An Obama Moment for Goodell
Really Roger? 4 games for Vick? Are you serious? For a guy who usually comes off looking smart, this was as dumb as it gets. Did Goodell borrow Obama's aide who told him to make the Gates "stupid" comment? Before we get into Vick and whether or not he should have been suspended, if I was Roger Goodell and I was trying to come up with the suspension that would piss the greatest amount of people off, I would have come up with 4 games. PETA's upset, because, well, they're always upset. The only way they were going to be happy was with a Vick lifetime ban from the NFL. But really, if you're doing something to please PETA, you're an idiot. These are the people that whine about the milk mustaches and want NBA Rookie of the Years to reject the award because Milk sponsors it. When Pres. Obama said that Buehrle should take Wise to a steak dinner for that catch to preserve the perfect game I immediately thought about how pissed PETA would be about the steak and how ridiculous that was. PETA can turn anything into their issue. They're like Rush Limbaugh with reverse racism and Lou Dobbs with immigration. What's that? The Mets aren't winning? Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are injured? Well, if we secured our borders then the Mets would win and Reyes and Beltran would be healthy. Wait, that made no sense at all? Back to Vick, so you knew PETA would be upset, but by suspending Vick you also upset everybody who thought the guy had been punished enough. Why pile on? He spent the better part of two years in federal prison and was forced to declare bankruptcy. His image is in shambles and now this suspension? There are people who think Vick shouldn't have gone to jail and that "they were just dogs." These people are idiots too and they'll think Vick is being unfairly punished, again. Hence my point, nobody is going to be happy with the 4-game suspension.
Now, as to my take on Vick. First and foremost, I think his conduct was despicable. I love my dogs. I think what he did was pure evil. I don't want to hear about cultural things in the south. You know what's culturally acceptable in parts of the world? The stoning to death of adulterers. I'm not one to often buy the cultural excuse. Sometimes wrong is wrong. Michael Vick was worse than wrong. A lot of people bring up how up in arms we got over Vick when the victims were dogs as opposed to the reaction toward Leonard Little and now Donte Stallworth who killed human beings in drunk driving accidents. While of course I value a human life more than that of a dog, I don't think that Stallworth and Little are worse people than Vick for what they did. The result of Little's and Stallworth's accidents were far worse with the loss of human life, but look at their conduct and specifically, look at the word "accident." Little and Stallworth showed a reckless indifference that should not be tolerated but in no way did they intend to kill. Vick proactively tortured and killed dogs. He made money and ran a business doing so. What kind of sick human being does that? Drunk driving is reckless. Torturing dogs and running a dog killing ring is not reckless. It's intentional. Big difference when it comes to mental culpability.
Note: Part of me wanted to look at the psyche of someone who enjoys watching dogs get killed and comare it to someone who enjoys watching a man get beaten senseless and while unconscious in a cage. Brock Lesnar pummelled that guy and got countless clean punches to the head off before the fight was stopped. How will the UFC and all of its fans feel when one of these prolonged attacks results in a death? How is the beating of a man on the ground while he's defenseless a sporting event? I know that as a boxing fan I can't get too high brow, but in boxing you can NOT hit a man after he's knocked out and lying on the ground. I'm sure it's "against the rules" in MMA, but there are way to many such incidents for me to think that it's even frowned upon. It's unbelievable to me that one man lying on top of another and punching him while the guy lies there helpless is sport. I think society is regressing. We will look back on that Lesnar tape with shame in 50 years. At least I hope so.
Back to Vick again. I don't like him as you could tell from the above paragraph. He is a horrible human being. I am not one who forgives or forgets too easily. He didn't make a mistake. He got caught. He lied about it. He was unapologetic until his handlers told him he couldn't get away with that anymore. He's got PR people telling him what to do and he's about as successful at selling his apologies as Chris Brown was the other day. That all being said, why does the NFL impose a suspension. While I wouldn't have cried for him if he was banned for lifetime, you either take him back or you don't. The guy spent almost two years in Leavenworth, KS and lost all of his money. What's the point of a four game suspension? What does it prove and what message does it send? What, some guy is going to see the suspension and think to himself, "Hmm . . . I'd better not kill dogs and go to prison for two years because I might get suspended for four games?" It makes no sense. I think Roger Goodell is afraid of PETA and doesn't want to give no suspension at all. But as I said before, first, it's horrible rationale and second, if you're doing something to please PETA, something's wrong. The only way I can see Goodell saving himself here is by saying that the suspension is for lying. Vick lied to the Commish and to the public as a whole about his crime. The suspension would deter lying to the Commish. Ok, 4 games is harsh, but I can see it.
To conclude. I don't like Vick. I won't root for him. But I don't think that a life is over when a person gets out of prison. If it is, why bother letting the guy out? As long as the guy doesn't make money off of his crime, I'm fine with it. So Vick in the NFL. Fine if a team wants to deal with a backlash from its fans and PETA. By the way, if the Raiders sign him, I'm officially done with them. Most of my friends have jumped ship. That would be the last straw. With Vick and the suspension, I just don't see the point of a half measure. Roger, you need damage control as soon as this thing is finalized and I hope you give Obama back his aide when you start in on it.
Now, as to my take on Vick. First and foremost, I think his conduct was despicable. I love my dogs. I think what he did was pure evil. I don't want to hear about cultural things in the south. You know what's culturally acceptable in parts of the world? The stoning to death of adulterers. I'm not one to often buy the cultural excuse. Sometimes wrong is wrong. Michael Vick was worse than wrong. A lot of people bring up how up in arms we got over Vick when the victims were dogs as opposed to the reaction toward Leonard Little and now Donte Stallworth who killed human beings in drunk driving accidents. While of course I value a human life more than that of a dog, I don't think that Stallworth and Little are worse people than Vick for what they did. The result of Little's and Stallworth's accidents were far worse with the loss of human life, but look at their conduct and specifically, look at the word "accident." Little and Stallworth showed a reckless indifference that should not be tolerated but in no way did they intend to kill. Vick proactively tortured and killed dogs. He made money and ran a business doing so. What kind of sick human being does that? Drunk driving is reckless. Torturing dogs and running a dog killing ring is not reckless. It's intentional. Big difference when it comes to mental culpability.
Note: Part of me wanted to look at the psyche of someone who enjoys watching dogs get killed and comare it to someone who enjoys watching a man get beaten senseless and while unconscious in a cage. Brock Lesnar pummelled that guy and got countless clean punches to the head off before the fight was stopped. How will the UFC and all of its fans feel when one of these prolonged attacks results in a death? How is the beating of a man on the ground while he's defenseless a sporting event? I know that as a boxing fan I can't get too high brow, but in boxing you can NOT hit a man after he's knocked out and lying on the ground. I'm sure it's "against the rules" in MMA, but there are way to many such incidents for me to think that it's even frowned upon. It's unbelievable to me that one man lying on top of another and punching him while the guy lies there helpless is sport. I think society is regressing. We will look back on that Lesnar tape with shame in 50 years. At least I hope so.
Back to Vick again. I don't like him as you could tell from the above paragraph. He is a horrible human being. I am not one who forgives or forgets too easily. He didn't make a mistake. He got caught. He lied about it. He was unapologetic until his handlers told him he couldn't get away with that anymore. He's got PR people telling him what to do and he's about as successful at selling his apologies as Chris Brown was the other day. That all being said, why does the NFL impose a suspension. While I wouldn't have cried for him if he was banned for lifetime, you either take him back or you don't. The guy spent almost two years in Leavenworth, KS and lost all of his money. What's the point of a four game suspension? What does it prove and what message does it send? What, some guy is going to see the suspension and think to himself, "Hmm . . . I'd better not kill dogs and go to prison for two years because I might get suspended for four games?" It makes no sense. I think Roger Goodell is afraid of PETA and doesn't want to give no suspension at all. But as I said before, first, it's horrible rationale and second, if you're doing something to please PETA, something's wrong. The only way I can see Goodell saving himself here is by saying that the suspension is for lying. Vick lied to the Commish and to the public as a whole about his crime. The suspension would deter lying to the Commish. Ok, 4 games is harsh, but I can see it.
To conclude. I don't like Vick. I won't root for him. But I don't think that a life is over when a person gets out of prison. If it is, why bother letting the guy out? As long as the guy doesn't make money off of his crime, I'm fine with it. So Vick in the NFL. Fine if a team wants to deal with a backlash from its fans and PETA. By the way, if the Raiders sign him, I'm officially done with them. Most of my friends have jumped ship. That would be the last straw. With Vick and the suspension, I just don't see the point of a half measure. Roger, you need damage control as soon as this thing is finalized and I hope you give Obama back his aide when you start in on it.
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