FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Ok, so maybe not the "dumbest rich man ever", but pretty damn close!! Mike Vick is one of the highest paid players in the league, yet he's stupid enough to partake in dogfighting. All the while, he has the audacity to deny involvement. We're not stupid Mike!! Do you think people aren't going to recognize you at these events?! I know this topic has saturated every blog on the earth but I have to rant about this. I won't bore everyone with things you can find elsewhere in the media though.

My biggest issue with the entire situation is the lack of punishment associated with these crimes. If convicted of the Travel Act portion of the conspiracy charge, the guys face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted on the animal fighting venture portion of the conspiracy charge, each one faces a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. So six years max?!?! Six years is all we'd give men who executed losing dogs by shooting, hanging, drowning, or slamming dogs bodies to the ground? And $350,000 in fines is ridiculous considering the fact that they made at least that much in the fights. I'd rather see the fines dropped in place of more years in prison. Famous or not, all those men deserve at least 10 years.

The biggest question that remains to be answered is how will the league respond? Rumor has it that NFL officials have agreed to let the judicial system take its course and no suspensions will be handed out until he is convicted. Pacman was suspended for the entire 2007 season and he wasn't convicted. Why the special treatment for Vick? I don't care how many previous run-ins with the law Pacman had, Vick should be suspended as well. If the league doesn't suspend him, Blank should. Set an example out of him for once. If not for the team's sake, for the sake of all the little kids who idolize Vick.

So what about all those multi-million dollar endorsement deals? Air Tran has already released him and rumor has it that Nike isn't too far behind. This is one of those situations where companies need to set their profits aside and look at the bigger picture. Why would you want to use a player who's been linked to drugs, alcohol, profanity, sex, and now illegal dog fighting? If someone could justify that for me that would be great!

As a Falcons fan, I'd love nothing more than to see Vick leave. I don't care if he's the face of this organization. He's done nothing but disgrace the team, the NFL, and the fans. Yeah, the fans. The people who have made his glamorous life possible. The least he could do is step up and be a positive role model for someone. Even if it takes Atlanta a year or two, or even three, to rebuild, it's going to be well worth it in the long run. Vick's never going to win a Super Bowl...I don't care what team he's on. He's a one man show and doesn't know the meaning of teamwork.

Unfortunately, teamwork is a core component of winning championships.

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