Let me preface this blog by first noting that I believe Michael Vick is guilty of participating in the illegal dog fighting charges he’s currently facing in Richmond, Virginia. I think he and his idiot friends are sick and I hope the judge and jury seek the maximum penalty when the trial kicks off in November.
However, in efforts to not sound like I’m defending what Vick did, I find it a bit ridiculous that in the past week, Nike, Reebok and Upper Deck have stripped Vick related merchandise off their lines. Did Reebok and Upper Deck suspend Pacman Jones jerseys and cards after he allegedly slammed a young woman’s face into a stage and then ordered one of his cronies to put a bullet into those who tried to stop him (which they did, paralyzing one man)? How about when Leonard Little killed a woman after driving drunk one night in 1998, and then was pulled over for the very same thing only six years later? Guess what you can buy on the Rams’ official website for only $74.95? That’s right, a #91 Little jersey.
These companies have every right to make sure scumbags like Vick don’t earn another dime from jersey sales, but wrong is wrong and if they’re going to take a stand against a player who allegedly fought and killed dogs, then they should take a stand against one who was actually proven to kill another human being from drunk driving. And if you say there’s a difference because Little’s incident was an accident compared to Vick making a choice, Little still made the choice to drink and drive.
