ESPN.com (sports.espn.go.com) is reporting that Falcons QB has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the ongoing dogfighting investigation.
Think Arthur Blank regrets dealing Matt Schaub now?
Originally posted by MayhemThink Arthur Blank regrets dealing Matt Schaub now?
Why would he? He has Joey Harrington on the roster to ride to the rescue. If Vick gets suspended, we have our team to replace the '06 Raiders in the 'Pick against every week slot' in the knockout pool.
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Originally posted by StaggerLeeNow the question is, does Vick get a big suspension from the league?
I think the question is not if, but when. These particular charges are quite grave and will cause a public relations nightmare for the league, and I have no doubt that Goodell will suspend first and ask questions later.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Originally posted by ESPN.comThe indictment also claims that in the summer of 2002, at various times, Peace, Phillips, Taylor and Vick performed "testing" sessions at the property in Smithfield. After the testing, the indictment says, dogs that performed poorly were put to death by Peace, Phillips or Taylor. In April 2007, the indictment says, an additional "testing" session was performed by Peace, Phillips and Vick. Afterward, it claims eight dogs were hanged, drowned and/or slammed to the ground and killed.
What kind of sick fucking human being does that? There's a special place in hell for those bastards. To me, that's worse than anything Pacman Jones has done.
Originally posted by StaggerLeeNow the question is, does Vick get a big suspension from the league?
I know I wouldn't suspend him if I wee Goodell, because of three little words: Duke. Lacrosse. Players. It was looking every bit as bad for those guys at it does for Vick right now.
OTOH, if he gets convicted he'll be suspended. From life. Has anyone gone from where Mike Vick is to jail so quickly? Mike Tyson, maybe?
Holy fuck shit motherfucker shit. Read comics. Fuck shit shit fuck shit I sold out when I did my job. Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck. Sorry had to do it....
*snip*
Revenge of the Sith = one thumb up from me. Fuck shit. I want to tittie fuck your ass. -- The Guinness. to Cerebus
Originally posted by StaggerLeeNow the question is, does Vick get a big suspension from the league?
I know I wouldn't suspend him if I wee Goodell, because of three little words: Duke. Lacrosse. Players. It was looking every bit as bad for those guys at it does for Vick right now.
OTOH, if he gets convicted he'll be suspended. From life. Has anyone gone from where Mike Vick is to jail so quickly? Mike Tyson, maybe?
I wouldn't say it's the same as the Lacrosse players. They had two strippers saying they did something. One backed off within days. They had the local district guy go after them.
Vick already has three people willing who will testify against him, and this is the federal government doing it. I'd guess this is a much more solid case than the other one.
Besides if Pac Man wasn't convicted(yet) and got suspended I don't see how you can treat Vick differently.
Originally posted by wmatisticI wouldn't say it's the same as the Lacrosse players.
I didn't say it was "the same" as the lacrosse players, but it is *similar* in that the court of public opinion has already pretty much decided he is guilty, much like what first happened to the lacrosse players. I'm not saying I don't think he's guilty or anything, but it would be terrible if this whole thing was a house of cards like the Duke case was and they didn't let due process play out.
I don't think this is comparable to the Pacman case because Pacman got arrested ten different times. I think Goddell suspended Pacman for being a dumbass and an embarassment to the league as much as the actual arrest.
Goddell has kind of put himself in a corner, though, because people are going to be rightfully making the comparison, saying he did this to Player A so why doesn't he do the same to Player B. It's a slippery slope that he's headed down when he started handing out arbitrary suspensions, instead of setting a policy on paper first and following it.
Holy fuck shit motherfucker shit. Read comics. Fuck shit shit fuck shit I sold out when I did my job. Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck. Sorry had to do it....
*snip*
Revenge of the Sith = one thumb up from me. Fuck shit. I want to tittie fuck your ass. -- The Guinness. to Cerebus
It's funny how Marcus Vick was seen as a thug, while Michael got to be on the cover of Madden. I guess it just goes to show that for a good player, everyone's willing to overlook things. Or maybe Vick the elder is just better at hiding his faults.
Originally posted by JayJayDeanGoddell has kind of put himself in a corner, though, because people are going to be rightfully making the comparison, saying he did this to Player A so why doesn't he do the same to Player B. It's a slippery slope that he's headed down when he started handing out arbitrary suspensions, instead of setting a policy on paper first and following it.
Still, it's not really the same situation. PacMan and Tank Johnson both had a laundry list of problems. Vick has never had any sort of run in with the law, although there was the Ron Mexico incident. In this case, I think Goodell is justified in waiting to see what evidence surfaces.
Originally posted by wmatisticI'd guess this is a much more solid case than the other one.
If we can change the word 'guess' to something more definite, then we'll see a suspension. Until then, I think Goodell is best off waiting. Let's see exactly what the feds have. It's not like the federal government never gets carried away with cases. They've got a checkered history, just like local prosecutors.
"Teach children that they have great potential because they are human." -Warrior
PacMan's biggest mistake was not reporting two arrests to the league as he is required to do. That gave the league the opening to suspend him for the season. Remeber, the Vegas incident was not a factor in his suspension. The outcome of that will have a bearing on if he comes back after ten games, next year, or at all.
The league may be forced (or choose) to wait to take action on the dog fighting inditement due to this being Vick's "reported" 1st run in with the personal conduct policy (why the flipping off the fans and water bottle incident aren't seen by many media members as run ins with this policy excapes be due to the expansive scope of the policy).
The Gambling ring allagation is the one that the league or the Falcons may choose to take imidiate action on to satisfy public pressure to remove Vick from the Falcons. The leagues Gambling policy has been in effect for much longer than the personal conduct policy and would be much easier for the league to take action on.
IMO, the league is going to look for a way to keep Vick off the field this year. They do not want the face of the league this year to be a guy up on Federal charges. Every week will be about whats happening to Vick on Sunday. If he is susupended he will still be the biggest story in the league, however Sundays will be about the games played, not Vick.
Lester Munson (sports.espn.go.com) is a pretty savvy lawyer who covers sports and the law out of Chicago, he was all over how the Tank Johnson case would play out, other than I believe he thought the judge would prevent Tank from leaving Illinois for the Super Bowl. Excerpts:
Originally posted by ESPN- What do these federal charges mean for Vick?
Vick is in real trouble. He is up against the might and majesty of the U.S. government with all of its agents, all of its investigative techniques and all of its skilled prosecutors. If he has any doubts about the power and skill of the forces arrayed against him, he can call Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, or he can call Lord Conrad Black, the disgraced media mogul facing time in a federal penitentiary. If he still isn't convinced, he can call Jeff Skilling, the zillionaire former Enron CEO who is residing in a federal pen. All three of them hired brilliant (and expensive) lawyers. All three thought they could explain their way out from under federal charges. And all three were convicted. Vick can, and probably will, hire some of America's best defense lawyers, but they will face a serious battle.
- Would Vick be sent to jail if he is convicted?
Yes. It's hard to imagine any other outcome.
- What is the next step for Vick?
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.
- When would Vick's trial begin?
The federal courthouse in Richmond, Va., is the home of the nationally recognized "rocket docket." Vick's lawyers will be looking for delays and for time to prepare a defense, but the trial likely would begin in a matter of four to six months.
- Are the federal authorities in Richmond tough on crime?
Ask Ralph Sampson, the former NBA star. He fell behind in child support payments to seven children he had with four women, the kind of thing that ordinarily is worked out in a settlement. But instead of a settlement, Sampson found himself in jail for two months on a child support charge.
Indeed, what kind of sick freak kills a dog by slamming it to the ground? Even Old Yeller got treated better. I would think that the cloud that's going to hang over Vick as this plays out in the media will make it next to impossible for him to play this season even if the trial gets pushed to after the season and the Falcons take no action. (OTOH, is Kobe a fair comparison here?)
Originally posted by TheOldManI would think that the cloud that's going to hang over Vick as this plays out in the media will make it next to impossible for him to play this season even if the trial gets pushed to after the season and the Falcons take no action. (OTOH, is Kobe a fair comparison here?)
The world was absolutely shell-shocked when Kobe's rape charges came up. He had never been in any prior trouble before, there was a degree of doubt in terms of the defendant's story, and Kobe took some of the heat off himself by confessing to adultery. Vick has had prior run-ins with the law (the pot at the airport), a good amount of evidence against him, and there's really nothing he can confess to without incriminating himself. Kobe had it a lot easier than Vick will have it. And that's without mentioning that Roger Goodell isn't near as forgiving as David Stern. Even if Vick gets a lesser charge and somehow avoids jail time, he won't escape the LONG suspension that's sure to come afterwards.
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PETA. You know it's stuff like this that I could get behind them on, but all the other absolutely retarded insane shit they do the rest of the time won't allow me to.
I like how Horn was on the radio yesterday comparing dog fighting to deer hunting. Smooth move there buddy.
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I could've sworn I picked NYG way back on Monday. Edit: No, I picked the Texans. Because the Jets, really. I couldn't believe everyone didn't go that way.