What should the NFL do to Michael Vick if he's found guilty?

[korbel]

Hi Korbel,

On this issue you are wrong. If he did what is alleged this is way outside the boundaries of what should be acceptable to not only the nfl who at times has an image problem but to every member of society who understands the difference between right and wrong. He deserves no support from anyone.

Hello Daringly,

While what Vick did (allegedly) is a grave crime, and calling agencies fro ladies is not obviously, the public reaction to you seeing dozens or hundreds of young women would probably cost you gravely. Is that how it should be. Yes, this is apples and oranges, but the point is that in neither case should you be punished in your professional area by employers for personal actions that did not affect your job.

Keep in mind I am not completely comfortable with my position. I am open to your and other arguments that may change my mind. But for now...to quote Martin Luther...HERE I STAND!

Convince me more,

Korbel

 

[Joe.t]

What do you think he would be doing if he couldn't play football ?.

On the street as a homeless crackhead or in jail for selling the stuff or even worse dead from a overdose, take your pick.

 

[NHBrat]

If he is found to be guilty, he should be thrown out for good. He is a role model for so many young people. No one who does something like this deserves respect from young people who want to grow up just like him. And as far as what does he do, he has a degree.... Have you ever listened to these ball players speak? Maybe not all but a good percentage. They went to college and most of them still can't speak engish. They make too much money for just having talent to throw a ball.

 

[Joe.t]

Are you sure that you would want that to happen to him because that would cause him a lot of excruciating pain and suffering,.

 

[Robert 21]

Vick co-defendant to make plea

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7067196?MSNHPHMA

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - One of Michael Vick's co-defendants doesn't want to wait for trial.

Instead, a plea agreement hearing has been scheduled for Tony Taylor at 9 a.m. Monday in the federal dogfighting conspiracy case.
Taylor's hearing was added to U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson's docket Friday, a day after he and the other three defendants pleaded not guilty before the same judge. Vick and the others still are scheduled for trial Nov. 26.

Prosecutors claim Taylor, 34, found the Surry County property purchased by Vick and used it as the site of "Bad Newz Kennels," a dogfighting enterprise. The Hampton man also allegedly helped purchase pit bulls and killed at least two dogs that fared poorly in test fights.

 

[korbel]

Penalty.

Well the scumbag finally stepped up to the plate and pleaded guilty.
For myself there are certain types of crimes where i feel no sympathy towards the people who committed them and animal cruelty is one of them.
I hope this piece of dirt never plays another nfl game.

Hello Daringly,

I recognize the particular nature of this crime and it is truly odious. But Vick will pay the price for it in the courts and prison as we can see. What I object to is the idea that Vick should never play again when he did nothing directly against the game beyond ethics clauses focusing on issues outside of the sport. That's too much. When the NFL and other sports can't clean up many offences directly concerning their own specific fields of interest, and politicians can still be elected after serving prison terms, then any guy who pays for his criminal acts should still be able to have access to the legal means to live wherever his/her talents may take them. That includes Vick being able to play once he has paid.

Firmly,

Korbel

 

[eastender]

Bankrolled Gambling

What I object to is the idea that Vick should never play again when he did nothing directly against the game beyond ethics clauses focusing on issues outside of the sport. That's too much. When the NFL and other sports can't clean up many offences directly concerning their own specific fields of interest, and politicians can still be elected after serving prison terms, then any guy who pays for his criminal acts should still be able to have access to the legal means to live wherever his/her talents may take them. That includes Vick being able to play once he has paid.

Firmly,

Korbel

Note that Michael Vick bankrolled gambling which is a lot more serious than what Paul Hornung and Alex Karras did in the early sixties when they gambled.

Each was suspended for one year by the NFL, commisioner Pete Rozelle.

Likewise Art Schlichter whose gambling problems led to suspensions while destroying his career.

The gambling problems of former NFL owners Leonard Tose(Eagles) and Carroll Rosenbloom(Baltimore Colts and Rams) also created concern for the NFL and it is a road that the NFL does not want to re-visit.

Sorry but bankrolling gambling in any form is not an issue outside the sport considering it is a player who admitted he took it easy in a meaningless game.

 

[Dee]

Its a terrible crime that he will plead guilty to.... what will be an appropriate penalty? Wouldn't 1 to 3 years in prison (think about yourself doing the time) and a loss of 10 to 30 million dollars in salary alone be almost enough. Also he is likely to lose millions in endorsements.

Perhaps the NFL should add a little extra time on for him lying to the commissioner.

Then let him get on with his life and hope he has learned his lesson.

 

[Ben Dover]

The maximum jail sentence is 6 years and the majority here want to deny this guy the ability to make a living for life in something that is legal like playing football. C'mon - so say he serves 2 years at a cost to him of what $10 million ....$20 million. You want to deny him the chance to earn a lawful living after that ? What do you think he would be doing if he couldn't play football ? You think the NFL should hand out stiffer sentences than the US justice system ? You think Vick would work in a lawful occupation if he wasn't in football ? Who would be served by this ?

Glad the people here aren't on juries together.

I couldn't have said it better myself Equanimity. It's hard to believe the glee with which some enjoy ripping people like Vick down.

If he serves his time (and loses million and millions in the process) and then is freed from jail after 18 months or so -- which I believe is what will happen -- then Vick should be allowed back to play, if he's even still able to play after that...

I can't think of any reason why this should be a lifetime ban! I'm a big animal lover too!!

Besides... look at all these NFL guys who messed up bigtime

http://www.thephatphree.com/features.asp?StoryID=850&SectionID=2&LayoutType=1


BD

 

[eastender]

Correct

I think Hornung and Karras were betting on football but I may be wrong.

I guess I no longer buy the "pro athelete as role model" argument anymore after all the DUI's, steroids, spousal assault, drugs, shootings etc that have gone on in pro sports over the last ten years. I think the days of wanting your kid to grow up like Bart Starr or Russ Jackson are over. It's all about the money and the story now.

They did bet on football but not on games involving their teams.

 

[pinkworm]

...any guy who pays for his criminal acts should still be able to have access to the legal means to live wherever his/her talents may take them. That includes Vick being able to play once he has paid.

That is true, but who would sponser a team with him on it?

 

[korbel]

Note that Michael Vick bankrolled gambling which is a lot more serious than what Paul Hornung and Alex Karras did in the early sixties when they gambled.

Hello Eastender,

Okay, I was not aware of that element. But it would seem the authorities are. So if any penalty or sentence Vick gets is pronounced with full knowledge of all of this I still say once he has paid for his crime(s) he should be able to earn a living wherever his talents lead and wherever they will still have him. I will say that after paying for what he has done with imprisonment, any more NFL sanctions against him would be exceeding justice.

Still firm (no pun intended...lol),

Korbel

PS

Wasn`t there a MLB player who started after a prison term in the 70s...for the Tigers I think??? Found him:

Ron LeFlore.

"At twelve, he began to have sex with local prostitutes and soon after he was introduced to shooting heroin in a neighbourhood `shooting gallery`. He dropped out of school and spent many nights breaking into the Stroh`s Brewery on Gratiot Avenue, stealing beer and getting drunk with friends. After dropping out of school he played no organized sports and rarely followed the Tigers, although he had been to Tiger Stadium, sitting in the upper bleachers with his father, on one occasion as a kid. First arrested at fifteen, he was ultimately sentenced to 5-15 years in state prison at the State Prison of Southern Michigan, usually called Jackson State Penitentiary, for armed robbery."

Okay, so the crime was paid for in prison and he still got the right to play ball, making the All-Star team in 1976 despite all the criminal history behind him.

 

[korbel]

Bravo E

The maximum jail sentence is 6 years and the majority here want to deny this guy the ability to make a living for life in something that is legal like playing football. C'mon - so say he serves 2 years at a cost to him of what $10 million ....$20 million. You want to deny him the chance to earn a lawful living after that ? What do you think he would be doing if he couldn't play football ? You think the NFL should hand out stiffer sentences than the US justice system ? You think Vick would work in a lawful occupation if he wasn't in football ? Who would be served by this ?

Glad the people here aren't on juries together.

Hello Equanimity,

BRAVO!!! Yes, how many corporate criminals or even mobsters who have done so much end up paying such a penalty in time and especially money. The system has set the penalty guidelines and once he serves the sentence he has the right to live and make a living. What public opinion will continue to do to him cannot be controlled. But, any free person has the same rights as the rest of us including the right to choose how to live without paying twice.

Bravo once more,

Korbel

 

[Sgt.Pecker]

He'll be playing for the Montreal Allouttes during his suspension fron the NFL

 

[korbel]

No - professional athletes are held to a different standard. When you get paid millions of dollars to throw a ball, you are held to a different standard. The NFL doesn't need to suspend him as I doubt that any team would touch this guy with a ten-foot pole.

And he will not be playing in Montreal, or for any other team in the CFL. His career is finished and he has only himself to blame.

Hello DoingittoDeath,

Are you saying that after he has paid for his crime in prison, he should keep on paying? Why are professional athletes different legally? He earned $23 million in 2005, so he will be losing as much for every year in prison. Do you think corporate criminals who lose the savings of thousands and miliions of people or ruin thousands of lives ever pay that much. Do you think Martha Stewart paid or lost that much? "Federal Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum also ordered Stewart to serve five months of home confinement after her release and fined the lifestyle expert $30,000."

As for whether "any team would touch this guy with a ten-foot pole"...don't kid yourself. In the U.S. the dominant view is that once someone has served their sentence they are free to do as they will. Given that he would then have paid his dues in the eyes of most of the public the media money that would be generated by his "reformed" return to the NFL would water the mouths of profiteers in the NFL more than all the water of Hoover Dam. If he can perform at that time and profit is in the air...he will be forgiven by the NFL just in time...lol.

Reality,

Korbel

 

[eastender]

Gambling and Pro Sports

Hello Eastender,

Okay, I was not aware of that element. But it would seem the authorities are. So if any penalty or sentence Vick gets is pronounced with full knowledge of all of this I still say once he has paid for his crime(s) he should be able to earn a living wherever his talents lead and wherever they will still have him. I will say that after paying for what he has done with imprisonment, any more NFL sanctions against him would be exceeding justice.

Still firm (no pun intended...lol),

Korbel

PS

Wasn`t there a MLB player who started after a prison term in the 70s...for the Tigers I think??? Found him:

Ron LeFlore.

"At twelve, he began to have sex with local prostitutes and soon after he was introduced to shooting heroin in a neighbourhood `shooting gallery`. He dropped out of school and spent many nights breaking into the Stroh`s Brewery on Gratiot Avenue, stealing beer and getting drunk with friends. After dropping out of school he played no organized sports and rarely followed the Tigers, although he had been to Tiger Stadium, sitting in the upper bleachers with his father, on one occasion as a kid. First arrested at fifteen, he was ultimately sentenced to 5-15 years in state prison at the State Prison of Southern Michigan, usually called Jackson State Penitentiary, for armed robbery."

Okay, so the crime was paid for in prison and he still got the right to play ball, making the All-Star team in 1976 despite all the criminal history behind him.

Gambling is viewed differently by pro sports. Gambling as such is not illegal.
The problem from the standpoint of pro sports is that gambling opens the door to corruption.

The situation re the NBA referee is an example. Seems that Mr. Donaghy is ready to sing about upwards of 20 other NBA referees that did not respect NBA guidelines that may range from limiting your presence in a casino to the entertainment area and other strictly nuanced situations.

Within the last 5 years the NHL fired a supervisor of referees because he was borrowing money from other officials. While not illegal this put him in a possible conflict of interest position when determining assignments and grading performance.

Likewise a few years ago certain MLB umpires ran afoul of their guidelines when they were caught solliciting autographed and other memorabilia from players for re-sale. They were deemed to be in a conflict of interest since a players refusal might influence how a game might be called.

 

[eastender]

Credibility Issue

As for whether "any team would touch this guy with a ten-foot pole"...don't kid yourself. In the U.S. the dominant view is that once someone has served their sentence they are free to do as they will. Given that he would then have paid his dues in the eyes of most of the public the media money that would be generated by his "reformed" return to the NFL would water the mouths of profiteers in the NFL more than all the water of Hoover Dam. If he can perform at that time and profit is in the air...he will be forgiven by the NFL just in time...lol.

Reality,

Korbel

Whether Michael Vick or anyone has served his sentence is a sub-issue.

Doing this from memory but a few years ago Michael Vick more or less admitted that he took it easy in a meaningless end of season game.

Factor in gambling and the issue of trust will not go away. Would any owner or coach trust him to run an offence to the max, make appropriate decisions,etc.

 

[korbel]

Gambling is viewed differently by pro sports. Gambling as such is not illegal.
The problem from the standpoint of pro sports is that gambling opens the door to corruption.

The situation re the NBA referee is an example. Seems that Mr. Donaghy is ready to sing about upwards of 20 other NBA referees that did not respect NBA guidelines that may range from limiting your presence in a casino to the entertainment area and other strictly nuanced situations.

Within the last 5 years the NHL fired a supervisor of referees because he was borrowing money from other officials. While not illegal this put him in a possible conflict of interest position when determining assignments and grading performance.

Likewise a few years ago certain MLB umpires ran afoul of their guidelines when they were caught solliciting autographed and other memorabilia from players for re-sale. They were deemed to be in a conflict of interest since a players refusal might influence how a game might be called.

Hello Eastender,

If Vick is involved with gambling that can taint or influence his performance on the field then that is another matter. In this situation the NFL would have some real cause as long as they can show that his gambling could genuinely have a real impact on his game integrity or that of other players. Then there might be a case for a ban.

Maybe,

Korbel

 

[Esco!]

Hey guys, just curious since I hardly follow the NFL.
Where does Vick rank in order of quarterbacks????
How good is he??? Is he in the top 10????


Oh an BTW, dispiccable is what he is, it says a lot about a e person when he enjoys
dogs being ripped to shreds.

EDIT: SI has him ranked 21st

.

 

[eastender]

Type of Offence

Hey guys, just curious since I hardly follow the NFL.
Where does Vick rank in order of quarterbacks????
How good is he??? Is he in the top 10????


Oh an BTW, dispiccable is what he is, it says a lot about a e person when he enjoys
dogs being ripped to shreds.

EDIT: SI has him ranked 21st

.

Depends on the type of offence he has to run. A structured disciplined offence with complex reads and he would be near the bottom.

Give him an offence that relies on his athletic ability and instincts and he might sneak into the top 10.