. We embrace the comeback. We want people to overcome obstacles, shed their baggage, become whole again.

This we shouldn't forgive. First, we need to see remorse. Michael Vick hides behind attorneys like an offensive line. If only he had hid that well as a Falcons quarterback, he never would've been sacked.

He doesn't care about the truth. He cares about exact wording in legal PDFs.

He doesn't care about accepting responsibility. He cares about limiting blame.

If he feels anything, he doesn't show it. It's only obvious that he's sorry he got caught. That doesn't count. That's pathetic. He's pathetic. Vick doesn't need a 12-step program for healing. He needs a conscience.

When will he realize that he did something wrong? When he's lying in a cell, wide awake at 2 a.m.? When he's scrubbing a floor or washing dishes for 12 cents an hour? Maybe while he's under house arrest, walking around with an ankle bracelet?

Try avoiding the rush with that, big guy. There's your new Michael Vick Experience.

This is not how people with character defects should begin rehabilitation. This is not how to repair an image or damaged career aspirations.

Come clean on everything. Express sorrow, contrition —- then we'll talk.

Vick did what cowards do. He not only hid behind some legalese, he agreed to cooperate with the government in turning in others. Maybe you view that as being a team player. But there's another view: There goes the street cred.

Page 5 of the plea agreement reads: "The defendant agrees to cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States, and provide all information known to the defendant regarding any criminal activity as requested by the government." It states this includes testimony at grand juries and trials. Vick also must submit to a polygraph test at the whim of the government.

Nobody agrees to such mandates unless they're backed to the edge of a cliff, with the cavalry approaching. So why not just come completely clean? At least he would look like he cared.

I can't imagine the hundreds of thousands of dollars Vick will have paid attorneys when this is over. I hope the verbiage was worth it.

We knew he struggled to read defenses. Turns out he can't read an offense, either. The story broke in April in Surry County, Va. Vick's reaction: "I'm never at the house. I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing. ... It's unfortunate I have to take the heat behind it."

He thought it would go away, of course, like a disappearing water bottle incident. He goofed. Had he settled things with Virginia authorities, maybe the "United States vs. Michael Vick, a/k/a 'Ookie' " never happens.

Then officials dug up the yard at 1915 Moonlight Road. They found dog corpses. Vick still thought, "I can't be tied to this." The lying continued. Vick's fan base screamed racism or warnings about the Duke case revisited.

Then it fell apart. "T" and "Q" and "P-Funk" rolled on him. Suddenly, Vick was the last man standing. The last coward standing.

Maybe one day he'll step to a microphone and express remorse. But we're past the point of trust. Repentance needs to be wired to a polygraph.

**********************************************

He never had the guts to stay in the pocket and do his job for his team.

He never admitted to spreading herpes without concern for others.

He got his lawyers to cover up the marijuana at the airport.

One of his entourage stole a watch at the airport metal detectors.

He gave the "dirty bird" to paying customers of the NFL.

After all this time in the NFL he was 31st of 32 starting QB's in passer rating.

Missing work for appearances in Criminal Court and prison.

Model Employee eh?

He would get fired anywhere else, why not the NFL??

What an incredibly stupid article.

Does the reporter believe ANYBODY would "bravely" step forward and say "eveything is my fault"---thereby accepting far harsher criminal penalties---just to appease the public? This is an idiotic article designed to capitalize on the case's notoriety. :crazy:

[Harlan Huckleby]

Does the reporter believe ANYBODY would "bravely" step forward and say "eveything is my fault"---thereby accepting far harsher criminal penalties---just to appease the public? This is an idiotic article designed to capitalize on the case's notoriety. :crazy:

:lol: :lol: :lol: Yes, I thought the article came from a 12 year old. I didn't want to say anything 'cause it would hurt tender Rastak's feelings.

And the other stupidity: He crticizes Vick for not being more forthcoming with the police, then says he should have kept his mouth shut regarding offenses by his buds. :)

[swede]

As a person who believes that humans bear a certain amount of noblesse oblige for having thumbs, walking upright, and pretty well dominating the planet it distresses me that media commentators are having a hard time gathering the intellectual resources necessary to condemn dog-fighting without either condemning hunting as well or being unable to articulately defend hunting. (Why do they keep talking about hunting anyway?)

From swatting mosquitoes to killing pigs at the slaughterhouse to stalking a whitetail buck to euthanizing the family dog to bullfighting, cockfighting, and dogfighting all the way to warfare and murder it is a well-established fact that humans kill other living things.

I think it is very instructive to at least begin with what is legal. After all, our laws regarding the treatment of animals and other humans are clearly defined and rather well-thought out.

Hunting is legal. Dog-fighting is not.

It has pissed me off to hear people defend Michael Vick's passion for dogfighting as a cultural right equivalent to hunting. The supposed cruelty of hunting is not a defense for fighting dogs in a ring.

It is not simplistic or intellectually lazy to simply and emphatically say that one is legal and the other is not as a complete explanation. The process of making one a crime and the other a protected right was a result of cultural input and serious thought and debate.

Those who wish to make hunting illegal are free to make the ethical and cultural arguments against it in the political arena.

To say that Michael Vick's actions are no worse than a hunter putting a slug in a deer is jaw-droppingly ignorant and a pathetic attempt at argument.

To say that he didn't kill a person is beside the point.

I see how the whole Michael Vick thing is a story, but I don't see how it is in any sense a controversy. Since he plea-bargained a deal he and his lawyer are probably satisfied that they have the best deal they are going to get.

If Goodell suspends him permanently it will be because of the gambling issue and not the dog-fighting issue.

The blabber I hear on the media regarding this situation is amazing for its tendency to wander far away from the point by drawing endless comparisons that are completely unlike the Vick case but deliciously emotional. Arguments such as, "Favre was addicted to painkillers and he got a pass because he's white."

Ehhh...This concludes my rant.

[Harlan Huckleby]

It has pissed me off to hear people defend Michael Vick's passion for dogfighting as a cultural right equivalent to hunting.

There is nothing wrong with comparing hunting to dogfighting, there are some parallels, some differences. I agree that one doesn't justify the other.


It is not simplistic or intellectually lazy to simply and emphatically say that one is legal and the other is not as a complete explanation. The process of making one a crime and the other a protected right was a result of cultural input and serious thought and debate.

Ya, that's a good point. But what is legal keeps changing. Spain is moving to make bullfighting illegal, for instance. So legality is not end the discussion.

[Patler]

I also find it very disturbing that a country that says it is ok to kill your unborn child gets so up in arms over a damn dog! Funny thing is many of you pining over these dogs have probably committed murder!

Be very careful how you group us.

[Patler]

Bravo to you Patler, if you voiced an outrage to something b4 you had a soapbox to stand on. Be careful about assuming that the killing was done for entertainment. That is you opinion, nobody knows why they did it how they did it. Maybe they were looking for the easiest ways. Who knows....

Come, on... a little common sense and practicality here. Hanging a dog? Properly performed, execution by hanging breaks the person's neck by dislocating it sideways from the placement of the elongated knot along the side of the persons head.

Fighting pit bulls are bred and trained to have extremely strong and powerful necks. Its needed in fighting. These "sportsmen" knew that. They were simply were strangling the dogs.

The easiest way is a bullet between the eyes, which they apparently also used. Cornering the dog, putting a rope around its neck, and hauling it up a tree or whatever certainly doesn't sound like an "easier" way. Soaking it in water, dragging out some type of electrical conductor and attaching it to the dog without shocking yourself doesn't seem to have the potential to be "easier" either.

These guys got thrills out of finding new and different ways to watch the dogs die.

[Patler]

The coward who can't come clean

By Jeff Schultz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/25/07

A coward to the end.

He won't directly say he killed dogs. He will admit to heading a group of degenerates when dogs were killed. Does somebody award points for semantics? "Ookie" tells "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk" to "Drown the dog," but he keeps his hands in his pockets. Is this the Vito Corleone defense?

A coward to the end.

He won't admit to gambling on dogfights. But he'll admit to funding an illegal business enterprise that gambles. Well, that should appease NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Because I'm sure if "Bad Newz Kennels" ever accumulated significant gambling debts, a bookie would pressure "T" or "Q" or "P Funk" —- not the NFL player with the $130 million contract who gave the money to "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk."

How does this happen? How can somebody we admired for his courage on the field turn into such an invertebrate off it?

He runs in games. Did he have to run in the real world? Is it that difficult to admit guilt and say, "It's my fault. Everything."

We are, by nature, forgiving. We embrace the comeback. We want people to overcome obstacles, shed their baggage, become whole again.

This we shouldn't forgive. First, we need to see remorse. Michael Vick hides behind attorneys like an offensive line. If only he had hid that well as a Falcons quarterback, he never would've been sacked.

He doesn't care about the truth. He cares about exact wording in legal PDFs.

He doesn't care about accepting responsibility. He cares about limiting blame.

If he feels anything, he doesn't show it. It's only obvious that he's sorry he got caught. That doesn't count. That's pathetic. He's pathetic. Vick doesn't need a 12-step program for healing. He needs a conscience.

When will he realize that he did something wrong? When he's lying in a cell, wide awake at 2 a.m.? When he's scrubbing a floor or washing dishes for 12 cents an hour? Maybe while he's under house arrest, walking around with an ankle bracelet?

Try avoiding the rush with that, big guy. There's your new Michael Vick Experience.

This is not how people with character defects should begin rehabilitation. This is not how to repair an image or damaged career aspirations.

Come clean on everything. Express sorrow, contrition —- then we'll talk.

Vick did what cowards do. He not only hid behind some legalese, he agreed to cooperate with the government in turning in others. Maybe you view that as being a team player. But there's another view: There goes the street cred.

Page 5 of the plea agreement reads: "The defendant agrees to cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States, and provide all information known to the defendant regarding any criminal activity as requested by the government." It states this includes testimony at grand juries and trials. Vick also must submit to a polygraph test at the whim of the government.

Nobody agrees to such mandates unless they're backed to the edge of a cliff, with the cavalry approaching. So why not just come completely clean? At least he would look like he cared.

I can't imagine the hundreds of thousands of dollars Vick will have paid attorneys when this is over. I hope the verbiage was worth it.

We knew he struggled to read defenses. Turns out he can't read an offense, either. The story broke in April in Surry County, Va. Vick's reaction: "I'm never at the house. I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing. ... It's unfortunate I have to take the heat behind it."

He thought it would go away, of course, like a disappearing water bottle incident. He goofed. Had he settled things with Virginia authorities, maybe the "United States vs. Michael Vick, a/k/a 'Ookie' " never happens.

Then officials dug up the yard at 1915 Moonlight Road. They found dog corpses. Vick still thought, "I can't be tied to this." The lying continued. Vick's fan base screamed racism or warnings about the Duke case revisited.

Then it fell apart. "T" and "Q" and "P-Funk" rolled on him. Suddenly, Vick was the last man standing. The last coward standing.

Maybe one day he'll step to a microphone and express remorse. But we're past the point of trust. Repentance needs to be wired to a polygraph.

**********************************************

He never had the guts to stay in the pocket and do his job for his team.

He never admitted to spreading herpes without concern for others.

He got his lawyers to cover up the marijuana at the airport.

One of his entourage stole a watch at the airport metal detectors.

He gave the "dirty bird" to paying customers of the NFL.

After all this time in the NFL he was 31st of 32 starting QB's in passer rating.

Missing work for appearances in Criminal Court and prison.

Model Employee eh?

He would get fired anywhere else, why not the NFL??

What an incredibly stupid article.

Does the reporter believe ANYBODY would "bravely" step forward and say "eveything is my fault"---thereby accepting far harsher criminal penalties---just to appease the public? This is an idiotic article designed to capitalize on the case's notoriety. :crazy:

Jeffrey Dahmer did. Admitted everything and explained it in detail.

[Bretsky]

I also find it very disturbing that a country that says it is ok to kill your unborn child gets so up in arms over a damn dog! Funny thing is many of you pining over these dogs have probably committed murder!

Be very careful how you group us.


Surprised you are saying some of this LEWCWA; to be honest we disagree on nearly every level of what is going on so I don't even see a reason to debate on it. Just pretty surprised at some of the stuff you threw out.

Cruel, Inhumane, Cowardly. That is how I categorize Vick and I hope he never is let back in the NFL again.

[LEWCWA]

I don't disagree one bit, but I bet more people know about Vick and his plea, than know that Coulee (spelling) guy was just sentenced to death for burying that little girl alive in Florida. My opinion is that with all the atrocities happening on a daily basis, Vick's is minor in comparison, but gets all the pub and has everyone calling for his head.

[MJZiggy]

It's the price he's paying for fame and fortune. Like it or not, famous people are more carefully scrutinized for their actions than someone who deservedly got the death penalty for what he did to a little girl. Hopefully some of these cases will lead to us holding famous people to a higher standard so we can finally toss the Lindsays and Brittney's out of the limelight. Until then, this is what happens.

[Patler]

I don't disagree one bit, but I bet more people know about Vick and his plea, than know that Coulee (spelling) guy was just sentenced to death for burying that little girl alive in Florida. My opinion is that with all the atrocities happening on a daily basis, Vick's is minor in comparison, but gets all the pub and has everyone calling for his head.

Well, of course. He is a national celebrity. No different than the absurd coverage given to idiots in Hollywood who can't seem to drink and not drive. DUI charges getting national and even international coverage with hordes of reporters. Day after day coverage on national news.

It all comes down to who the audience wants to hear about, famous person "X" who gets in trouble or Joe and Jill Schmoe, the average people no one other than their own families have ever heard of.

I think there is a jealous side of a lot of people who enjoy seeing the ultra-privileged getting into significant trouble. Face it, does anyone now wish they were Michael Vick?

[falco]

I wonder if the people complaining about this case getting more attention than other atrocities are the same people who complain about the media glamorizing these sorts of things in general?

[Patler]

There was a time when the troubles of our celebrities, sports heroes, politicians, etc. were kept quiet intentionally by the media. Now we are at the opposite extreme, the least little thing is made into national news.

I'm not sure which is better and which is worse. I would like to think it is better for the information to be out there, and for people to do with as they choose. But it has spawned conspiracy theorist about everything, and in many ways has made us a distrusting and skeptical society. The more the famous are portrayed to be just like us, the more resentful we have become.

Most things like this have a pendulum-like history. It moves relatively quickly from one not-so-good extreme to an opposite not-so-good extreme. Hopefully, we will reach a point at which the important things are reported and the not so important transgressions that occur because they are human will be given minimal coverage.

[Bretsky]

I don't disagree one bit, but I bet more people know about Vick and his plea, than know that Coulee (spelling) guy was just sentenced to death for burying that little girl alive in Florida. My opinion is that with all the atrocities happening on a daily basis, Vick's is minor in comparison, but gets all the pub and has everyone calling for his head.


I agree with you 100% on this one

[Harlan Huckleby]

to change the subject slightly: I remember when Vick's brother Marcus got suspended for stomping on a player with his cleats. lets see if there isn't a pic....
http://cache.deadspin.com/sports/marcusvick.jpg

Well, the pic doesn't show how nasty it was. It seems like there is a code on conduct in football that you don't cross that line. And the defender did nothing dirty.

I wander what sort of family produced these gents.

[Chubbyhubby]

How could anyone defend Vick? What he did was sick and that judge should throw the book at him and sentence him for the MAX of 5 years in prison!

[Merlin]

I think Swede hit it right on the head.

My personal thoughts are that anyone who breads dogs for fighting (regardless of the fight itself) is guilty of playing God. Sure, dogs fight. Are you aware why Pit Bulls get such a bad rap? It's because they are bread to become brain damaged. To do this they grow the dogs brain larger then their skull and makes the dog not a dog anymore. There are different ways to achieve this but the ends are basically the means: to create a fighting machine. To me it is inhumane to take any life form and alter it so it becomes a killing machine. The Nazi's did this in WWII and I am sure our government played around with it as well. That is a direct parallel. If you want to fight dogs fine, if you want to screw around with mother nature, you deserver what you get.

Micheal Vick lied, lied again, then lied some more. That can't be forgiven by anyone. He was too high profile of an individual and should have known better. Obviously he thinks his shit doesn't stink and he can do what he wants. Just because he doesn't fully admit it due to some legal verbiage doesn't mean it didn't happen. I hope he never plays another down in the NFL and I hope he doesn't make another cent off of his bloated career. He should rot in jail just like anyone else. If it was any of us we would get the book thrown at us and spend a lifetime paying off the fine. He can pay off the fine with his interest and probably won't spend a day in jail. CBS will probably hire him to be a sportscaster and we will have to listen to his drivel on the NFL for an eternity.

Already the "Poor Vick" mantra has started. I feel sorry for him in that respect. I would rather go out with some dignity in this world then a martyr for my misdeeds.

[the_idle_threat]

The coward who can't come clean

By Jeff Schultz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/25/07

A coward to the end.

He won't directly say he killed dogs. He will admit to heading a group of degenerates when dogs were killed. Does somebody award points for semantics? "Ookie" tells "T" or "Q" or "P-Funk" to "Drown the dog," but he keeps his hands in his pockets. Is this the Vito Corleone defense?

A coward to the end.

. . .



What an incredibly stupid article.

Does the reporter believe ANYBODY would "bravely" step forward and say "eveything is my fault"---thereby accepting far harsher criminal penalties---just to appease the public? This is an idiotic article designed to capitalize on the case's notoriety. :crazy:

Jeffrey Dahmer did. Admitted everything and explained it in detail.

Poor example.

This article excoriates Vick for failing to "take it like a man," admit that he did everything he's charged with, and accept whatever penalties follow.

Dahmer didn't do that, and I still maintain that nobody else would either.

Dahmer admitted and explained what he did, but not for the benefit of the public, or even for the purpose of throwing himself to the mercy of the courts. He did so in support of his insanity defense. He wanted to show that---although he did the things he was charged with---he did not have the understanding at the time that it was wrong for him to do them.

In any case, Dahmer wasn't a famous person (until he became famous for his crimes), so his situation is really not comparable to Vick's.

It seems to me that this author makes his haughty claim---that Vick should make a complete confession and accept the harshest criminal penalties--- primarily because Vick is famous and he owes it to the public. That is my take on his purported thesis. Again ... how stupid is that? It's easy for you, Mr. Schultz, to say this, considering you won't be spending 30 years in prison for it, rather than one or two.

Of course, I think the author's real aim is just to take some public shots at Vick (e.g. "coward!, coward!, coward!"), which is a waste of newsprint, bandwidth, etc. The guy sounds like he has an axe to grind. Maybe he lost some money on Vick's dogs. :twisted: