Will Vick Get Sacked This Season?
The Atlanta Falcons are weighing their options with respect to NFL over-hyped under-performing quarterback Michael Vick.
Vick owns a house that has been the subject of a probe into illegal dog-fighting. Vick has denied wrongdoing and has not (yet) been charged with a crime.
Vick is one of the NFL’s highest-paid players. According to the terms of his contract, the Falcons could apparently void the remainder and not have to pay out the nearly $70 million.
While Vick led the Falcons to the NFC Championship game in 2005, he’s been criticized for his play last season which was viewed as wildly mediocre. It was, however, not his play that got him into trouble in New Orleans when he flipped the finger to his critics on national TV.
His run-ins with the law and bad attitude are increasing in a year that the NFL is cracking down on behavior off of the field viewed as an embarrassment to the league (Pac Man Jones, anyone?). NFL Commissioner Robert Goodell has made it clear that he’s the new sheriff in town. His job has more or less turned into everybody’s dad, enforcing the rules that team owners and coaches have been scared to enforce at the risk of scaring off their prima donnas.
Which brings us back to Vick. Vick was cleared in a controversial incident in Miami involving a water bottle that was said to have a secret compartment which contained illegal drugs. But three months later, Vick was back in headlines when his Virginia property was searched for evidence of possible illegal dog-fighting.
If Vick is charged or indicted by a grand jury, his contract would allow the Falcons to suspend him for at least four games. It’s been speculated that the Falcons could also justified cutting Vick altogether following a suspension. Recently, teams like the Cowboys have been successful in arbitrations involving cuts based upon suspensions. And not only would the Falcons lift a financial burden off of their shoulders with Vick gone, they would rid themselves of what is becoming a recurring public relations nightmare.
I say, let him go. The Falcons have little or nothing to lose. Vick hasn’t been performing well and his incredibly ballooning “I’m invincible” ego can’t be a draw for the team.
I’m also glad that Goodell has stepped up to say that he will not let the NFL become the poster child as a thug league, much as the NBA has become. These athletes are paid really well for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that children look up to these guys. And I agree that nobody’s perfect. But bad behavior towards your fans, drug use and other criminal behavior? It’s not acceptable. And, in the real world, you couldn’t flip off your customers and get away with it. So, Vick, welcome to what I hope is fast becoming the real world…
June 14th, 2007 at 8:28 am
I agree with you, but I believe the fact that he’s not been playing well is irrelevant. I haven’t followed this story at all beyond reading the headlines - I couldn’t care less about pro football in general, and the Falcons specifically. I believe that my lack of caring stems from the fact that the pros just aren’t giving me anyone to root for. College pride, I get. But pride in some random symbol of a city? Meh.
I began to develop something of a sense of caring over Tony Dungy and the Bucs when I first moved to Tampa. They were *everywhere* doing good things, well, except Keyshawn. But on the whole, the team was a lot of good citizens using their influence to make a big difference in the city. When Gruden came in, the atmosphere changed, and I stopped caring.
So there it is (erm, your point exactly, smart lady!) - the NFL ends up alienating so many fans because of the way its players (its employees!) are allowed to act and the atmosphere at the games. I love sports, and I *adore* football, but I don’t watch the pro game at all. From the beer and “male enhancement” ads to the naked women on the sidelines to the loud gangsta-rap music to the thugs on the field, it turns me off. And that’s a sad thing to say from someone who has loved the game as long as she can remember.
June 18th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
After seeing how the NFL has turned into a thug party and riddled with disrespectful players, I have tuned it out. A perfect example is 10 Bengals arrested in 1 year.
I am no longer interested in the “me me me” mentality the players have today, nor their lawless antics.
The CFL is where I will turn for responisble professional football. It satisfies my crave and leaves me with hope that not all players act like children.
June 18th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Michael Vick is a punk and should be in a cell not a fancy hotel room.