Vick to plead guilty....now what?

[gad5264]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

Will Roger Goodell make it hard on him to return to the Falcons any time soon?

[Ed62]

If Roger Goodell doesn't, I hope the people of America put enough pressure forward that he doesn't ever again play professional sports.

Ed

[Ken Massingale]

I think and hope his career is over. Besides he has Va., S.C., and probably N.C. to contend with now that the federal charges are apparently settled.

[Tequila]

Sounds like the gambling charges alone are enough to get him kicked out of the NFL for good.

[LCHIEN]

if his lawyers have their way, the plea bargain will not mention the gambling, and have only a year or two in the brig and a fine for dogfighting and
having thus paid his debt to society and no gambling record he will be back in the NFL in 2009 or so earning millions again.

[Kristofor]

Now we can stop saying alleged dirtbag, and just use plain old dirtbag.

There's not much lower than torturing animals for fun.

Kristofor.

[Rand]

What an idiot. I think the most appropriate punishment would be to have him torn to shreds by pit bulls.

[Ed62]

if his lawyers have their way, the plea bargain will not mention the gambling, and have only a year or two in the brig and a fine for dogfighting and
having thus paid his debt to society and no gambling record he will be back in the NFL in 2009 or so earning millions again.

As Ken pointed out, he still faces charges by individual states. I think it's Virginia where he could face 5 years for every dog he killed. That could keep him on the sidelines for a while.

Ed

[stormdog74]

He will most likely play again - all the fury will die down and he will get a "second chance" - especially if he does the apology thing right. Despite all the outrage, when it comes down to it teams just want to win. It has been this way for years - remember Steve Howe (7 suspensions!), Dwight Gooden, and even old timers like Paul Horning and Alex Karras. Look at how SF loves Barry Bonds.

I agree that Vick should never play again, but if he can still play, he, sadly, will.

[Uncle Cracker]

He'll be able to play in Canada, if nothing else. If they took Ricky Williams, they'll surely take Vick. And you know his lawyers won't go for anything that keeps him from his salary, because they want to get paid...

[os1kne]

I suspect that he'll end up in Canada. I don't think that any team in the NFL would give him another chance - it would be a PR nightmare. While he's an exciting player, statistically he's an average quarterback. He'll probably be out for at least a couple of years - too long to be out of the NFL and come back productive, especially as a QB.

I don't know how much money you can make dogfighting, but I bet it doesn't come close to the $10M+/year of salary and endorsements that he will likely lose.

[JoeyGee]

I have NO DOUBT he will be back in the NFL. He may be out 2 years, but before long we will see him do interviews telling us how sorry he is, it was wrong, etc.

Goddell seems like a good guy who is trying to clean up the NFL, and I truly hope he doesn't let Vick back in, but there is too much money at stake for him to be successful with Vick.

I laugh whenever I hear people say he's done, people won't embrace him, etc. There are plenty of people who still think he did nothing wrong. I remember after his '93 troubles, people said Michael Jackson was finished, and then within a few years, he had all his celeberity synchophants adoring him again. When it comes to celebrity this country has a VERY short memory.

[GRDavid]

I laugh whenever I hear people say he's done, people won't embrace him, etc. There are plenty of people who still think he did nothing wrong.

Any of them work for the commissioner of the NFL? Tank Johnson got suspended by the NFL and cut by the Bears for an alleged crime he didn't commit but was pulled over while on probation.
The gravy train in sports is over. It took too long and too many big incidents but the NFL is the personification of "The Game". The NFL has a long history of merciless discarding of athletes and now they are using the same policy to weed out the problems.

[gad5264]

Sent to me by a friend from college.

[Russianwolf]

I don't think any team owner will touch him after this. The possible PR problems that could arise will likely keep them from hiring him.

Even if he could come in and win every game for a team, if the fans boycott due to him torturing animals, you don't make money. He can join his brother in saying how bad they f'ed up their own lives.