First of all, let me say I’m assuming that Michael Vick won’t be permanently suspended from the NFL for the shooting incident that occured at his birthday party, even though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told him that his margin for error is “extremely limited”.
I don’t think he had any knowledge of who was going to be there at the party and I don’t he had anything to do with the shooting.¬† For that reason I don’t believe he will receive any punishment for it, but this shooting incident will make it tougher for him to survive any other controversy in the future.
Therefore it’s reasonable to conclude that he has moved closer to losing his career.
Vick didn’t plan his birthday party and I don’t think he had any idea that a co-defendant, Quanis Phillips was going to be there but that’s no excuse for jeopardizing his return to the NFL and a $5.2 million dollar 2010 salary.
Why would you give somebody like Phillips the chance to destroy you, if you’ve been give a second chance like Vick?¬† Going to a night club in your hometown for your birthday party isn’t wise if you’re in the predicament which Vick finds himself.
Vick should stay away from every kind of club except a golf club.¬† For the rest of his career, Vick shouldn’t allow anybody to use his name in the same sentence as a night club or a strip club.
Doesn’t he know by now that it’s easy to be jealous of somebody making millions of dollars and playing in the NFL?
As a teenager, I found out after I left my home town for USC and started appearing on national television, quite a few of my homeboys weren’t too happy about it.¬† Would it be reasonable to think that a number of Vick’s homeboys might have been bitten by the jealousy but and wouldn’t mind taking Vick down?
Doesn’t Vick know that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and head coach Andy Reid all put their reputations on the line to give him another chance in the league? Do you think they smiled when they learned about Vick’s presence at a birthday party where a co-defendent of his in the dog-fighting trial, got shot?
Surely Goodell, Lurie and Reid and wondering to themselves whether they should have agreed to let him back in the NFL, as they see his name in the headlines.
There are many people who didn’t want to see him return to the NFL and the vast majority of those same people don’t want him to remain in the league now that he has returned.¬† Why would you leave the door open to give them any room to second-guess the decision to left you back in the league?
The Eagles and the league both took public relation hits for allowing him to come back.¬† They’re going to take another one with Vick being in the headlines for the shooting that took place at his birthday party.
I doubt they will suspend him if he had nothing to do with the shooting and Phillips being at that birthday party, but I think he’s moving closer to not playing again.¬† If his name shows up in the headlines again whether it’s his fault or not, I think we will have seen the last of Michael Vick in an NFL uniform.
G, I understand the thinking in this blog, but it really doesn’t make sense. By all accounts he left when Phillips came and got away from him. I just don’t understand the reasoning so if Desean Jackson or any member of the Eagles has a birthday party at a club then Mike Vick shouldn’t go? Do you know without a doubt know that everyone around you has good intentions? It’s just naive to think that this relatively young man of 30 years old is going to remain shuttered behind closed doors the rest of his life. By the way he was in the area to do a football camp this weekend at Hampton U. What if Phillips showed up there starting trouble I guess it would be Mike’s bad decision because he ran the camp in his hometown?
I agree with Jax. I mean seriously, you are basically saying that this guy can’t have a life now. Anything can happen anywhere he is at. If he isn’t involved, why should he be reprimanded? He served his time in prison and has been given a 2nd chance. You are basically saying that he should live his life like he is still in prison. What is the point of getting out then and getting a 2nd chance? I am not a defender of Vick, but I don’t agree with your assessment. I think it is bogus, and anyone who thinks like that is irrational in their thinking.
This is bad publicity for the Eagles and the league. They’re only going to put up with but so much bad PR. This isn’t fair but it’s the situation he’s in. He’s need to keep his head down and don’t give anybody a chance to put his name in the paper with something involving some trouble.
While I do not think Vick needs to live like a cloistered monk, I see where G is coming from on this one. Maybe stay out of Newport Bad Newz? At least until you finish playing? Lots of people who get in trouble in a city pack their bags and move, try the old geographic cure. Try living in Philadelphia in the off season, stay under the radar and be sure the big checks with an Eagles logo on them keep rolling in? Hang mostly with players on the team, make new friends. The old friends helped get you into a federal penitentiary. I think it would not be unwise for him to do his absolute best to make sure he is at as little risk as possible to have things like this occur. The man did not end up at Leavenworth for singing too loud at church, he does indeed need to make significant changes in his lifestyle. Up until this point it appeared he was doing so. The facts may be on his side in this case, but the Birds will only take so many PR hits before he is not worth it to them. I look forward to seeing him play and play well this season in midnight green.
It’s only bad publicity if he did something wrong G. This type of so called journalism is wrong for too many reasons to list, take a look at some of the posts at Pro Football Talk and you’ll know exactly what I mean. Trust me people you can find dirt on anyone if you dig hard enough convicted felon or not. The Eagles and the NFL will talk to Vick and nothing will happen as it shouldn’t. Anderson are you seriously saying he should never visit his family until he retires, again he was there to do his football camp for the kids of the area he grew up in.
I agree with you 100% G. Vick has been given a 2nd chance that other people rarely get. He should know that he is skating on thin ice and that there are those out there in the media, former associates, and those who hate him in general for what he did, want to see him taken down. The bro should be chillin and relaxing with people close to him on vacation or traveling etc. Look, sometimes certain behaviors and activities goes along with athletic stardom and second chances. He should be tryin to stay away from clubs and events which will bring “Da Hood Folks” and other people in general who may not be in his best interest. He should realize by now that clubs and star athletes don’t mix. I would like to see him rejuvenate his career here but I don’t want that kind of media circus crap around here either. This kind of stuff reminds me of what my mother would say when i was a kid; “Son, I’ll support you as long as you’re doing the right thing and making good decisions, but if you’re not, don’t come looking for me”. I feel that way about Vick. I’m supporting you Vick, come on man get it together, make wise decisions and try to keep it clean bro. I’ll support you Vick, but don’t make unwise decisions man. Peace
I can see where this could seem frustrating for Vick considering had the shooting not happened he would have had his birthday party like any other human being and no one would have known he was at a club except him and the invited guests regardless of what else was said at the party.
I do admit though that I always thought it was strange that athletes seem to consistently have parties at clubs like they are major events and never expect even one controversial situation to eventually occur. It’s strange to me, because 98% of the controversial incidents that happen happen at these clubs or sometime shortly after, so it’s fairly predictable.
Good point Butch. Athletes and clubs really don’t mix. Imo, the money and fame that athletes have is often too much for others to handle. Also when you put yourself in this kind of atmosphere, you may be asking for trouble from females looking to get there little 15min as well as a paycheck. More than 90% of trouble these athletes get into always involve the club scene.
Nope, Jax, I am not suggesting he not visit his family. But the is no reason he has to live there, where he got in all that trouble. Live here, start a new life, maybe even give the fam some change for tolls and encourage them to visit him here. As a younger guy, I made some changes in my life, and basically turned my back on most of the people I grew up with. I had to get away from them or else. So does he. Just because you grew up somewhere or with somebody does not mean you are bonded to them for life. Do what is right for you and your family, nobody else matters. If he goes down to run the football camp, it is easy. Breeze in, do your thing, roll on out. No worries.
You know what Jax? I changed my mind after thinking on it a bit, for 5 million dollars, yeah, he could stay out of NNews Va for a few years. There actually is NO reason whatsoever for him to go there. I am sure his family can come on up to Philly, maybe a 4 hour car ride. I didn’t see my parents for 9 months once on a deployment, and I made nowhere near 5 mil.
I understand somewhat of what you all are saying…… He should be staying away from clubs and shouldn’t be hanging out with old friends, when they are the ones that he got in trouble with. That said, he was celebrating a B-Day, and even trouble maker friends, given that they are close…… I would still invite. Also, because it was his B-Day, I understand him wanting to drink and party. That is what happens. I would understand the Eagles organization for not wanting to deal with the “negative” publicity and releasing him for it, if it were to happen, but he should not be reprimanded by the NFL for it, because he did absolutely nothing wrong. If there are teams that don’t mind the publicity, then they should be allowed to sign him. He has done a lot to change his lifestyle and make up for what he has done, and he still does. I don’t think he should get in trouble for something that happened while he wasn’t there just because it was an event for him. It isn’t like we keep hearing stuff about him. This is the 1st thing about him since he has been out and even this is a stretch at people trying to give him a bad name.
You know Anderson when you consider the money these guys make your right, but it still doesn’t make it right that he or anyone other athlete should be held at a higher standard then everyone else. I actually do think he lives around Philly for the most part and I just thought he was down there for his camp and it coincided with his birthday, and yes he does have to be careful of his surroundings.
It may simply be a case of the fact that so few of us will bring down 5 mil in a year, I know I would be extremely protective of an opportunity to do so. A professional athlete may feel entitled to that kind of money and not respect the chance he has been given the way somebody else might. I do think that the old phrase “to whom much is given, much is expected” generally applies in life, and a part of that is being held to a higher standard than many. I am not sure it is right, but it does seem karmically fair to me. If I had to guess, he never thought in a million years that somebody was going to get shot at a stupid bday party, but I want to see him being extra clean, going above and beyond the norm.
I think it is more important that Michael Vick have a birthday party open to the public and all his old friends, rather than have to be a cloistered monk in his room. After all, he is Michael Vick and he can do whatever he wants! He did his time for killing and torturing dogs and lying to his team, and now he’s free to party hearty! I’m sure Andy Reid is happy for him on the occasion of his birthday!
haha quantis is probably 1 of the guys who ratted lol
I’m from Virginia Beach and this is not Michael Vick’s hometown. He is from Newport News which is about 45 minutes to an hour from Virginia Beach. However, it is the hometown of Plaxico Burress; isn’t that ironic?
Is there something in the water?
I heard tickets were sold for the party and the place gets the bar and Vick’s brother gets the ticket proceeds. There is a great lack of common sense between Vick and his brother. I also heard Alan Iverson is from Vick’s Hometown and was at the party and that the brother of Vick’s co-defendant was at the party and that the co-defendant crashed the affair. Why work so hard and have a mental lapse like this. It makes no sense. Have a private party with close friends and family. Selling tickets is just stupid.
Was that from UPI or Reuters?