The first time I watched college football's National Championship Game on January 4, 1999, I was in awe over the elusive quarterback clad in maroon and orange from Virginia Tech weaving through the garnet and gold defenders of Florida State. For the next two years I watched him develop from the most exciting player in college football into the clear cut #1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and the last place I ever thought of seeing him was in a courtroom. Oddly enough as Vick, sits on the shakiest ground in his career, Ladainian Tomlinson, the player he was essentially traded for is coming off a record breaking season which affirmed his status as one of the top running backs of his generation.
(The Chargers are becoming masters of this dodging a bullet act: See Eli Manning for Shawne Merriman and Phillip Rivers)
Unlike PacMan Jones and Chris Henry's respective legal run-ins, it appears the Vick bandwagon has run head on into an armored vehicle, the federal government. Now as immovable object meets elusive force Vick has no choice but to stand tall in the pocket and face the rush head on. Sure he may play in 2007, but the outlook beyond that appears gloomy and shrouded in mystery. This case is so high profile I half expect ESPN to add a "Vick Trial Tracker" to their BottomLine right next to their Bonds Chase For 756.
The NFL's most polarizing offensive player must now mount the most solid defense of his life against the federal government and I emphasize "federal" government because of their unreal 95% conviction rate while 90% of all federal cases plead out. However, the Feds have had their bulls eye on Vick since Day 1 in part because of his celebrity status but mostly the property belonged to him.
Even Surry County prosecutor Gerald Pointdexter, speculated about federal involvement when he said that he was "absolutely floored" that federal officials got involved, and that he believes he and Sheriff Brown handled the investigation properly. "What is foreign to me is the federal government getting into a dogfighting case," Poindexter said. "I know it's been done, but what's driving this? Is it this boy's celebrity? Would they have done this if it wasn't Michael Vick?" He went on to say "There's a larger thing here, and it has nothing to do with any breach of protocol." "There's something awful going on here. I don't know if it's racial. I don't know what it is."
Had Bad Newz Kennels merely fought local dogs in Virginia, it would have been a local matter, however, the moment it was discovered that dogs were transported across state lines it became a much more serious issue.
Even before the indictments were handed down and the rumors surfaced 3 months ago, Vick had shown signs of becoming a thorn in the side of the NFL's PR department. There was the infamous 2004 Ron Mexico incident which spawned a litany of herpes jokes which were granted new life each time Vick's name showed up on the tabloid pages and nearly on the police blotter. The underground movement for Ron Mexico apparel was so strong that the NFL had to issue a statement announcing a ban on the sale of any gear bearing the name 'Ron Mexico' on it.
Just last season, Vick was booed by home fans following a home loss which he responded to saluting them with his middle finger and in February of course, there was the Magic Bottle Incident at a checkpoint inside a Miami airport.
In a matter of two years Vick's reputation has spiraled downward from media darling, face of the NFL, and franchise savior to questionable quarterback and that of a salary cap burden on the field as well as radioactive spew to possible endorsments.
It is amazing how a simple drug raid and mystery informants have evolved into the Big Bang in Vick's NFL career and more importantly, his life.
Now it seems quarterback Michael Vick may have dug his NFL grave behind the brick mansion on Moonlight Road in rural Surry County, VA beneath pounds of dirt and a sea of swirling speculation which will certainly be unearthed in the coming months.
Now Vick will watch to see which of his three co-defendants will be the first to make a deal with federal prosecutors. Each of them will think seriously about turning on Vick and offering testimony against him in return for less time in jail.
Say what you want about Barry Bonds' alleged steroid use, Pete Rose's gambling or Kobe Bryant's adultery but the crimes Vick is accused of point to something darker and more sinister in Vick, if they are true. Chris Benoit's whose crimes were far worse, was another one of my childhood heroes, though to a lesser extent as I outgrew my wrestling infatuation. However, the effect when I heard the news was the same.
Whats most troubling is why Vick, a quarterback who has earned roughly $37 million of a 137 million dollar deal he signed in 2004, not including endorsements would risk his livelihood and over $100 million dollars on something as trivial as $6,000 here, $4,000 there and the occasional $60,000 purse baffles me. At least PacMan Jones went out on that fateful Vegas night 6 months ago under the assumption that he would not get involved with illegal activity. Vick on the other hand knew full well what he was doing as evidenced by the fact that he took the precaution of having the outhouses where the dogfighting took place painted in black ink so that they would not be seen at night.
The best explanation I could offer is that dogfighting began as his secondary career option/hobby in case that whole quarterback career didn't quite pan out. However, six years, 100 million dollars later, he was still at it. Why?
It seems as if everywhere we turn these days, in this increased age of media scrutiny, exposure and exorbitant contracts we've become privy to the private lives of professional athletes and the painting has been no Michelangelo. In fact, you'd think these athletes decision making was handled by toddlers.
"Hey Barry! Try this creme it's got lots of Vitamin A for buildin' strong bones. No you don't put it on you bagel, it's for your bicep, like your tryin to quit smoking."
"Yo PacMan, screw it just bring all 80,000-- in cash. You'll be putting a pretty girl through school. Think of it as a scholarship fund"
The Falcons front office could also be faced with a very difficult decision come next April when Vick's trial may just be beginning. If Vick can remain above the fray and translate his talent and the Falcons roster upgrades into a Pro Bowl-caliber season and a trip to the playoffs, the front office could become torn between whether to weather the storm with Vick or cut him immediately and draft a quarterback in the NFL Draft.
The first thing I did when Vick was convicted was relate his predicament to the case of another talented quarterback-- Charles Thompson(not to be confused with 2006 starter Paul Thompson) of the national champion Oklahoma Sooners who in 1989 was convicted in federal court of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and sentenced on August 31, to two years in prison, effectively ending his dreams of ever embarking on a successful NFL career.
Though, the changes against Vick have no connection to drugs, they are considered especially heinous. Page 17 of the indictment indicates that on one occasion, Vick and two others killed eight fighting dogs that had shown in testing sessions they weren't strong enough to win fights:
In or about April 2007, PEACE, PHILIPS, and VICK executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in "testing" sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road, by various methods including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground.
Page 12 of the indictment refers to one of the more chilling accounts:
In or about March of 2003, PEACE, after consulting with VICK about the losing female pit bull's condition, executed the losing dog by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal.
The words sprayed, splattered splashed and smeared in reference to the blood sound found lend to even more negative and gruesome images. The lengths he went to organize these events would make Preakness organizers jealous.
You see Vick is described as a professional, who pays as much as $40,000 for a dog, breeds animals from past champions and and participates in well-organized, high-stakes fights often planned months in advance, with purses of up to $100,000..think UFC meets Animal Planet. Savagery meets barbariasm.
However as I write this I must also elaborate on a perception which has been expressed in the media regarding the cruelty of hunting versus dog fighting. They may serve different purposes but their fates are still the same. Yet even as I try to create an argument, the comparisons are laughable.
From first hand experience I can tell you the biggest difference between dog fighting and say, deer/duck hunting for example. Dogs, including rottweilers and pit bulls are peaceful creatures by nature as are most animals in the wilderness. However, when bred to be fighters, these dogs become dangerous to society. While you may be skeptical to the idea that dogfighting is rampant throughout professional sports it's all too real for me and starting to make sense. I have the scars to prove it.
However, one interesting subplot which has emerged has been the emergence of the informant(s) who appeared an ESPN interview and provided prosecutors with the evidence necessary to bring an indictment against Vick. Conspicuously absent from the indictments was cousin Davon Boddie who stayed at the residence and at one time, Vick had indirectly, thrust the blame onto when he said back in April when he said, "I'm never there. I'm never at the house," Vick said. "I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing."
How this revelation about Vick's dogfighting ring will resonate with me 1 year from now, 10 or 20 remains to be seen and depends on the outcome of his trial however, this hit me like a sack of bricks and could surely sting for a while. More than any other quarterback I wanted to see him succeed in revolutionizing the quarterback position and I still wish him all the best on the field in 2007, but I harbor no regret or sympathy for him in this situation. It doesn't seem fitting that instead of Ray Lewis or the Tampa Buccaneers, a dogfighting ring called the Bad Newz Kennels could eventually sack Vick permanently.
Expect 2007 to be a year to remember for Michael Vick and here's to hoping that this grounded falcon will keep on flying well into 2008... and beyond. So brace yourself for another year of fresh legal jargon, speculation, "motions" in no way related to the gridiron, press conferences and reintroduce yourself to Roger Cossack because it's been a while but don't fret because the at the rate today's athletes are going, he'll have a full time gig.
--D.J. Dunson
Full Michael Vick coverage
P.S. Is it just me or am I the only one not questioning the Falcons trading Matt Schaub. I'd take D.J. Shockley's potential and Joey Harrington's proven talent over Schaub's $48 million dollar mystery any day.
No comments:
Post a Comment