my V I C K rant

These are my Michael Vick jerseys. The white one on the left I've had since 2001, the red one I purchased 2 seasons ago. As a normal football fan, I have the jersey of my favorite player from my favorite team. I know that Mike won't be playing this season, but I'm not tossing away my jerseys. In fact, once he has served his time and paid his debt to society, I, for one, am hoping to see him back on the playing field as a member of the ATLANTA FALCONS.

I was looking forward to watching the ESPN Town Hall meeting earlier this evening and I'm glad I did. Bob Ley (one of my favorite ESPN personalities) served as moderator and kept the conversation flowing and even-keeled. The panel was comprised of two former Falcon players (Terrance Mathis & Chuck Smith); one nationally syndicated Atlanta based radio host (Neal Boortz); AJC columnist Terence Moore; and Selena Roberts of the NY Times. The audience was largely, and vocally "pro-Vick" and much of their disdain was lobbied at Chuck Smith, who was the panelist most critical of Vick's crimes...but not Vick the person. Well, there was the 2 times that the representative from the Humane Society got up to speak...he was definitely not received well by the crowd. Hope he had an escort back to his ride??? But I digress...

Vick plead guilty. Regardless if it was of his own choice, or because he was backed into a corner, he did plead guilty and accepted the responsibility for his actions. Unfairly to Vick, the only name that you hear whenever this case is mentioned is his. His co-defendants are rarely, if ever, identified by any name other than 'co-defendant'...but yet, some people have the nerve to dispute the idea that Vick was the focal point of the entire investigation. Other people contend that Vick is a violent criminal and deserves the maximum punishment allowable in this case. Forgive my french but, "WTF!?" While I admire and respect the bond between man and beast, or owner and pet, more specifically, I was never for one moment disturbed nor offended by the offenses that Vick accepted responsibility for. Oh, and to answer your question: no, I do not CURRENTLY have any pets, but I have had 3 DOGS in my lifetime. I believe that a rule is a rule, and a law is a law. Vick broke the law and will accept his punishment. I hope that his sentence is on the lighter end of the guidelines. Not because I want him to return to the football field sooner than later, but I believe he'll be a greater asset to the animal-lover community outside of prison than in it. Who else could possibly serve as a greater spokesman for the Humane Society than Michael Vick...think about it? I bet they are.

To all you idiots that continue to spout off that dog fighting is a part of the hip-hop sub-culture...I'll add this personal testimony: I lived in Atlanta while in college from 1994-1998 and I was invited to, and did attend a dog fighting match. Of the approximately 55 people that were there that afternoon only 15-18 were black while the majority of the crowd was of a Caucasian nature.

To Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner): Michael Vick will miss the 2007 season along with his salary for it, he's already lost most of his endorsement deals totaling way over $100 million along with severe damage to his reputation. Last but not least, he'll be a convicted federal felon. It would be in everyone's best interest for his NFL suspension to be concurrent with his jail sentence. Certainly, you won't be foolish to consider banning him from the league a la Pete Rose and MLB. Especially now that you've proven that your heavy-handed form of justice has its stipulations and inconsistencies with the non suspension of NE Patriots head coach Bill Belichick for his actions in "Spy Gate" which was directly involved with on-field actions. Which even had other members of the coaching community questioning your actions.

It's interesting that most of my favorite athletes are considered pariahs by, at least, a portion of society. I'm a fan of: Allen Iverson; Keyshawn Johnson; Barry Bonds; Zab Judah...and now I guess I can add Michael Vick to this list.

I wore my red Jersey the other day. Oh yeah, I got a few ugly looks, and I only went to the gas station. Imagine had I walked into a pet store or something...

and there it is...