2007 NFL Off-Season Discussion Thread (Including Vick's troubles) (1 Viewer)

[Joe Fisher]

Pulled this from the Raider Nation forum.

The picture speaks for itself.

 

[Brandon_T]

Vick takes the plea deal, the question now is will he play again in the NFL?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2983121

 

[Scott Merryfield]

If the sentence is over a year, then Vick will miss at least the next two NFL seasons. I'm sure the NFL would make sure a league suspension would continue through the end of the 2008 season, at a minimum -- and maybe for part or all of 2009, as well. So, would any team touch a 30-year old Michael Vick in 2009, considering he (1) would be a public relations headache, (2) would have been completely away from football for two seasons, and (3) wasn't that good a QB to begin with?

I think Vick's biggest appeal with Atlanta was his marketability. That is gone now for any team that would sign him.

 

[Shane Martin]

I think a year ban from the NFL would be quite light. I fully expect it to be longer. It could be a lifetime ban.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I wouldn't be surprised with a longer suspension, or lifetime ban, either, Shane. My speculation was the absolute minimum that Vick would get. If he even gets 18 months in prison and another year NFL suspension, it would put him out of the league for three years, which would in reality mean the end of his career, too. His only hope of making it back to the league would be a 12 month sentence and a suspension for the remainder of next season.

I think the odds are against him ever playing in the NFL again. However, Ray Lewis and Jamal Lewis have both made it back from some pretty serious convictions, so anything is possible.

 

[Chris]

Vick is looking at 18 months as a recommended (no parole) which would mean, given NFL suspension due, he'd have three years of no play, with a potential return in 2010.

The Falcons, however, may have caught a break, because they may be eligible to cut Vick without a big cap hit under the new bargaining agreement.

 

[Shane Martin]

Scott,
What makes Vick's deal different to me is the dog fighting aspects. He's a public relations nightmare as opposed to Ray Lewis or Jamal Lewis.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Michael Vick will never play in the NFL again.

Here's how I know it. Aside from his time in jail, he is going to be suspended. But here's the kicker, the suspension wouldn't start until he was on a team's roster. So if the Falcons were to release Vick after he got out of jail, any team that signed him would have to wait to use him until his ban was up. But, his ban wouldn't even begin if he was a free agent.

Toss that on with him being a PR nightmare and he's done.

We've learned that this is a subject that stirs emotions and has a lot more emotional weight than simply doing drugs.

Unfortunately, it may have more weight than killing someone while driving drunk which is exactly what Lenoard Little did and he's still playing.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

That's what has amazed me about this Vick case. While what he did was certainly heinous, Leonard Little and Ray Lewis barely get noticed by the public or the league, even though human beings died in each of these cases.

 

[ThomasC]

Who cares about humans? :rolleyes

 

[Brandon_T]

Both of those cases should have been severely punished, and the Leonard Little one to me is the worst. He had been convicted of drunk driving, then does it again and kills someone, yet he gets to keep his million dollar job while some family loses a member because of his reckless actions. Disgusting.

 

[Malcolm R]

From MSNBC Sports, explaining the seeming disconnect in public opinion between other serious infractions and Vick's:

 

[Johnny Angell]

I had been hoping that Vick would not plead out and go to trial. A trial would have given the public a much more in depth look at the underworld of dogfighting. It might not have been better for Vick, but I think it would have been better for the dogs.

There's a lot of cockfighting going on in this country, too. I suspect that would have received some attention too. You can find cockfighting magazines on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Notice that the first item in the list is a documentary on dogfighting, even thought the search term was cockfighting.

 

[betooz]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Ray Lewis was found not guilty. What Leonard Little did was inexcusable but the general public is far more apt to forgive a crime like that. They are even more willing to forgive something like spousal abuse, maiming or killing. Is that right? Not for either of us to judge, but that is the way it is.

Personally, I think what Vick did was much worse. If nothing else it will be perceived as much worse, as I think it should be. He took advantage of many trusting, innocent animals. He also showed just how cold and calculating he can be. In my opinion he is a complete piece of SH** as a human being.
The quote may be in this thread, I forget, but I do believe you can judge a person by how he treats defenseless animals, or animals in general for that matter. Sadly, no matter what happens to Vick, it doesn't change what those poor dogs had to endure.

If he is allowed to ever play again, which I don't think will happen. Who needs this much negative attention? Maybe the Raiders. I honestly hope some animal loving DB lays a very painful career ending hit on him. I would not normally wish this on anyone but he is the exception.

He is a maladjusted thug, I present his brother Marcus as evidence. Classy move stomping and grinding on an opponents leg while wearing cleats. VT did the right thing by throwing him out. I have no sympathy for this worthless dreg, it amazes me some people do.

This is not a racial issue, I was waiting for that card to get played. Hey, if Al Sharpton condemns your actions, I guess that option is gone.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Can't sleep, so I'm doing some surfing.


I've thought about this for a while, and I think I've got some sort of convoluted explanation for this. I'm sure there are others and far better explanations, but this is the best I could come up with.

I think a lot of people expect human beings to be awful to one another or that human tragedies just simply happen (more specifically tragedies involving adults). There are a lot of examples in history to back that one up. At the same time we don't expect the same kind of atrocities to be committed upon pets and children. A person showing outrage over Vick's actions and not Leonard Little's or Ray Lewis doesn't necessarily mean that same person values animal life over human life. Rather, that person is reacting to something awful they've never experienced and can't comprehend.

All this talk of Vick, and no one mentions his mama? She sure has raised two fine sons..... :rolleyes

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Actually, Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, and was the only person involved in the murder case that was convicted of any crime. Basically, Lewis refused to cooperate with officials in a murder investigation, and a murderer (probably someone other than Lewis) was never brought to justice.

 

[Dave_Brown]

Well, the NAACP has proven yet again that they are not after equal treatment but special treatment....

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2986382

 

[Shane Martin]

Gee I wonder who PETA's next target is?

The NAACP is about publicity, not protecting people.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Mistakes? Rehabilitation? You've got to be freakin' kiddin' me. Michael Vick won't change. A thug is a thug. Seriously, you have to put effort into the kind of activities Vick partook in. I hate how they use the word mistake and how it belittles the heinous nature of Vick's actions. This isn't some kid stealing candy from a store. This is flat out animal torture and cruelty. You can't expect kids to change their ways, so how can you expect a full grown man to do it?

 

[Johnny Angell]

I think what Vick did was despicable and I hope he never plays in the NFL again, but I have to disagree with this comment. Kids can't change their ways? Sure they can, teenagers are still forming their character, and sometimes they can be re-directed down the right path. And even adults can change, though it is more difficult.