FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:
18 MAY 2009
QUOTE: “And in this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey”. -- President Barack Obama, commencement address at Notre Dame
FROM LARRY HARTSTEIN OF THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION... It’s get-out-of-jail week for Michael Vick. And from all indications, he plans to hit the ground running in his quest to return to the NFL. NFL.com, citing a source close to the situation, reported that Vick will work with a trainer and start football-related workouts shortly after his scheduled release Wednesday from the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. Vick must complete the final two months of his 23-month dogfighting sentence in home confinement in Hampton, Va. Whether the embattled Falcons quarterback will be allowed back in the NFL is up to Commissioner Roger Goodell, who suspended him indefinitely. Goodell has said Vick must show genuine remorse.
With Michael Vick getting out of prison this week and rumors of teams’ interest in former New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, Commissioner Goodell will have some interesting decisions in the coming weeks.
First, as it relates to Burress, due process will take its course, allowing Burress to plead his case regarding his quilt or innocence. Once it’s been resolved, whether by trial or a plea bargain, then the commissioner will have to decide. However, it’s impossible to know what the commissioner will do before the case has run its course, so anyone who feels that Burress will be back on the field this year is being a tad presumptuous. There are still too many hurdles for Mr. Burress to overcome before a team can show an interest in his services or count on him.
Would teams be interested in Burress? Of course, the list of teams that would want a big-play wide receiver who can draw double teams would be long -- more than the two that are currently being reported. However, teams being interested are much different than Burress being able to play. Facing the challenges of dealing with the “Mayor’s Law,” which offers very little wiggle room in plea bargaining or avoiding jail time, along with a commissioner who has tried to crack down on violations, the idea of Burress playing in 2009 seems remote.
As for Vick, the commissioner has made it very clear he’s going to spend time with him to determine his remorse for his crimes. Vick must wear his “humble hat” when talking with the commissioner, offering a new strategy than the one he offered the bankruptcy judge a few weeks ago. A humble reality must become part of Vick’s life now.
Can Vick handle the rigors of the NFL after missing time? Without one single doubt, Vick’s skill level will return. Will a team be interested in bringing him in to play? That’s difficult to determine right now on two levels: public relations and football.
Vick and PR...
Signing Vick to an NFL contract will require the commissioner to allow him to come back and a team owner willing to welcome him. This decision can’t be made by a head coach or a general manager, but by the owner himself. Without owner approval, there cannot be the infrastructure in place to deal with all the media that come along with his signing. There must be unity in the decision -- complete unity -- starting from the owner down. Without this kind of unity, there will be cracks in the armor, allowing doubt to creep in when something happens negatively on or off the field.
Vick and Football...
As we’ve seen during Vick’s career in the NFL, his style of game is not for every offense or offensive coordinator. His way of playing quarterback is non-traditional, requiring a system of offense that features his strengths as an athlete. From his time in Atlanta, we can assume that teams using a west coast-based style would pass on trying to signing him from a “pure football decision.”
All this recent talk about the wildcat offense will surely benefit Vick and his style of play. His speed, his arm and his ability to make plays on the move fit the wildcat perfectly. But the wildcat is a part-time offense, and Vick doesn’t see himself as a part-time player. Yes, he would be very effective coming off the bench and forcing teams to defend elements of his game, but is Vick ready to assume this role?
Much like his willingness to express genuine remorse for his crimes, Vick must express the willingness to resume his career as a player from ground zero. He must be willing to do whatever it takes to help a team win as he rebuilds his life and career. No one is going to turn over their team or their offense to him. He will have to earn that right, and that trust, with a humble attitude and a willingness to make the appropriate changes.
Vick is going to have to place his trust in someone in the league right now. Former Colts head Coach Tony Dungy spending time with him recently was a great first step. Hearing words of wisdom from someone like Dungy is just what Vick needs. He must understand that, as Dungy preaches, it’s significance, not success, that matters most in his life now. All the trappings that fame afforded him in the past are gone. All that’s left his God-given talent.
I hope the NFL doesn't bring back Vick. Anyone who harms innocent animals is a piece of crap in my book...
vick has paid his debt to society and should be reinstated. what an ego on goddell, for him to have a subjective standard for reinstatement. let the man make a living.
The Vick ordeal will be so interesting to watch. You know deep down he wants to prove right away by his play on the field that he is a better and bigger person than the one who was sentenced for those troubling crimes. I just don't see anyone giving him a full time gig. And the question is can he handle a part time role making the league minimum? I hope someone does give him a chance, but this guy will have zero wiggle-room. But I believe anyone can overcome their obstacles if they work hard, believe, and truly commit to change. We will see, but I think Oakland would be a great fit. I also think Houston would be as well.
Agree with Sonny. He made his bed...
All that's left is his God-given talent. True. Now he needs to serve as a reminder of how wasteful being a felon can be. He doesn't deserve another chance at the NFL. He willfully broke the law.
Playing in the NFL or even having a desk job with the NFL is very exclusive. Letting Vick back in the NFL lowers the moral standards of the organization. Too big a risk.
LET the door hit him in the ass on his way out the door of NFL history. Idiot.
"vick has paid his debt to society and should be reinstated."
Paying your debt has nothing to do with getting a second chance and it is certainly no guarantee that Vick has changed his ways.
balance...
It is obvious the opportunity you have to expose yourself to the leadership skills Mr. Lombardi constantly shares with his readers. You found this sight. Your comment about the commissioner is foolish at best. Sorry, hang in there.
Yeah...
Deserves got nothin' to do with it. It is not a right to play in the NFL. Like Mr. Lombardi referenced, if an owner is compelled, and the fans support the opportunity, he will have his chance. He would not be the first, or the last player in the NFL to "willfully break the law."
I once heard secondhand that Paul Tagliabue thought the league's biggest problem was the simple fact that so many players had a very hard time distancing and protecting themselves from the violent neighborhoods and peers many of them grew up with. Goodell's crackdown on off-the-field conduct suggests he agrees that it's a big problem and, for the good of the sport, I'm glad he's cracking down on bad conduct away from the game.
I hope the best for Vick and I hope the commissioner will cut him a bit of a break, just because if bankruptcy, jail, and being a national pariah -- after being a football hero for his entire life -- don't humble you, nothing will. I haven't seen him blame anybody else for his transgressions, which in this day and age is a good sign.
Burress is a different question. The guy desperately needs a kick in the ass from a Bob Lanier-sized shoe attached to a Ray Guy leg. He had a gun. In a public place. During the season. And still seemed to think he deserved a spot on anybody's roster. Every statement of contrition, however small, seemed incredibly strained and calculated.
Of course, there are punishments other than jail that might work. How about being on the Steeler scout team, exclusively running across-the-middle patterns against their linebackers and safeties, every week, two or three times a week?
I wonder where are you guys were when Leonard Little killed a person drunk driving. Twice. And did 90 days. And he is still employed by the Rams.
Thank you KC Cisco, for adding some perspective here. It's incredible to listen to the outcry that's surrounded Vick in light of the fact that a homicidal drunk driver continues to play in the NFL with little to no protest either at his games or in the online community. The number of people in the league who have been involved in the death or serious injury of actual human beings is staggering (Ray Lewis, Pacman Jones, etc.), yet the greatest outrage of all is directed at Vick. It's curious.
Vick did his time. He's being released. According to our criminal justice system, he's paid his debt to society for the crimes he's committed. He deserves a chance to try to resume his life just like any other convicted felon would after serving out his or her sentence. Whether or not he's got the chops to rejoin the league, he should have the chance to try. Forgiveness is one of the principles that theoretically makes our criminal justice system great. If we as a society don't see atonement in fully served criminal sentences, then why release felons at all?
KC, I totally agree with you. Where is the outrage with Stalworth killing a guy in Florida by driving drunk. These three people (Vick included) may deserve a second chance but not in the NFL. And when people like Little continue to get to play in the league, we send a message to our children and society that what you do on Sundays reigns supreme over any immoral actions that take place during the rest of the week.
Amen, Leigh...
This punishing of criminals beyond the legal sentences is vindictive and counterproductive. Vick has served his sentence - he's ready to re-enter society. He's trained as a professional football player. Let him go seek a job.
That said, the Commissioner has the right and duty to determine if Vick's time served in confinement (and out of the NFL picture) is sufficient to offset the PR hit the NFL took. He may determine that more off-time is merited. But, at some point, Vick should be allowed to re-pursue his chosen career.
Then the issue becomes - as Mike Lombardi has said - who wants him? Who wants to deal with the PR and football issues adding Vick to their squad will entail? Will anyone? That's a totally different thing.
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May 18, 2009
10:21 AM
"Without one single doubt, Vick’s skill level will return."
That's the problem - the guy couldn't pass if he's driving a Maserati and the other fella's on a moped.