Hopefully, the NFL will continue to stick to its guns and Michael Vick will be properly discredited and kept from the ranks of professional players. Better yet, perhaps this can be the beginning of a new trend where professional athletes are held to the same standard as everyone else and no longer given a slap on the wrist when they seriously misbehave. Here's highlights from the latest Virginian Pilot article:
The NFL acted swiftly Friday to suspend Michael Vick indefinitely without pay after the release of court documents detailing his admission to dogfighting allegations. Months after saying he had nothing to do with it, Vick said in court papers that he bankrolled a dogfighting operation – and its gambling money – throughout his entire NFL career.
The document, released three days before Vick is scheduled to plead guilty in federal court in Richmond to a conspiracy charge, also says he helped kill six to eight dogs that he and his partners did not consider good fighters. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended the Atlanta Falcons star for “cruel and reprehensible” conduct and “significant involvement in illegal gambling” related to a dogfighting operation. “Your team, fans and the NFL have all been hurt by your actions,” Goodell told Vick in a letter sent Friday.
Vick agreed to the executions of six to eight dogs in April 2007. The dogs were killed by hanging and drowning, and died “as a result of the collective efforts” of Vick and two of his co-defendants. Vick’s signed plea agreement, also made public Friday, indicated prosecutors have agreed to a prison sentence for Vick of between one year and 18 months, based on the offense level listed in the terms of the agreement. The prosecutors will recommend a sentence on the low end of that range if Vick fulfills his part of the deal, the agreement says.
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