Michael Vick’s career is over. The former Atlanta Falcons
quarterback, former cover boy for the Madden NFL video game
franchise, former pitch-man that lined his pockets with $71 million
in endorsements, was sentenced to 23 months in prison at a
Richmond, Va., courthouse Monday.
Michael Vick’s career is over.
The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, former cover boy for the Madden NFL video game franchise, former pitch-man that lined his pockets with $71 million in endorsements, was sentenced to 23 months in prison at a Richmond, Va., courthouse Monday.
If you’re wondering if the embattled QB will ever don a Falcons jersey – or any jersey, for that matter – ever again, don’t bother. He won’t.
If he serves the full term, which is unlikely, Vick will be behind bars until November of 2009.
There is no parole at the federal level but Vick could earn good behavior, which could reduce his prison sentence by three months. Now, we’re suddenly down to 20 months with a release date of approximately August of 2009.
Let’s say that does happen. Let’s say Vick is out in the summer of ’09, looking for a new team to play for and a new city to call his own, because he’s not returning to Atlanta. More on this in a second.
Vick will have been out of the NFL for two seasons already. And with less than a month before the ’09 season kicks off, it’s a guarantee that not a single NFL team will take a flier on the public relations nightmare that is Vick, to essentially perform the duties of a second- or third-string quarterback.
And let’s not forget about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who will most certainly suspend Vick for at least a full season, if not more. The Commish has come down hard on players with far lesser crimes, so to think that Goodell won’t drop the anvil on Vick, and possibly suspend him indefinitely, isn’t completely out of the question.
This may seem harsh, and if Vick were suspended indefinitely, it’d lead to an appeal that he could likely win. But even if the quarterback could play again, what team is willing to punch themselves in the face and deliver the black eye of signing Michael Vick?
One team that analysts continue to throw out is the Oakland Raiders, since Al Davis has a history of providing second chances. While I wouldn’t put anything past Mr. Davis, consider your young savior JaMarcus Russell first. If he’s seeking a mentor in what would be his all-important third season, I’m willing to bet Vick is not the answer.
What Vick did was deplorable, and how Goodell handles this will be interesting. Giving Vick a second chance in the NFL is one thing, but when it comes to dogfighting, or any crime involving animal cruelty, another shot at an NFL career would be practically meaningless.
Figure any team, city or organization, including the NFL, who associates themselves with Vick will come under unbelievably harsh scrutiny.
Yes, Vick will serve his prison time, which is enough of a punishment for some. But remember that Vick denied the dogfighting charges at first – and even lied to Goodell about his involvement at the NFL Draft – and only later plead guilty after his entourage did the same; he also tested positive for marijuana use in September while this whole process was playing out, not exactly a sign of a man taking the situation, or his career, seriously.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who was sometimes seen as a surrogate father to Vick on the sidelines of Atlanta games, is currently seeking nearly $20 million from Vick for not meeting the demands of his contract.
Additionally, Blank is the former CEO of The Home Depot, so he probably knows a thing or two about the bottom line.
Another father-son relationship with Vick is the last thing Blank will seek, and another relationship between the NFL and Vick is the last thing that will happen.
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