I’m Grudgingly Posting About Vick…

I really wanted to avoid posting anything about this silly business. And I don’t mean that dogfighting isn’t a serious issue — it’s pretty mind-blowing that people can do mean things to dogs. Nor do I think that it’s silly to treat people innocent until proven guilty — our country’s civil liberties are kinda based on that premise.

What find silly is the amount of air-time these type of stories get. I care about this situation as much as I care about Lindsay Lohan’s DUI or Ricky William’s latest excuse for smoking weed. Just cause their celebrities doesn’t make this info NATIONAL news, people!

Anyway, back to my point… Vick (regardless of his guilt) has put his team and his sponsors in a very bad position by even associating with people involved in these illegal activities. The team has been fretting about how to handle the media maelstrom while avoiding any legal action by the NFLPA. Really, it was a lose-lose proposition. If the Falcons didn’t suspend Vick, they would face harsh responses from their fans who are dog-lovers (not to mention PETA). If the Falcons did suspend Vick, they would have to deal with outraged ‘Vick-is-Innocent’ fans and possible face lawsuits from the player’s union.

Enter commissioner Roger Goodell.

In a brilliant but ballsy move Roger Goodell gave the Atlanta Falcon’s a free pass. No, I’m not talking about Vick’s suspension. I’m talking about the additional line that PROHIBITS the Falcon’s from taking further action against Vick until further notice. By add that statement, Goodell has taken ALL of the pressure off of the local club and put the responsibility squarely on the league’s shoulders.

That may not have been the ‘safe’ thing to do in his position, but it certainly was the ‘right’ thing to do. There was no choice the team could make that won’t cause further issues — so Goodell took it on himself. He ran the risk of being targeted publicly and privately for making this move, but I believe he did it to protect the team in Atlanta — and that earns him some major respect in my book.

Now, Falcon’s owner Arthur Blank can come out and say that he was ‘ready’ to take action against Vick, but can’t now because of the commissioners statement. This absolves Blank and the Falcons while Vick supporters can’t blame the local club for his suspension. It’s rather beautiful, really.
Goodell has been playing it tough for months prior to this issue, so he should be bullet proof when it comes to accusation of picking on Vick and not others. And regardless of how the criminal case plays out I think NFL historians will view his handling of this possible media nightmare with the same admiration and respect they gave Paul Tagliabue for hammering out the new CBA.

And speaking of crazy media coverage…

Since I’ve bored you to tears with this Vick business let me point you to a serious funny post by fellow blogger Hercules Rockefeller over at Orange Bucksnorts. Ever read the Denver Post and thought (like I have): They actually pay these guys to write this garbage? If so, you’ll fall out of your seat laughing while reading HR’s version of this week’s Bronco’s Mailbag! FULL POST

…Still need a good laugh at a reporter’s expense? Check out the ‘Reporters are Moron’ category over at Big Money, No Whammies as he breaks down the lousy reporting around the league and at home — great stuff. REPORTERS ARE MORONS