As Vick loses endorsement deals by the minute and as the league and the Falcons distance themselves further, let's take a moment to reflect on this situation and find out who is benefiting from Vick's career train wreck.
The list is short. But clear.
Coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino has had a cool relationship with Vick from the moment he took over the helm.
And now, with Vick seemingly done, Petrino has himself a can't lose situation. If the team fails, Vick gets the blame. If the team does better than expected, then Petrino is a genius.
Let's face reality together here. Vick never was the QB that Petrino's offense needed. Petrino had wonderful offensive success at Louisville with an offense that featured an excellent mix of rushing and down field passing. While his QB's put up excellent numbers, the offense was not built around a 'franchise' type of athletic QB.
In the greater scheme of things, Petrino may now be in a better position than he was with the $130M square peg to his round hole'd offense.
So, is it any wonder that the Falcons and the NFL didn't stand up to the pressure of the indictment? Is it any wonder that they didn't allow the wheels of justice to run their course before deciding Vick's fate?
Certainly, the NFL, which in the past has allowed accused and convicted women beaters to dress on Sundays without so much as giving protesting women's advocacy groups the time of day, can't pretend to have been so intimidated by animal rights groups that this was strictly a public relations decision.
No, this was the Falcons decision.
A decision to opportunely cut losses and change directions.
We still don't know exactly what the outcome of the trial will be. Yes, the federal government has an almost perfect conviction record. There is no reasonable assumption that they would bring a case against Vick to federal court if they weren't nearly certain that they will convict him.
But still, as Americans, we owe each other the courtesy of waiting for the trial to conclude (let alone start) before our decisions are made.
There is no way around the fact that despite the indictment against Vick, he is a victim here.
The league, his team and his sponsors have all acted in such a way as to further the presumption of guilt that the media is so gleefully propagating.
For what?
To ensure that Bobby Petrino has the best chance to succeed with his offense.
The Falcons' playbook now supersedes civil rights.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
36 comments:
You might have a point about the win-win situation for Petrino, but the league and the Falcons would only lose if they "stood up" for Vick in the face of allegations regarding the murder and torture of dogs.
"Falcons would only lose if they "stood up" for Vick in the face of allegations regarding the murder and torture of dogs. "
Sir, they could have at least said they will wait to see the results before asking Vick to disappear.
He can still run, sir. He can still run. The Toronto Argonauts are setting up a safe house for him.
You are absolutely full of bullshit!
Who cares about the Falcons and Petino?
The fact is Vick is not a victim,,,, the animals that he abused and slaughtered for his own amusement are the victims. How can any educated person be so stupid?
"gregg williams," have you followed Petrino around since his hiring? Can you say with certainty that his handprints are not all over this case? Why has there been no inquiry into Petrino's accounts and whether he has provided material support to those close to the situation?
I shudder to think how far up the NFL ladder this whole mess goes. All to do what 11 uniformed defenders have never been able to accomplish: take down Brother Michael.
Mr. Williams, how can any educated person have such a willful disregard for the legal process? Innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, correct? Having something printed on an indictment does not make it true. That's why we have our legal system. Just because the Feds have a high conviction rate does not make it true, either. Save your hateful statements until after Mr. Vick has had his day in court.
P.S. The Washington Native Americans' defense was terrible last year. Get your act together.
"The fact is Vick is not a victim,,,, the animals that he abused and slaughtered for his own amusement are the victims. How can any educated person be so stupid? "
Sir, your comment is most alarming.
We read your profile and checked out your blog, "Take Back America"...which has the stated goal of taking back America from bought politicians and lobbyists and such. Which says it is for people interested in being proactive and doing something.
But you didn't make any posts on the blog. What up with that, playah?
Anyway, it is alarming that someone that advocates taking back America for the people is so quick to deny an American his due process. His granted right of innocent until PROVEN guilty. PROVEN. As in tried in the court of law, not court of public opinion. And indictment is an accusation.
You proclaim that you want to take back America for the people, yet in this instance you demand that Mr. Vick be stripped of his rights!!
Your hypocricy gives us douche chills.
Vick has been abandoned by his employers and sponsors based on nothing but accusations. Accusations that now seem to hinge on the testimony of a man that had a falling out with Vick 3 years ago.
Anyway, shouldn't you be out coaching the Redskins defense, Gregg?
BTW, if you are such an advocate for the fair treatment of these dogs, why aren't you throwing your hissy fit over at the humane society's web page? They have announced that they will be killing the rest of the dogs taken from the kennel on Vick's property.
Go fight for their rights, since you don't care about the civil rights of humans.
"Who cares about the Falcons and Petino? "
I CARE ABOUT THE FALCONS!!
...and who the fuck is Petino?
Certainly, the NFL, which in the past has allowed accused and convicted women beaters to dress on Sundays without so much as giving protesting women's advocacy groups the time of day, can't pretend to have been so intimidated by animal rights groups that this was strictly a public relations decision.
To be fair, the league has framed its current actions toward Vick as an effort to erase exactly that perception about it. Goodell seems to want to appear proactive in all situations, and probably we can expect him to err in that direction for the foreseeable future. Inconsistency with past action is the the point here, so I'm not sure that it's hypocritical.
The media's self-serving orgy of condemnation of Vick before the trial's occurred or before any of the evidence has been presented has made it seem like the League's actions are part of the same rush to judgment, but I'm not sure they are. Goodell's comments in Peter King's recent column have read to me like more of a defense of Vick than I've seen anywhere else in the 'official' sports press, aside from Deion Sanders.
Certainly, though, the Falcons have shown to be spineless by not even trying to appear to be in Vick's corner while he tries to maintain his innocence. I've no idea why he'd ever want to have anything to do with them again, should he prove to be as innocent as he claims.
i finally agree with NOIS.
Vick is a victim.
A victim of the smaller brain encased behind that extend brow and extra wide nose that breathes up all the white mans' air!!!
This Petrino situation is worse than even I suspected. Listen to Warrick Dunn's explanation for suddenly deciding he needed back surgery right before training camp:
"I felt some discomfort in my back and legs that just never subsided," Dunn said in a statement released by the team. "After consulting with the medical staff, it was recommended that we have the surgery."
He is not speaking in the royal collective first person, he is speaking in brainwashed collective first person. Petrino has tricked Mr. Dunn into undergoing invasive corporal enhancement just so Petrino's real protege, Jerious Norwood, gets the spotlight.
Consider this gentlemen, Jerious Norwood is an anagram for "injure, do so or ow." Need more be said?
"This Petrino situation is worse than even I suspected."
Sir, all it takes is a willingness to look past the MSM's spin...
Seeing past the MSM's spin only took their own mistake: quoting Brother Dunn's actual statement.
Nobody "wins" here. Well, maybe the dogs that were either freed from, or won't go to Bad Newz Kennelz.
Try not to sacrifice your credibility by defending Vick simply because he's a black man. Read the indictment. Again if necessary. It's pretty clear he's an active member of this enterprise.
I'm a black man and think his association with dogfighting is disgusting. If he is in fact innocent, then he's the dumbest man on the planet for allowing this to happen around him. If he's guilty, let him serve his sentence.
"If he's guilty, let him serve his sentence. "
Sir, all we have advocated is due process.
Is that so objectionable?
Sebastian-
In another comment, you said a business (particularly entertainment) should be able to make Vick go away based on the accusations.
Question, what "business" is more important than our government? Our Congress?
When a member of Congress is indicted, he or she is not barred from Congress until due process has been resolved.
Football pales in comparison in importance to Congress. Yet you advocate football trampling civil rights?
SHame on you.
sebastion must live up in the big house...he don't care bout the civil rights of the rest of us..
Ah,yes,the Great Petrino Conspiracy.You forgot to mention the Illuminati and the Bilderberg Group's role is assuring Petrino's NFL success.
Dance for us,Klaus.
"Big house" Hee-hee. This is the most fun I've had at a blog in months.
OK, I'll try defending Vick.
He hasn't been found guilty, and deserves a trial of his peers. He didn't understand that the enterprise he was entering into was for the furtherance of acts that have been ruled illegal at a federal level. His compatriots willingly misled him into the establishment of Bad Newz Kennelz, and misled him as to the ultimate purpose of the enterprise. He finds himself shocked and embarrassed once he found out what really happened. His compatriots at Bad Newz Kennelz are now cutting deals with attorneys in order to heap false guilt on Vick in order to mitigate their punishments. The NFL has been complicit in this by holding Vick up as a bad example and using his plight as an opportunity to turn around their own poor public image. PETA is similarly using Vick as a tool for the furtherance of their own goals. Every year, grown white men in orange shoot defenseless animals in the name of a shameful sport called hunting. Is this any worse, considering Vick is innocent?
Michael Vick is truly a victim.
Did you like that? I should have gone to law school.
Kids, dogfighting is a federal offense. If you don't want to get arrested for it, don't do it. Sorry it sounds so simple, but it really is just that simple. You can "victim-victim-victim" all you want; but it doesn't change a thing. Vick entered into this himself. He's a grown man making millions. If he doesn't have the sense to see the risk, or manage himself responsibly, then he's going to learn a particularly difficult lesson of life.
"Vick entered into this himself."
you still don't get it...HE HASN'T EVEN BEEN ON TRIAL YET!!!
can you give the man the chance to defend himself before you lock him up?
maybe he did all this. fine. then he will pay the price.
but you aren't leaving any room for doubt or for presumption of innoncense.
Yes, a federal indictment usually leads to conviction.
Something like a 98% conviction rate.
But, it isn't 100%.
Once he his convicted, say all these things.
But he hasn't been convicted.
Banana Al,
"maybe he did all this. fine. then he will pay the price."
Here's my question, why are we exercising all this angst about yet another high-profile person doing stupid things?
Michael Vick, PacMan, any one of those vapid Hollywood blondes, and queen of the Gucci dress, Britney?
At what point do we say, "dummy, see what you got yourself into?" When do we say to ourselves, those around us, and our kids "don't be like the dummy?"
There are too many people out there who really need defending.
I support Brother Vick's right to due process.
I do not believe that he or anyone else has a right to play professional football. It's a privilege, not a right.
The NFL is conducting its own investigation, based on its own player-conduct policy. This investigation is not connected to Brother Vick's trial.
The media should make sure to distinguish as such.
Brother Vick deserves the same due process every American citizen deserves in the courts of law. But that's all.
"At what point do we say, "dummy, see what you got yourself into?" When do we say to ourselves, those around us, and our kids "don't be like the dummy?"
when??
when they are CONVICTED of the crime...duhhhhh!!!
Michael Vick will begin his criminal trial with a presumption of innocence.There's no constitutional guarantee he gets the same from civil society.He's well situated to purchase a capable defense,which is more than can be said about many wrongfully accused.Save some concern for them.
As for Vick,when it walks like a smoking duck...
Banana Al,
I disagree. You tell them to avoid it on the front end. If they're not ARRESTED, they can't be CONVICTED.
In all, it's good that there are those who will continue to defend. I'm too old and been burned too many times to bother with dummies. Common sense and responsibility gets you farther when used on the front end than reflecting on how you should have used it on the back end. I dont' say that as some smart a** who's always done right. I say that as a smart guy who's done some stupid things and had to live through them.
There are real victims out there. Michael Vick is not one.
I disagree. You tell them to avoid it on the front end. If they're not ARRESTED, they can't be CONVICTED.
Sir, there is no way for Brother Michael to avoid the color of his own skin.
Sebastian--
An indictment is the result of "evidence" presented only by the government to a Grand Jury. There is no opportunity for the defense to cross-examine anyone or even to dispute the evidence presented behind closed doors. To say that one only needs to read the indictment to be sure of Vick's involvement is like saying one only needs to listen to Kim Jong Il to know he has authored thousands of books.
"Kim Jong Il to know he has authored thousands of books. "
he wrote the bible.
J-Red,
I understand you, and we will see the case very soon.
However, the building of dogfighting facilities on your property doesn't lend itself towards a credible denial. You may not want to cede that point, but I think you're going to have to.
"doesn't lend itself towards a credible denial"
there will be high priced lawyers involved in this...since when does that require a credible denail???
Brother T,
True, Vick does have the money to buy himself a "credible denial", at least to the media.
NOIS,
As I would suspect you have tried to take my statements and turn them around. Please read what I said. I said that Vick is not a victim,,, I did not say he was guilty or should not be given a trial.
In any case it is clear that there are dogs here that are the victims. Do you deny that there was dog fighting and abuse going on? I would guess so since you are blind to the truth and only capable of seeing your twisted vision.
You sound like you are tying to be a self-educated lawyer attempting to use American liberties and rights to defend criminal and backward activities.
Lets all go back to the 6th century and live in peace, right?
This site is a joke.
"Lets all go back to the 6th century and live in peace, right?"
Sir....wtf are you talking about?
You see the dogs as the only victim.
That is your prerogative.
However, when your prerogative makes you blind to the other issues...that makes you foolish.
If you are so blind that you can't see that this case is getting the attention it is getting from both the media and law enforcement because of the connection to Vick...then you are even more foolish than your opinion lets on...
Dog fighting happens every day. There are kennels out there in the backwoods that have more dogs and put on more fights than Vick does.
But the feds aren't chasing them down. When there are busts, they aren't on the front page.
Please. We beg you.
You say that this blog is a joke.
That's fine.
You aren't bright enough to be commenting here to begin with...so let's just severe our relationship before you get mad and argue about things that aren't even the topic here...and we get frustrated with your ignorance and make you look like the fool you are...
Take care.
idiots
"Vick has been abandoned by his employers and sponsors based on nothing but accusations. Accusations that now seem to hinge on the testimony of a man that had a falling out with Vick 3 years ago."
Negative. Mr. Vick has been abandoned by his sponsors because they perceive he will no longer increase their bottom lines (profit.) Surely you will concede that white corporate America uses every opportunity at its disposal to make money and profit on the innocent back of the black man.
Unfortunately, the parents of white kids are appalled by Mr. Vick's alleged behavior and will not expend funds on sneakers or jerseys associated with his name. It is further unfortunate that the young Negro men who support Mr. Vick who have no issue with the skewering and drowning of the canine species mostly obtain their jerseys and sneakers through carjackings and shoplifting (theft.)
"Mr. Williams, how can any educated person have such a willful disregard for the legal process? Innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, correct?"
Only if you don't plead guilty first.
Post a Comment