The Falcons have released the following statement:
"We appreciate the speed at which the Miami authorities concluded their investigation, and we are pleased to learn of the outcome of the investigation. This is another reminder of the high-profile nature of a professional athlete and the close scrutiny players undergo related to their conduct on and off the field. We look forward to putting this matter behind us."
Why did I expect any more? Did I really think that the NFL would set the moral high standard? I am so naive.
For some reason I figured the NFL would look into this matter further and then that the Falcons would follow suit. It is good management practice from what I understand. Stupid me, I'm thinking like an MBA again.
The Falcons. What a joke of morality.
####! Get your #### here! Contracts available for flicking off fans and throwing coaches under buses. Free water bottle with secret marijuana compartment with every purchase or contract.
And just what the hell is that grafitti on his neck?
"So it turns out Michael Vick was not carrying a water bottle laced with marijuana on his way through the Miami airport. Case closed, right? Hardly. Even though Vick was cleared of possible drug charges following his "Bottlegate" encounter with the TSA, there's still a very vocal segment of the football-watching audience in Atlanta that believes it's time for the Falcons to get rid of their quarterback. Vick has become a lightning rod for all that ails the Falcons -- and the incident at Miami International Airport last week only fueled Internet and talk-show chatter about what should happen next.
Even the Falcons hierarchy seemed quick to blame Vick when police said he was reluctant to give up a bottle that smelled of marijuana and had a secret compartment. The quarterback was quickly summoned to a meeting at team headquarters with owner Arthur Blank, general manager Rich McKay and new coach Bobby Petrino. The whole episode raises some legitimate questions about Vick's judgment. If he wasn't carrying anything illegal, why did he allegedly balk at turning over the water bottle in Miami? When he got back to Atlanta, why didn't he hold a news conference to strongly proclaim his innocence?"
Appearances are such that non-conspiracy theorists like me are howling coverup as well as others.
"Smells like a Miami coverup to keep the NFL happy and insure future SuperBowls for Miami"....posted by scot
Petrino told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Vick's incident at Miami International Airport last week was "unfortunate" -- but that it's time to move past the episode. Lab tests on the bottle, which contained a hidden compartment that police suspected may have contained marijuana, later found no evidence of drugs. Vick was never arrested or charged in the matter. The meeting with Vick on Jan. 18, a day after the incident, was Petrino's first face-to-face meeting with his star quarterback since leaving Louisville to succeed Jim Mora as head coach of the Falcons.
"I told him I didn't think our first meeting would be under these circumstances, but it was good to get to know him a little bit," Petrino told the Journal-Constitution. "He told me what happened and how it happened, and from that point we decided we're going to get past that," Petrino told the newspaper. "It's unfortunate but we're going to put that behind us and it's hopefully football from here on. I'm really looking forward to moving on." "There's no questioning" that Vick is the Falcons' starter next season, Petrino told the newspaper.
Get used to it Bobby. Welcome to the Hot Seat. Now serving, Falcons coaches. So you think this is the only such meeting you will have with Vick? Don't count on it, he's really good at keeping that fire stoked.
While quarterback Michael Vick ended up being exonerated in the now infamous "Bottlegate" incident at the Miami International Airport, the manner in which the Falcons organization responded to the situation is what is most noteworthy in the whole mess. A lawyer by trade, McKay held a hastily-called press briefing in which, among other things, he expressed the organization's disappointment over what occurred. This was based on a police report that mentioned an undetermined trace substance with the aroma of marijuana had been discovered in the secret-compartment bottle that Vick had reluctantly tossed away while going through the screening process at the airport, and before final test results on that bottle were released and eventually cleared Vick of any wrongdoing (besides stupidity, that is, for simply not surrendering the bottle to TSA officials when he was originally asked to do so). The fact that the Falcons didn't allow any modicum of due process to run its course before chastising Vick speaks volumes to the diminishing esteem in which he is held within the organization. Along with the team just coming off a second straight disappointing finish to not qualify for the playoffs, the Miami airport episode was the latest in a growing number off-the-field public relations snafus - his 'Ron Mexico' alias in a #### case, an Internet picture of him apparently holding a marijuana cigarette, and giving Atlanta fans the finger after a loss, are others - have helped to erode Vick's stature.
The Falcons have closed ranks and relied on the McKay interview, or terse press releases authored by Reggie Roberts, the vice president of football communications, or Kim Shreckengost, the executive vice president of operations for Blank's foundation, to address the issue. Shreckengost, of all people, was the organization's designated mouthpiece on the latest bit of Vick news, as she quelled rumors of a Vick trade to the oakland Raiders being bandied about on the Fox Sports website, as well as shooting down any thoughts that Vick would be released. Any thoughts of cutting Vick - thehighest paid player in the NFL with a 10-year, $130 million contract that expires in 2013 - may make for great sports-talk fodder, but in reality, would be committing salary cap suicide. If the Falcons decided to do such a thing, it would cost them approximately $23 million against the 2007 cap total of $109 million. The team would be forced to make other cuts to get under the salary cap, and would be greatly hampered in efforts to sign draft picks and potential free agents.
Talk about mismanaging the salary cap. What a mess. In the words of Charlie Brown, Good Grief. Or maybe the end zone painter in the Chefs commercial said it best. Great Googly Moogly.
And that's really the point isn't it? These athletes that can't control their own emotions and their behavior because they think they don't have to. Vick is a cancer. Simple as that. Nothing more needs to be said.
Nice post. I think Michael Vick is becoming the Quarterback version of Randy Moss. Everyone remember good old Randy getting pulled over and having the herb in his whip? Look what happened to Minnesota, deja vu it seems in A-Town.
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