Vick indicted

[jonkj]

Guess it ain't "alleged" anymore. Say goodbye to the NFL, Michael. You will become, fairly or not, the biggest "bust" in terms of #1 overall draft picks.

Jay Berwanger

Chose not to sign with the team that drafted him.

Ended up as a carpenter IIRC.

Well, yeah, but things were a little different in 1936.

So who are the candidates for biggest bust of a (post-AFL merger) No. 1 pick? For consideration....

Michael Vick

David Carr

Tim Couch

Courtney Brown

Ki-Jana Carter

Steve Emtman

Aundray Bruce

Kenneth Sims

Tom Cousineau

[infrared41]

Also take into account that this involves illegal gambling and the climate currently in sports about gambling with the NBA ref and Rick Tocchet. That is where he is going to land into big trouble in the NFL. He bankrolled, bet, and was at the head of an organized gambling ring. He's going to get a big suspension for that alone not even taken account the gruesome details of the dog fighting. He's going to get at a minimum 1 year on top of his jail time. Because of the gambling I wouldn't be surprised if they suspended him permanently.

That said even if he only gets a year suspension I can see him not actually playing in the NFL again. He will have gone 2 years (at least) of not playing and not being in game shape. Then you will have protesters outside any team that signs him. Also consider he wasn't that great of a QB to begin with and was just pretty much a runner playing the position (and he will be slower by then) I can see teams being reluctant to sign him and he might be reduced to holding a clipboard (either immediately after or after he a few games when he is benched because of rust from not playing).

All excellent points but never forget that this is the NFL we're talking about, the NFL as in No -up to Large.

[zer0dotcom]

I heard on the radio that South Carolina was/is thinking about filing charges against Vick, which if convicted, he would face some 40 years in prison. Has anybody else heard about this?

I don't know about the South Carolina part, but the 40 years comes from some state's penalty of animal cruelty, where the penalty is 5 years per animal harmed/murdered. Hence the 40 years for the 8 dogs Vick allegedly had a hand in harming/murdering.....

I guess alot of that will come out when they sit down and start sorting out testimonies/depositions and such.

Just reading some of the things that they did to those animals, they didn't just kill them, they took it a step further, makes my blood boil. I respect (I use that term very lightly) that he plead guilty instead of trying to fight, at least he'll own up to what he did. I just hope he receives the full penalty for his actions.

i know alot of people berate teh NFL for being the No-Fun-League, but I'm really beginning to like their Code of Conduct. If nothing else it shows that these pro atheltes are accountable for their actions on and off the field, rather than it looking like the league turns a blind eye to some of the things that happen (Did anything ever happen to the Staals after that Bachelor party? I didn't catch the end of that one)

[Luigi74]

I have a feeling the NFL will stop the suspension clock when Vick goes to jail and then start it back up once he get's out, so if they suspend him for 3 seasons it could be 5 or 6 years before he can come back and at that point no one will want him.

[BlueSky]

About Vick coming back, assuming his suspension isn't for life - possible because of the gambling charges involved - I can definitely see some team rolling the dice on the guy in a few years. He's 27 now, so the best possible case for him is playing in 2009 at age 29 after having been out of football for two years.

But there's a bigger issue...whatever team signs him will do the same thing Atlanta did - fall for the "potential." Every year the excuse was the offense or the receivers or this, that, and the other. Falcons fans have given Mike a pass for 6 years now waiting for that potential to produce and with few exceptions, they've been disappointed. See, Vick isn't that great a QB talent to begin with. This isn't Manning, Brees, Brady, or even Hasselbeck. Take away his legs and what does he offer? Leadership? Poise? Judgment? An accurate arm? Pocket presence? Discipline? I'm going no on all of those. Some team needing some hype might take a flyer but it'll be a circus sideshow as opposed to a real effort to succeed.

If there was ever an illustration of "if I knew then what I know now" this is it. Someone said Atlanta wouldn't have drafted LT, but if we're going all out on "if I knew", then of course they would have. They could be sitting here in 2007 with Drew Brees at QB and LT at running back. They trusted Mike, and not only didn't he earn that trust, he abused it in the worst way. Even now there's talk of taking responsibility, changing his ways, blah blah blah. I live outside Atlanta and on a local level he's been saying that several times a year it seems for 6 years as incident after incident occurred. I'll believe it when I see it.

On a related note (pun intended), former Packer/Saint/Raider QB Aaron Brooks is Vick's cousin and the two were close while growing up in "Bad Newz" Virginia. Has Brooks fallen off the face of the Earth or what? I thought somebody would give the guy a tryout but to my knowledge he's out of football.

[HedleyLamarr]

If there was ever an illustration of "if I knew then what I know now" this is it. Someone said Atlanta wouldn't have drafted LT, but if we're going all out on "if I knew", then of course they would have. They could be sitting here in 2007 with Drew Brees at QB and LT at running back. They trusted Mike, and not only didn't he earn that trust, he abused it in the worst way. Even now there's talk of taking responsibility, changing his ways, blah blah blah. I live outside Atlanta and on a local level he's been saying that several times a year it seems for 6 years as incident after incident occurred. I'll believe it when I see it.

Of course the Falcons would have taken Tomlinson if they had a fortune teller read them the future. But those don't exist in the NFL.

The Falcons' QB trio the season before they drafted Vick was fragile Chris Chandler, inaccurate Tony Graziani, and jurassic Steve DeBerg. The Falcons had their dominant RB at that time in Jamal Anderson (albeit coming off a knee injury) in the prime of his career. It was obvious what their top offensive need was.

[rams80]

On a related note (pun intended), former Packer/Saint/Raider QB Aaron Brooks is Vick's cousin and the two were close while growing up in "Bad Newz" Virginia. Has Brooks fallen off the face of the Earth or what? I thought somebody would give the guy a tryout but to my knowledge he's out of football.

When a Madden Glitch that has the QB throw the ball backwards is named after him for good reason, and he plays on the most derelict, butt lost NFL offense in recent memory (the frickin' Rams shut them out last year...in Oakland), the chances of a team giving him a tryout could be classified as "remote".

[JQK]

With Pacman being suspended for a year, with no convictions, just a massive amount of arrests and "Alleged" actions, I don't see how the NFL does anything other than a lifetime ban.

The funny thing is, the part that the NFL is really pissed about is the gambling situation, and the possible connection to organized crime, not the whole killing dogs situation. Nuts.

[WJMorris3]

Unfortunately, this charge will dog Michael Vick for the rest of his life.

[quantum]

With Pacman being suspended for a year, with no convictions, just a massive amount of arrests and "Alleged" actions, I don't see how the NFL does anything other than a lifetime ban.

The funny thing is, the part that the NFL is really pissed about is the gambling situation, and the possible connection to organized crime, not the whole killing dogs situation. Nuts.

As bad as the mistreatment of dogs is, the NFL needs to be concerned about the gambling and possible organized crime issue. Those issues concern the integrity of the game, and its the league's responsibility to police their league.

I wish I were more surprised about this, but I'm not. Ron Mexico and his water bottle stash should be taken into account. The past behavior of brother Marcus would make a person conclude that this apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

In regards to whether Mike receives a lifetime ban or not, I think the lost time from the game will probably do him in and a ban will be a non-issue.

[rams80]

Unfortunately, this charge will dog Michael Vick for the rest of his life.

*slap*

[HedleyLamarr]

Unfortunately, this charge will dog Michael Vick for the rest of his life.

I vote we add "bad canine puns" to the list of banishables, along with Tnak's fresh "Longest Yard" references.....

[WJMorris3]

Unfortunately, this charge will dog Michael Vick for the rest of his life.

I vote we add "bad canine puns" to the list of banishables, along with Tnak's fresh "Longest Yard" references.....

Tis better than the Philadelphia Daily News's headline...

"Ruh-Roh!"

[HedleyLamarr]

They both suck....

[logodawg]

Man, they're really ripping Vick on Letterman right now.

[DEAD!]

Unfortunately, this charge will dog Michael Vick for the rest of his life.

I vote we add "bad canine puns" to the list of banishables, along with Tnak's fresh "Longest Yard" references.....

That would be purrrrrfect....

[ProvidenceRI]

Allow me to play devil's advocate. How many people in here are meat eaters? What do you think happens to cows and pigs when they are slaughtered for food?

We clearly live in a society that thinks we are above animals. Why does cruelty to dogs matter?

Do a YouTube search for pig and cow slaughter, it will blow your mind. Suffering, cramped quarters, electrocutions, animals staggering while their throats are slit, unborn babies torn from mother's bellies.

Every meat eater who believes Vick is a criminal is a hypocrite. Every time you take a bite of meat, you are endorsing animal cruelty.

[Lee.]

Thank you, Paul McCartney.

[DEAD!]

Allow me to play devil's advocate. How many people in here are meat eaters? What do you think happens to cows and pigs when they are slaughtered for food?

We clearly live in a society that thinks we are above animals. Why does cruelty to dogs matter?

Do a YouTube search for pig and cow slaughter, it will blow your mind. Suffering, cramped quarters, electrocutions, animals staggering while their throats are slit, unborn babies torn from mother's bellies.

Every meat eater who believes Vick is a criminal is a hypocrite. Every time you take a bite of meat, you are endorsing animal cruelty.

... however, people (and other animals) eat meat as a means for survival. I once saw a documentary on chicken and how they are killed, form slitting throats to electrocuting chicks to the deplorable conditions many chickens face. Not to mention clips of cheetahs devouring impalas....

It's not just about cruelty to dogs, but cruelty to dogs for entertainment (gambling). It could very well be that the illegal gambling operation is what got Vick into trouble. If you're going to claim hypocrisy, you might look towards horse racing.

[Jigga]

It's not about what we like, want or whatever. Eating meat isn't illegal. Dogfighting is. If you don't like the laws, change 'em.

Besides, I mostly eat cruelty-free meat.