Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1369 of 1503)

Michael Vick officially apologized for his role in dog fighting Monday and while there were some positive things that came out of it, I still felt it was somewhat hollow.

The good thing I thought he did was not read from a prepared cue card like most celebrities do. I’m sure his lawyers instructed him on what to say and not say, but at least he wasn’t a robot. I also think he generally feels bad that he let so many people down and lied to those who backed him.

However, it seemed to me that he’s still confused on what he’s apologizing for and why this is all a big deal. He said he’s owning up to everything and not pointing the blame, but he already did that when he blamed his family back in April. He apologized for, “not (being) honest and forthright” to Roger Goodell and Arthur Blank, but he kind of danced around it like a kid owning up to his parents. Take responsibility for lying, killing dogs and using dog fighting as a way to make money off of defenseless animals. It might not be what your lawyers want you to say, but in the court of public opinion it counts.

I hope people do forgive him because it’s what I would want if I messed up this bad. But first I hope he actually learns from all this before being forgiven. I want him to learn in time that damn it, I not only screwed up, but I really did an inhuman thing and caused a lot of pain for a lot of people. I don’t just want him to be sorry because he was caught.

The Atlanta Falcons are on a mission to try and recoup $22 million already paid to suspended quarterback Michael Vick. To do so, however, Vick would have to still be on the roster, so don’t expect the Falcons to part ways with the troublesome quarterback just yet.

If Atlanta receives the bonus money from Vick, it will be applied to the team’s salary cap for the following season. If, for example, the team recouped all $22 milllion, that figure would be credited to the team for the 2008 salary cap.

Talk about a damaging situation turning into a positive. Instead of losing their starting quarterback plus a ton of cap space, they could essentially start fresh again with millions in the bank. Twenty-two million could net a couple of top tier free agents.

Even before he suspended Michael Vick indefinitely for his hand in dog fighting, gambling and flat out lying, Roger Goodell had left a mark on the NFL. Suspending Vick is just one of the many correct things Goodell has done in efforts to clean up the league, and I for one applaud the direction he’s trying to take the NFL in.

The thing I liked most about Goodell’s decision is that he didn’t just suspend Vick for a certain amount of time and be done with it. He essentially said, “I still don’t have all the details yet, so what I’m going to do is make sure you’re not on any of my fields while I continue to gather the information I need…then I’m going to suspend you.” He’s not going to allow Vick to kill two birds with one stone by serving his NFL suspension at the same time he does his prison sentence.

I do think Vick should have another chance to play in the NFL. Does he deserve it? Probably not, but while he did make a massive mistake, he’s human. How long before he gets that chance, however, I don’t know. But at least I know the decision is in good hands with Goodell.

Want to learn how to ruin a comeback career and piss away everything after working years to reinvented yourself? Well, just read David Boston’s Self-Destruction 101: Your Guide to Ruining an NFL Career!

Just yesterday the St. Petersburg Times reported Boston had moved ahead of Maurice Stovall on the Buccaneers depth chart to start at wide receiver. Then last night, he apparently celebrated by driving drunk and was arrested for DUI.

Talk about getting an amazing opportunity to be a starter in the NFL again after blowing your initial chance by being jacked up on roids and other substances. There was a very likely chance Stovall was going to overtake Boston again on the depth chart because he has way more upside, but still, what a dope.

According to sources from ESPN, Michael Vick apparently will only commit guilty to the charge of interstate commerce for the purpose of dog fighting. Vick will maintain that he never killed any dogs or gambled on a dogfight.

He will admit he was present when dogs were killed, but that he did not personally kill any of the dogs.

So what? When a wife hires a hit man to take out her husband, is she absolved of any wrongdoing? The point is Mikey, that you knew what was going on and you didn’t do anything to stop it. Even if you didn’t have a hand in killing the dogs – which by the way, your boys said you did – then you’re still guilty of funding and being the kingpin of the whole operation.

See, he wants to play football again and that’s why this case will continue for the foreseeable future. He and his lawyers are trying desperately to find a way to get him back on the field as quickly as possible, but they’re being stopped by the thing most of us live in: reality.