I 'm not here to bury Michael Vick. He's done that to himself.
And too many people are getting a kick out of doing it.
This morning, I was listening to WFAN in New York, and the noted writer John Feinstein was on with the hosts. and at some point he noted that "in technical terms, Mike Vick is SCREWED!"
And then he and the hosts laughed. Heartily.
Must be nice to see the black boy go down in flames huh?
For the last two weeks, the drumbeat to ban Vick for life has reached proportions that should have been reserved for Ted Bundy and sexually deviant Catholic priests. Last week, I double-checked all of the stories on Vick to confirm that their wasn't some human bodies found on that Virgina property Vick owned.
Listening to the hue and cry from all of these "animal lovers", it is easy to conclude that if 3,000 pitbulls had died from the insurgencyand IEDs, the US would have been out of Iraq by now, and Dubya would be facing impeachment.
Cleary, it isn't enough for some people that he has trashed his reputation, will lose close to 80 (yes, EIGHTY) million dollars from the Atlanta Falcons, not even counting the endorsement money that he'll never see.
It isn't even enough that he will serve more jail time than Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, or Martha Stewart.
Or that the QB AKA Ron Mexco will do more jail time than those two friends of Ray Lewis who knifed two men to death in Atlanta on Super Bowl week five years ago.
It isn't enough for many people that Vick will do more time (and have a longer NFL suspension) than Leonard Little, who committed vehicular manslaughter.
It isn't close to enough for many that Vick will suffer more than even Robert Blake, who all but put an ad on Craig's List and eBay begging someone, ANYONE to wack his wife.
No, this #### mob (which is showing more passion about animals than their fellow man in most cases - not that is anything new) will not be happy with anything but the utter destruction of Michael Vick. Man, it is good to know I live in such an enlightened society.
We get upset about cruelty to animals - and rightly so. What happened was horrible. What Vick has done to his life is terrible. I take no pleasure in either dog fighting or in what has happened to Number Seven, but it seems that many in the media (not coincidently mostly white members) seem to.
It is the ugly, only partly hidden part of the racial divide that kicks in here. Dan LeBatard wrote a brilliant piece displaying it. "...the black athlete with...demons usually isn't permitted the kind of embrace that rehabbng white 'characters' often receive. Can you name a black equivalent to John Daly?"
GIven that climate, there is always a desire to not just criticize, or condemn, but to demonize and destroy wrong-doing knuckleheads who happen to be black. And God forbid you actually have the gall to show any human kindness to the demon. Donovan McNabb said he would support his friend Michael Vick - and got ripped for it.
Being as guilty as Vick appears to be seems to help matters immensely in the minds of some folks. All you have to do is look at how the name of O.J. Simpson has been invoked -repeatly - a full decade after the so-called Trial Of The Century in the hopes that Vick "doesn't get off".
Oh, and somebody call me the next time a white celebrity gets linked with O.J.
Therein lies the difference between black and white fans here. Many whites - in and out of the media - seem to take a sort of perverse glee in The Fall Of Vick, just listen to the hysterical screams for a lifetime ban. You listen to many a black fan, media figure, and the disappointment (as opposed to vitrol) and hurt is tinged with a hope of redemption some day. There is no doubting that Michael Vick brought this on himself, whether he "merely" bankrolled Bad Newz Kennels (and left his "friends" to do the heavy lifting), or particpated in the execution of the dogs. Getting too much too soon, being coddled way too much can have that effect. But unlike Mike Tyson, Vick seems (and that is a big word) to have it in him to fix his life. What he does with what remains of his NFL career is a distant priority at this time.
These times will truly test him. People he thought were his friends have, are, and will abandon him. Celebrity is truly proving fleeting as self-righteous moral outrage has made PETA appear nearly mainstream. (Scary isn’t it?) Media people who supported him are forced to condemn him. You can only imagine what those with an axe to grind are saying. Actually, you don't have to imagine. They are screaming the loudest and most piously of all.
Clearly, a lifetime ban on Vick for his transgressions (and don't even try to use gambling as the wedge issue - Vick didn't bet on football, much less his own team) in light of everything else he has and will lose, is nothing more than overkill. Even a two year suspension rates that way. For all of the strained comparisons to Pacman Jones, Jones is likely to be back in a year despite his transgressions against human beings.
One can only hope that Rodger Goddell doesn't take the David Stern path of The Big Grandstand Punishment, but it does play well with some.
Overall, I do not hold a lot sympathy for Vick’s predicament (even though I suspect given his background, he had no idea that dog fighting would be viewed this way).
What I do have is compassion for the young man. That he can rise and redeem and learn from this. And hopefully, so will some of us.
Finally, someone with some senses! Beautiful piece, I am endorsing it for the blog of the day, or year!
I think this case has revealed two kinds of weirdos in our society:
1. The short non-athletic guys who are eternally jealous of athletes who make millions playing sports. Thus, they are always waiting for the next athlete to fall from grace. And more often than not (although probably sub-conciously), they target black athletes, for example, Kobe Bryant, Barry Bonds, Mike Tyson, OJ Simpson, and now Vick.
They do that not because of racism, but probably because super athletes like Vick make everything look so easy and effortless. So they seem to be blessed with the exact "natural" talents that the short weirdos are missing. It is not racism, it's just petty jealousy!
2. The other weirdos are the pet lovers. I have a dog, and I understand how cute dogs can be. But dogs are still dogs. They are just pets. They are not any better than the chicken we eat, or the deers we hunt. Dog-fighting is wrong, but not the most heinous crime against humanity (not sure if it is at all). Afterall, there are countries that eat dogs and our constitution does not say "all men and canines are created equally".
Last edited by bbing168 on August 21st at 3:06 PM.
But those idiots at PETA want everyone in our society to behave just like them. Like all activists, they want to force everyone to think like them. I don't believe in killing dogs, but I also don't believe in killing (figure of speech) people who kill dogs.
Maybe this is the beginning of the end for us. We have Paris Hilton giving her chihuahua thousand-dollar grooming service. We have people feeding their dogs bottled water. And now we have Mike Vick losing everything he has, because he participated in dog-fighting.
I guess you said it best. Have we had pit-bulls fighting in Iraq, we would have pulled out long ago.
Nice column. Not downplaying what Vick did, but compared to the Pacman's, the Leonard Little's, the Ron Artests, etc. There doesn't seem to be a balance with that vs. a VP shooting someone in the face or a baseball manager dui while sleeping at the wheel. Or a former hockey player/coach involved with gambling. Or an partial owner of an NHL franchise going down for options trading.
Savage no? Crimes? Yes? Serious ones? I think so but who am I to decide I guess. Why is everyone going after Bonds when a former MVP dies after admitting he took steroids? Should he have an * attached.
It's not all about race. But there is some truth in how the media picks and chooses who they want to bring down to earth.
It's not like Vick killed one dog.
There were, who knows how many dog fights and follow up killings.
What value do you think Vick would put on your life if he'll kill a dog so easily.
I'm mostly in agreement with your column, Doc. There are definitely some folks getting far too much pleasure from Vick's downfall. How much of it is race and how much of it is about general envy of super-rich athletes is hard to tell. At least a little bit is probably about race.
To some extent it's also about the nature of the crime. By any objective measure there are crimes more heinous than dog fighting. But on an emotional level there is a gross-out factor that cannot be denied. Part of it's cultural having to do with the way we feel about dogs. Part of it is that it comes across as senseless killing for no purpose. But that emotional reaction leads to a stronger reaction than the crime would warrant.
I'm not in favor of lifetime bans by the league assuming he gets some jail time. That alone would be enough. Their should be enough of a penalty to hopefully send a message to the next guy thinking about doing something dumb and illegal with his millions.
But even that's not enough. Folks need a rush--some amount of thrill and excitement. Let's face it. Disgusting as it may be dogfighting gives some people that rush. I wonder of some sensible heads can get to these guys after draft day and steer them in a better direction. Buy a race horse or sponsor a NASCAR driver or a promising boxer or UFC fighter. Something to give them the thrills without as much downside. Yes there are old boy networks that will try to keep them out but these days they are hurdles to jump over, and not insurmountable barriers.
Exactly WorldSport. I don't understand why Vick couldn't have done any of 10,000 things with his money that would have given him an adrenline rush. But one teammate summed it up pretty well, "He's not very smart."
DrMidnight very well argued point, but seriously flawed in my opinion. I do not want to get drawn into who and why should have could have argument, because it is pointless. Many people in politics, sports and religion should be and are in jail. The media in all fairness hounds politicians just as hard as Vick, and to be honest even harder at times.
White or Black what happened to those dogs (and no I am not a fanatic just someone who has a good heart) was a crime. Point blank. I could care less if it J.Q. Public or a famous QB! Those who are involved should serve the time, and just like any other felon, once they get out of jail life should have to be just as hard as the regular guy. Do you think a normal felon is allowed the luxury of returning to their job? No. Hell most places do background and credit checks, so some sense of normality will never happen for them.
So no Vick should not be granted a "You have been to jail and paid your debt... so now go right back to the NFL" pass.
You made the point to tell us all of the money that Vick is going to lose. Why? So he had more to lose than the average person. I guess he should have thought about that to begin with. The whole argument of "We should except Vick after rehabilitation, because it will make the world a better place!" Holds no water for me. I am sorry.
I am a regular person who tries their hardest to see logic in a world that very seldom has any. So logically Vick gambled and he lost.
Last edited by vbchic_Redskins_fan on August 23rd at 9:29 PM.
You know what is so crazy, is that people act like if he is banned for life that will end his career when his career might be over already. In my opinion, a QB removed from the game for 2 yrs(depending on his sentence)is reason enough to deter teams from signing him.
Leonard Little should not be playing NFL and anyone that commits a crime should suffer the consequences no matter what their color or status. Even if it was Peyton Manning (my favorite), I would want him in prison for these horrible acts.
If it wasn't for animal advocates pushing for their rights, animals wouldn't have rights....thank God for people like that. That doesn't mean they don't care about humans...that is wrong. Those dogs didn't get a choice, they didn't get a chance to "fight" back, they were defenseless, they didn't choose to be in dog fights nor did they choose to go into battle. No, its not enough that Vick will lose $8 million and endorsements...he needs to be in jail and ejected from the NFL.
Dog fighting needs to be stopped. When dogs are trained and raised to be mean they will attach any dog and even people...but it isn't their fault it is the "human" that is making them be this way.
No celebrity should be allowed to escape their crime as some have....I hope this sends a loud message to professional sports and if it doesn't I hope the American people will ban all professional sports....stop supporting them. I love sports, but I am real close to not watching/participating in it anymore.
Dr. - You've left out the media for fanning the flames. It's tabloid journalism out there, including the sports networks.
This guy knocked Pacman off the front of the sports page.
I think some celeberties get MORE than a normal person when it comes to punishment. Ket's let say everyone gets of scot-free. Vick is going to pay a MUCH higher price than the average person who is convicted of this crime. In fact, the feds went over the top with the RICO angle - which was intended for organized crime. We seem to have no problem if an athlete is treated MORE harshly, but a huge problem when it is less. Not fair at all.
re. SLhusker
Indeed. the media is seeming to set up Vick for a lifetime ban as an expectation. Anything less will be seen as "soft"...pathetic.
I couldn't have said it better myself...in fact...I DIDN'T! Most people still get upset with me for insisting that O.J. was too stupid and incompetent to kill two people and get away with it on his first try. What they don't understand is that growing up in the worst housing project in NYC, you do in fact get to meet and greet with criminals of all types and varieties. I know hundreds of Michael Vicks. Our educational system churns them out by the thousands every spring. I also know many O.J. Simpsons and most of them left fingerprints all over the crime scene. Great post. Glad to see you back after dealing with your loss and thanks for the comment AND post. Peace, One.
G.H. Brooks (aka "Dr. Midnight" to his loyal fan base) is a 2-time Next Great Sportswriter (NGS) Finalist. One would think that bringing game like that would net me *something* - a cool icon to mark my site, some love from Fox Sports, cash, but noooo... :-)
I'm broadcasting live from New York City after a hiatus from the blogging scene, takes on life, sports, and whatever passing thoughts are shooting through my head. The good and bad ..passionate, logical, and on point.
It's a G Thing.... you can look me up at newjack1@eart hlink.net
