Vick Suspended Indefinitely

[crokett]

without pay. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did not wait for the plea agreement to become official and dropped the hammer this afternoon. Cliff notes is funding an illegal gambling enterprise (even if he didn't actually bet -yah right!) and his conduct was 'cruel and reprehensible'. The Falcons are also free to go after the 20 million in signing bonus they gave him when he signed his contract.

Linky

I think my second favorite team after the Bills will be the Falcons this year. I'd really like to see Joey Harrington take them further than Vick ever did.

[gwyneth]

Probably not a coincidence that the announcement came so soon after the P.R. "confusion" about exactly what the plea entailed.

Mike Florio's take is interesting (scroll down for different items):

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
Pro Football Talk: Rumor Mill

http://www.profootballtalk.com/USversusVick.htm
THE UNITED STATES VERSUS MICHAEL VICK

[Woodwerker]

Here is the actual letter from Comissioner Goodell to Vick.

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/...vickletter.pdf
He is a POS and I wish him the worse

[Ed62]

Bad link. File not found.

Ed

[Woodwerker]

Ed try it again, I updated it.

Joe

[Pappy]

Personally, I would like to see his lawers P.O. Judge Hudson enough for him to deny the deal and make Vick face a jury trial on all charges. I don't think he would be looking at a 12 month sentence when it was over.

I also hope that Virginia goes after him on all counts of animal cruelty.

[gwyneth]

Personally, I would like to see his lawers P.O. Judge Hudson enough for him to deny the deal and make Vick face a jury trial on all charges. I don't think he would be looking at a 12 month sentence when it was over.

That could happen. The situation is a lot more nuanced than much of the coverage indicates. Here's a good summary:

http://www.nbcsports.com/portal/site...extfmt=default
After plea, implications of Vick's guilt remain unclear - NFL - NBCSports.com

[crokett]

Thanks Gwyneth - I've been reading that site too. One interesting note is what I read this morning on ESPN.com - they had an exclusive story that Vick was not pleading guilty to killing dogs or gambling. Then a few hours later they are reporting he is basically pleading guilty to everything. The egg is on somebody's face over there.

[gad5264]

Even though he made a deal for a lighter sentence, can't the judge throw that out and enforce a more harsh sentence?

It sounds like the Commissioner has had enough.

[conxol]

Vick suspended

I think he should be suspended by his neck indefinitely. I have no compassion for those who abuse dogs.

Cats are another story.

[gwyneth]

One interesting note is what I read this morning on ESPN.com - they had an exclusive story that Vick was not pleading guilty to killing dogs or gambling. Then a few hours later they are reporting he is basically pleading guilty to everything. The egg is on somebody's face over there.

As Florio reported, that was almost certainly a P.R. leak on the part of the Vick legal team.

gad5264, the judge has a lot of discretion--can sentence up the max for the crime, or can discard the plea bargain if he doesn't like it. That's what Pappy said he was hoping for.

[brecklundin]

Something I wondered about the Vick deal...why would they offer him a deal if they have such a great case? I guess because, well, it would be better then a media circus for sure. We had the MJ trial here in Santa Barbara County and what a mess that was.

My other thought is the only way they would want to cut Vick a deal is if he gives up big fish??? Really, I would imagine they would insist he name names or go to be the Prom Princess of cell block "C"...

Sad to See someone with so much have such serious problems...

Last something people might no know is that for these fighting dogs...the "trainers" scour residential neighborhoods for dogs to nab. These poor souls are then used as training for the fighting dogs. I was appalled when I learned about this being one of the big causes of missing pets.

[gwyneth]

Something I wondered about the Vick deal...why would they offer him a deal if they have such a great case? I guess because, well, it would be better then a media circus for sure. We had the MJ trial here in Santa Barbara County and what a mess that was.

My other thought is the only way they would want to cut Vick a deal is if he gives up big fish??? Really, I would imagine they would insist he name names or go to be the Prom Princess of cell block "C"...

Sad to See someone with so much have such serious problems...

Federal cases are different from most state cases...in many states, particularly those with very crowded dockets, without pleas, the justice factory would grind to a halt.

In federal courts, some types of charges mean a combination of relatively low sentences and complex procedings (i.e., some conspiracy charges). A plea that gets 2 years, when the maximum would be only 5, is much, much, simpler for the prosecution.

And since federal prison time is barely reduced for good behavior, unlike most state prison time, 2 years means most of 2 years.

Add the "O.J. factors"--which apparently Vick had thought would, in the last resort, succeed--and a plea made a lot of sense.

BTW, Florio suggests that the raid on rapper DMX's Phoenix house Friday could well be the effect of Vick "naming names".

Also, in a way there is something to be said for "celebrity justice". The Falcons are going to go after some of the money already paid to Vick, and at minimum should be able to retrieve almost $4 million--and as much as $28 million.

What with paying the team back, legal bills, probably back taxes on the dog fighting revenues, the near-certainty that accountants and financial advisors had structured tax planning for later in the earning years (i.e., the very years he'll be in prison now), and the very high probability that Vick didn't stick a lot of money into savings accounts, he'll probably be broke when he comes out.

Remember, up to this week, every financial move his professional advisors took would have expected $6 million regular season pay for this year...and all of a sudden, no paychecks.

(Compare to lower-earners who can just meet the too-high mortgage, car, and credit card payments with two paychecks--and unexpectedly both disappear. Totally cut off overnight.)

[cabinetman]

I don't have any respect for someone who is supposed to be a role model and has a high degree of notoriety that breaks the law. It's all a lotta yak about his future, contract stats, and the effect it has on the team. That goes for any of the celebrities that get into any trouble. To give any notice to the offender only feeds the media in sensationalizing the event. The Paris Hilton fiasco only proves this out. Unfortunately it keeps them in some kind of limelight. There should be no concessions for public figures. They should get the full extent of punishment as a lesson to be learned.

I think he should be suspended by his neck indefinitely. I have no compassion for those who abuse dogs.

Cats are another story.

How do you mean that? Are you saying it's OK to abuse cats? If you feel that way, maybe you never had a cat, or don't know how to interact with them. I had no real love for cats until I got one. They will respond according to how you treat them and interact with them. This goes for most all animals. This premise could be an indicator of how a person may get along with other people.

[mater]

Here is the actual letter from Comissioner Goodell to Vick.

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/...vickletter.pdf
He is a POS and I wish him the worse

That pretty well says it all.