I was furious after reading the violence-filled eighteen-page indictment of Michael Vick. However, he should be punished yet.
Michael Vick may very well be guilty. If he is found to be guilty, he deserves every punishment that will be administered. That is, if he is found guilty.
Thus far, all we have heard are allegations and all we have seen is the indictment. After reading some of the allegations made in the indictment, any person with a soul would cringe due to the brutality of the alleged acts perpetrated upon innocent animals. However, these are alleged acts and the idea that someone should be punished simply based on alleged acts is faulty and creates a dangerous precedent for athletes and the law.
An indictment is only one side of the story. If we made decisions of punishment simply based on indictments, we would have a 100% conviction rate. However, I'm sure that most would agree that kangaroo courts where the accused is guilty until proven innocent are not desirable in a free country. Likewise, it is also undesirable if the NFL decides to mete out career-threatening punishment based on mere allegations. All that a prosecutor would need to do is accuse an athlete of a crime in order to ruin that athlete's reputation and career. Are we ready to jump to such conclusions even in the immediate aftermath of the Duke Lacrosse case?
Canning an athlete based on an indictment is like declaring the winner of a football game based on which team takes the field first in warm-ups. How can one make such a declaration when we don't know how the teams will match up on the field and haven't even seen the other team?
We know nothing about the prosecution's witnesses other than that they were likely involved in illegal actions. We don't know their respective motives or histories. We know nothing.
Too many commentators have the former MVP candidate quarterback tried and convicted before he has even made a court appearance on the matter. Numerous sources are calling for his suspension and even banishment from the league. Of course, the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons are well within their right to punish Michael Vick immediately, barring a successful challenge from the NFLPA. They are not subject to the same due process requirements as our courts of law. But if they were to do so, they run the risk of punishing someone guilty of nothing more than buying a home, if he is indeed found not guilty.
On the other hand, if they do not punish him before a verdict and he is found guilty, he will be duly punished. The only harm in that situation would be to the image of the NFL or the Atlanta Falcons. Given the NFL's dominance in the American sports world, I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't be able to survive a season with an accused Michael Vick.
For the sake of good precedent we should have patience for the system despite our anger.
