This morning, Michael Vick pleaded guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture”. Later on, he held a press conference to apologize to everyone, say that he now has a lot of time to think and reflect and to tell us that he has found Jesus.
Meanwhile the pundits editorialize and attempt to compare Vick’s case to other high profile cases. All of the familiar and inevitable questions are bandied about.
Is there a racial component to Vick’s situation? Look at how Nicole Ritchie and Lindsay Lohan have walked away from recent arrests with less than a slap on the wrist. Would Peyton Manning or Tom Brady be treated as harshly if they did the same thing?
Why is Vick singled out and stripped of his ability to make a living? For example, Jayson Williams and Leonard Little are athletes that were directly responsible for the deaths of human beings yet, they walk free.
I have heard all of this ridiculous crap and more from the media over the last few days. None of it applies.
There are two important points that I’m not hearing anything about.
First, the Michael Vick case is different than anything we have seen. Also, we do not know the final outcome of Vick’s case.
Vick’s case is different because these are Federal charges and dog fighting is organized crime. All of the celebrities and athletes that he is being compared to, who have had legal trouble, are involved in situations where they acted as individuals and are individually responsible. Once those individuals are punished, it’s over.
Because Vick has been involved in organized crime, the extent of his punishment is subject to change. He now has the opportunity to implicate others. Vick is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10th. He could roll over on a lot of people between now and then. It all depends on how much he knows and he could know a lot. Already, we know that the feds have enough information to bring further charges against Vick and that those charges were used as leverage to gain this plea agreement. So, the amount of time he spends in jail and where he spends it may be directly tied to how much dirt Vick is able to cough up. My guess is that there are probably a lot of nervous dog fighters out there right now.
As for the future of his career, that is more determined by public opinion than principle. The initial public outcry on this was swift. This is a case where a group like PETA may be effective. They are expert at mobilizing the troops, making noise and garnering face time. Does that sway the public opinion? I don’t know that there is a way to actually gauge that.
I do know this, that the N.F.L. is able to do some pretty heavy market research. As of right now, Vick returning to the league seems doubtful. At the very least, they will suspend him for a period of time after he does his jail time. Atlanta Falcons owner, Arthur Blank, is stopping short of releasing Vick outright but he made it clear that he will pursue the idea of recouping bonuses that Vick has received.
The best that Vick can do it seems, is drop dime on some of his dog fighting cronies, be a model prisoner and hope that the public opinion of dog fighting changes over time.
Michael, glad you found Jesus, good luck and we’ll see you in the Canadian Football League.
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