Tue August 21, 2007
From Mike Phelan
CNN
Why is it that a sports hero can get by with just about anything with practically a slap on the wrist compared to what anyone else would get having committed the same crime? I know the decision has yet to be announced but you can bet you know what it will be.
I certainly don’t call it racial discrimination, if anything it is status discrimination and race has nothing to do with it, it is all in who you are and who you know and that stinks big time.
(CNN) — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is waiting to hear if he’ll ever play professional football again after agreeing to plead guilty and face prison in his federal dogfighting case.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank told the NFL Network Monday he could not speculate on Vick’s future as a Falcon, at least not until he has seen “a statement of facts” in the case.
Blank said he was “not really surprised” by news of the quarterback’s plea deal.
“From a personal standpoint, he’s doing the right thing,” Blank said. “That’s been my counsel to him some while ago, and publicly as well, to get this behind him as quickly as he can.”
The plea deal, Blank added, was “a step, and we’ll just deal with the facts as they become available.” 
Watch how Vick was left with no choice »
Vick’s attorneys had been negotiating with National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office about Vick’s career with the Atlanta Falcons before he agreed to any deal, the sources said.
It’s unclear if a conversation ever happened but Vick’s attorney Billy Martin said his client “agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his action and the mistakes he has made.”
“Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter,” Martin said.
After Vick’s indictment last month, Goodell ordered the quarterback not to report to training camp until the league completed its own review of the case.
An NFL spokesman said that the league “is aware” of Vick’s plea agreement and is considering what, if any, sanctions they should impose on the 27-year-old. [Full Story]
My Little Corner for Thoughts and Rants 
August 21, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Man, another career ruined by stupid decisions.
August 21, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Well you know me well enough to know what my opinion about Michael Vick is. 😉 And I wholeheartedly agree that race has nothing to do with this case, but unfortunately there are others that don’t. When the race card is used in cases like this where a complete moron did unspeakable acts and is being held accountable for them and despised because of them by a HUGE portion of this country, it diminishes and/or negates the very real unfortunate incidences when race IS a factor. I see that the NAACP quickly back-peddled on their “support” of Vick when the backlashing came about. Sigh.
August 22, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Not only did the NAACP back peddle so did his “good ol friends”, the ones he thought he could depend on, only to find out his “good ol friends” were not the kind who would do anything as the saying goes “take a bullet” for their friend.
When it came down to it they were going to save their own asses and that’s when Vick decided he better say he was sorry all too little to late. Besides what in the world did he think he was apologizing for? What he did he knew WHAT he was doing with no remorse at all. If he had ANY conscience at all he wouldn’t be where he is now.
August 22, 2007 at 9:29 pm
As Forest Gump’s mommy said “stupid is what stupid does”. Why is it, you take someone who has a great career going, is making such an outrageous salary that their family will never have to want for anything and go and blow it all. What could possibly possess someone to get a thrill out of watching two animals fight to the kill and then personally kill one of the animals they feel doesn’t perform to their standards. Stupid doesn’t even begin to cover it.
August 29, 2007 at 2:49 am
Did the dogs have a future????
If there is anything good about the Michael Vick story, it is that there is an emerging increased awareness about animal cruelty and animal fighting. There is so much anger about this issue. If we channel it into a positive direction, hopefully, something good can come of it. However…
I watched Vick’s public apology with my little son who USED TO wear Michael Vick jerseys to school. It is disturbing to think a certain percentage of the population is honestly going to be swayed by Michael Vick’s “enlightenment” carefully crafted by his overpaid attorneys. Call me a cynic, but I don’t believe a man who has been allegedly torturing animals since childhood coincidentally has a religious epiphany as a result of getting caught and losing his job. I hope I am wrong.
I think it is a sad commentary that we, as a culture, are using the Vick story to compare “What’s worse?” “What’s worse”, we ask, “carelessly fathering illegitimate children, or dogfighting?”. “Dogfighting or gambling?” “Dogfighting or rape?” “Dogfighting or racism?” “Dogfighting or hateful nationalism?” “Dogfighting or (fill in the blank)….?” The comparisons to dogfighting have been endless.
Dogfighting is one more piece of evidence our country is in need of a spiritual transformation (please note I said spiritual and not necessarily religious). Animals are sentient beings – they feel pain, and they suffer, just like we do. They are not more important, or less important than human beings, but like human beings, they are important, too.
Dogfighting pits one dog against another until one of them dies. The survivor gets his flesh torn off, ears ripped off, eyes pulled out, etc., and the reward for being “a winner” is to writhe in pain until the next fight. Enough said. The pictures make my flesh crawl. The losers are tortured, beaten, starved, electrocuted or drowned. For what? Because these poor creatures were unlucky enough to be born a dog!
Every major faith teaches its followers to be responsible stewards of animals and the Earth. Please help us get the word out that caring for animals, just like caring for people, is an important part of just being a decent person and citizen. If we make this a priority, there will be no more dogfighting horror stories, and no more pointless comparisons of evils. Let us all rise, together, to be better people than we are today, shall we?
Chaplain Nancy Cronk
Founder, http://www.AnimalChaplains.com