What more do you people want?

Question

How come you have NFL players all over the league who get caught drinking and driving, driving while on drugs, crashing their Italian sports cars then leaving the scene, getting arrested for beating people, raping women, shooting people, being present when people are murdered, getting caught with prostitutes, doing drugs, dealing drugs, and transporting drugs, who end up paying a few fines and sitting out a few games?

AND THEN you have Michael Vick who admits to dogfighting, but ends up losing a hundred million dollar contract, loses all his endorsement deals, his career as a Falcon is over, his career in the NFL is questionable, and to top it all off he's looking at potentially 5 years in prison? Why is crime against human beings punishable by paying a fine and sitting out a few games, but the cost of lying about dogfighting is a man's career, his freedom, and hundreds of millions of dollars?

Answer 1

Hmmmmmmmmm. Never really thought about it.

But I have thought about this....

Vick didn't admit shi* until all the evidence was up against him

Answer 2

This is a good question.

Some of it is poor decision making by Vick. Vick could have put himself into a spot to have a lesser penalty, but you are twisting the truth a bit when you say he "admits to dogfighting." He didn't when he had the chance several months ago. Instead, his arrogance led him to think he could lie to EVERYONE and get away with it. Now he is paying the price.

If he had admitted wrongdoing to the Falcons, the government, and the league, he might not be where he is, and if Jamaal Lewis had denied his involvement in drug deals until all the other witnesses rolled over on him, he might still be in jail.
The big difference is Vick made some very poor decisions after all this came out, while others had better advice.

Also, some of the crimes you mentioned above didn't hurt a living thing other than the perpretrator, so you can throw them out. Single car accidents, drug use, and prostitution just don't equate to animal murder.

That being said, there is certainly a problem with how we punish certain crimes. Leonard Little and his vehiclular homicide should mean more jail time than Vick. That is a societal problem with how we view certain crimes, and really it should change.

Still, just because some people got off easy doesn't mean Vick should. What he now admits too is horrific, and the argument that "Ray Lewis didn't go to jail" doesn't mean Vick doesn't deserve to. He should be going to jail, even if OJ got away with murder.

I do agree that he should get a second chance when he does his time (which won't be anywhere near 5 years, by the way). It would be wrong for the NFL to deny anyone a second chance after they have paid their debt to society unless the crime is betting on football due to the risk of the game itself.

Answer 3

The difference is solely in the groups of people caught in the outcry after an event occurs. If MADD made as huge a case out of a football player killing a child while driving drunk as PETA did with the whole Vick thing, punishments would be more severe for the drunk drivers, for example.

However, Vick's case is such a touchy, debateable situation. You have (maybe) half the US thinking dogs should have as equal a right to life as humans do. No company will want to be associated with someone so many people in the general population will never be able to look at the same again. That covers his endorsement deals and the NFL, two groups who will no longer represent him.

As for his freedom, you could argue he's actually getting off pretty easy. He's looking at serving the low end (12 to 18 months) of a possible 5 year sentence.

When you look at his crime, he was involved in fighting and putting dogs to death and gambling on the fights. One of those two (gambling) has always resulted in althletes being stripped of their professional sporting priveledges. The endorsements come with his professional athlete status. I would love an endorsement, but I don't play professional sports. Michael Vick doesn't anymore either (for the time being). I guess that's another way you could look at the career and endorsements he has lost.

I feel that what he did was terrible, but when you look at it, he is getting off pretty easily. The other day Lindsay Lohan "agreed" to spend a day in prison as part of her plea deal for 11 counts of alcohol and cocaine violations. Do you think the average Joe Schmoe would get this offer? For 11 counts? Like her, Vick is getting off pretty easy. A year of a 5 year possible sentence really isn't that bad. He should count his blessings and move past it.

Answer 4

It's all based on evidence
As far as Vick, yes he admitted to dog fighting only when he realized the government had his nuts in a vice. Before that he lied and lied and lied some more. If this were only about dog fighting and gambling as a first-time offender Vick would have been given a suspension, community service and probation. However, the cruelty in this case was heinous that is where public opinion and the judicial system will rake him over the coals.
The man is sick and needs help. Watch Bryant Gumbel's special on dog fighting. It was a real eye opener and shows just how cruel and sick these people are.
Pro Football is a business and public relations are extremely important and that is whyVick has lost everything. He will get a second chance to rejoin society but not football.

Answer 5

Okay...watch closer on the news. In the last year (New NFL Commisioner) any NFL player that does something that reflects poorly on theorganization is penalized by the NFL. The severity of the crime is what determines the severity of the punishment (imagine that). A DUI, i agree, is severe. however, if no one gets hurt and the player does rehab, th NFL is more lenient. On the othe hand, when the morons get caught with drugs, wave a gun around, etc. the NFL does not go easy on them. If a payer doesn't play due to infractions - they don't get payed. When you tal multi-million dollar contracts - it hits them in the wallet. If they are a "Star Player", it hurts the team, which encourages the coaching staff to hlp enforce the standards. Much like the NBA making the players wear respectful clothing for interviews.

Answer 6

Many people want to be assured that Michael Vick will never play in the NFL again.

Many people want to keep this story in the forefront, so that others who are participating or thinking of participating in dogfights might change their minds. Some of us also hope that by the media attention Vick is getting, it will prompt some, who run in the circles where dogfighting is prevalent , will report it. (There are rewards for those who report this to the Humane Society and the humane society can get there before the fight is over. Upwards to $5000 in some cases)

It was Michael Vick's choice to be involved in dogfighting for his own entertainment. He has only himself to blame that instead of Nike, Air-Tran, and other endorsements, he is now the poster child for animal abuse.

Answer 7

Personally I think the others should have lost their contracts too & gotten prison time. Talk to the NFL commish. Maybe he can reverse their just sitting out a few games. I think there is such an outrage against Vick & the dogfighting for one simple reason...the dogs didn't have any choice...people can make choices...animals can't.

Answer 8

It is always dangerous comparing a wrong to a wrong to make sense of things. Michael lied about dog fighting for the last 3 months and only "admits" it when the evidence was so strong against him. The other men or women who get away with things in this world are wrong and I wish the law would throw the book at them if they hurt someone or some animal. Doing drugs or sleeping with prostitutes are lack of morals and should only be a fine in my mind....for they are hurting no one but themselves, and I am ok with stupidity not going to jail.

Answer 9

Because almost everyone else you mention was BEFORE Goodell. As to Lance Briggs he crashed his car and fled. What you wanted Goodell to suspend him the minute his car crashed? Give the man TIME. He has to find out WHAT happened and get all the details. Vick wasn't OFFICIALLY SUSPENDED until he PLEADED GUILTY. He was asked not to go to the training camp BUT never officially told not to, just suggested. So don't compare how Tags did things to how Goodell is going to do things. Also you are talking about guys who make a MISTAKE, do something dumb once, compare to a man who KILLED AT LEAST 6 DOGS. A man who did it for at least 6 years. I mean I could easily say he killed many more dogs, but I'm only going by what he ADMITTED TO.

Answer 10

I answered this question last night! Michael Vick pissed off the wrong people when he pissed off PETA!! If you look at a timeline of his case, you will see everytime he lost another contract deal, it was do to the pressure PETA put on the company!! PETA has publicly acknowledged that they are out for blood and will except nothing less! PETA is an extremely powerful group in Washington, and Michael Vick is a powerful mainstream celebrity and they want national attention brought to their cause and they don't care how they do it. PETA even went so far to get a Senator from some mid western state to tell Roger Goodell that if Michael Vick's punishment isn't severe enough he would call a senate committee and do what they did to baseball concerning steroids. I firmly believe that if he got caught doing something more severe, and had pissed off a major lobbyist in the US then it wouldn't be as bad or publicized as it is!

Answer 11

People are hipocrits they think what Michael Vick did is worse than anything you described. Mike Tyson was allowed to continue boxing as soon as he left jail after doing 3 years for a crime he didn't admit to. This is America & Michael Vick should be given a 2nd chance at life. If time permits he should be allowed to get back into the NFL also. He is a human being that admitted to his mistake & is ready to take responsibility for it. I hope they only give him one year & he's allowed to play after sitting out a total of two years.