An arbitrator has ruled that the Atlanta Falcons can proceed to try and reclaim close to $20 million that was paid to suspended quarterback Michael Vick. The NFL Players Association will appeal the ruling, however, so no immediate decision on whether or not Vick will have to repay the Falcons will be made for some time.
Burbank’s ruling in the Vick-Falcons case said the Falcons are entitled to pursue the recovery of signing, option and roster bonuses because payments to Vick were not for money earned, as in the Lelie case, but for future services that can’t be earned because the NFL has indefinitely suspended Vick.
It will be interesting to see if the Falcons, a) recoup the entire $20 million, and b) if Vick even has the money to repay the debt. If you’re handed a large sum of money, it’s not like you’re immediately running to the bank and depositing the cash in your savings account. Twenty million should be nothing to Vick, but hey then again, not many of us know how much building and maintaining an illegal dog fighting operation costs.
As for the Falcons, that $20 million would be put on the following year’s salary cap. So in other words, if they recoup that money by the end of the year, they head into 2008 with a large salary cap, surely enough to pay a few high-profile free agents (or a No. 1 draft choice named Brian Brohm).
