Roger Goodell
The NFL's Dog Days are Here
Jul 27, 2009 14:12
Michael Vick has been reinstated to the NFL by commissioner Roger Goodell, exactly as he should have been.
I know. He’s a bad guy. He was just in federal prison. He tortured dogs, man’s unquestioned best friend (only slightly challenged in stature by the refrigerator/La-Z-Boy). Bottom line, he’s a bad guy. The NFL is no place for someone like Michael Vick.
Think about that statement and ask yourself: Does the reinstatement of Michael Vick upset the delicate balance of the church-going Boy Scouts that make up the players of the National Football League?
Being a “good guy” has never been a requirement for NFL eligibility. Just check the police blotter’s on any given Monday morning. So it’s ridiculous to then conclude that being a “bad guy” should leave you stuck on the outside of the league looking in. Vick has paid an enormous price for his crime, as he should have. In fact, he paid a bigger price than most because he had a far greater amount (money, fame, status, fans) to lose. And most of it will remain gone forever, whether he plays football again or spends his remaining days bagging groceries.
It should also be clear that Vick’s conditional reinstatement is by no means a guarantee that he will ever play again. Teams can sign him, but they do so at their own peril. Any general manager that takes a chance on Vick will have some serious explaining to do to his team’s fans. And if that signing were to blow up in his face… well… he’d have some serious resume updating to do.
Now that he is back in the league, Michael Vick vaults to the top every team’s risk assessment chart. And in this world of “what have you done for me yesterday” I expect that most GMs will simply rate the gamble too great. With tenures short and angry season ticket-fan bases to be feared, the league’s 32 decision makers run from possible player implosions faster than Vick through a flat-footed secondary.
I certainly don’t want to see my beloved Kansas City Chiefs sign Michael Vick. For one, we don’t need a quarterback. But more importantly, we don’t need the headache. And Vick, even if he spends the rest of his time on Earth upstaging the life and legacy of Mother Theresa, comes with a giant headache. What do you suppose the over/under would be on questions directed to the rest of the men in that future locker room that contain the word “dog?”
Do you think any of them want the headache?
Michael Vick, as he should have been, was given back his right to pursue a career in the National Football League. But fans certainly have the right to continue to dislike him. And teams most definitely have the right to consider his signing a very bad idea.
I know. He’s a bad guy. He was just in federal prison. He tortured dogs, man’s unquestioned best friend (only slightly challenged in stature by the refrigerator/La-Z-Boy). Bottom line, he’s a bad guy. The NFL is no place for someone like Michael Vick.
Think about that statement and ask yourself: Does the reinstatement of Michael Vick upset the delicate balance of the church-going Boy Scouts that make up the players of the National Football League?
Being a “good guy” has never been a requirement for NFL eligibility. Just check the police blotter’s on any given Monday morning. So it’s ridiculous to then conclude that being a “bad guy” should leave you stuck on the outside of the league looking in. Vick has paid an enormous price for his crime, as he should have. In fact, he paid a bigger price than most because he had a far greater amount (money, fame, status, fans) to lose. And most of it will remain gone forever, whether he plays football again or spends his remaining days bagging groceries.
It should also be clear that Vick’s conditional reinstatement is by no means a guarantee that he will ever play again. Teams can sign him, but they do so at their own peril. Any general manager that takes a chance on Vick will have some serious explaining to do to his team’s fans. And if that signing were to blow up in his face… well… he’d have some serious resume updating to do.
Now that he is back in the league, Michael Vick vaults to the top every team’s risk assessment chart. And in this world of “what have you done for me yesterday” I expect that most GMs will simply rate the gamble too great. With tenures short and angry season ticket-fan bases to be feared, the league’s 32 decision makers run from possible player implosions faster than Vick through a flat-footed secondary.
I certainly don’t want to see my beloved Kansas City Chiefs sign Michael Vick. For one, we don’t need a quarterback. But more importantly, we don’t need the headache. And Vick, even if he spends the rest of his time on Earth upstaging the life and legacy of Mother Theresa, comes with a giant headache. What do you suppose the over/under would be on questions directed to the rest of the men in that future locker room that contain the word “dog?”
Do you think any of them want the headache?
Michael Vick, as he should have been, was given back his right to pursue a career in the National Football League. But fans certainly have the right to continue to dislike him. And teams most definitely have the right to consider his signing a very bad idea.