On Monday, quarterback Mike Vick will be released from federal custody. At some point thereafter (likely sooner rather than later), he'll ask the league to lift the indefinite suspension imposed after he was indicted in July 2007 on federal conspiracy charges relating to interstate gambling and interstate dogfighting.
Regardless of whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell chooses to reinstate Vick or impose a post-prison suspension, we believe that Goodell should make a quick decision.
Vick, as of Monday, will have paid his debt to society in full. There's no good reason to delay a determination as to his further debt, if any, to the NFL.
And while Goodell previously has suggested that he won't take up the case until Vick is free, Goodell recently indicated that he has begun the process of reviewing the file.
Frankly, we don't think too many hours will be necessary to digest Vick's deeds, and then to determine whether future punishment is warranted.
The fact that Vick will be freed as NFL training camps prepare to open makes it even more important for Goodell to make a quick decision. Even if Vick will be suspended for additional games, he needs to be able to begin learning the playbook that his next team will employ this year.
Though Goodell has treated those players who have broken the law harshly, he has at all times been fair and just. In this case, the fair and just thing to do would be to make a decision as soon as possible, so that Vick and the various potentially interested teams will know where he stands.
NFL should move quickly on Vick reinstatement request
Posted by Mike Florio on July 17, 2009 1:40 PM ET
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49 Comments 
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Latest stories in: Latest News and Rumors, Legal, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Legal, Top Stories
Let Vick back in...
While I agree with the general public's opinion that Vick has paid his debt and should be allowed to play this year, it aint gonna happen.
And from the NFL's standpoint they can't let it happen.
Stallworth served time in jail and faced the same legal ramifications for his actions that Vick did.
Every player that breaks the law has to deal with the punishment. And Goodell has continually tacked on to that punishment. Why change his stance with Vick just because he committed a heinous crime that resulted in more time served than any other athlete? He shouldn't & he won't.
I say bring him back quickly so some idiot in my fantasy league can draft him thinking he will be a sleeper... What a bust of a QB this guy is... If you want to call him that.. I mean he is a run first player.. and don't we usually call those guys Running Backs.. Can't even understand why a team would want him .. Especially when most teams already have have Running Backs that throw the ball (Ronnie Brown).... GO BROWNS!!!!
2 year suspension I say. if Pacman got a year for not being convicted ya gotta think he ain't walking right in.
Personally I say castrate him.
The difference with Stallworth is he is NOW under house arrest, so, in reality Goodell do not tack anything on. Vick has now paid his debt and is not under house arrest.
Also lost in this Vick discussion is that he did not get those years in prison for his "heinous" acts of killing dogs...instead he got them for lying under oath, running a gambling ring, and some other RICO style offenses....stop it with this self righteous nonsense, he should, and will be allowed to play.....he will be a backup somewhere eventually.
Since Goodell said he wanted to know that Vick has truly learned from his punishment, I had assumed he wanted to wait a while after Vick was released from house arrest. This way he could see if Vick makes good on the promises he's made as well as staying out of any kind of trouble for awhile. So I'd be a little surprised if Goodell ruled right away, as you're suggesting.
To be honest, though, I don't care much one way or the other what happens or when it does. I do hope that Vick has truly changed and can put his life back together, whether or not the NFL is in the picture.
To everyone calling him a bust:
He took a franchise that fell apart (Quickly after making the SB in 1998) and made it respectable again.
He was the first QB to win in Green Bay in a playoff game. (That is a lot of playoff games)
He helped grow the league in terms of marketing.
In 2004/05 they made the NFC championship and lost in a close game to the Eagles.
The guy isn't a bust.
Akili Smith is a bust, Alex Smith is on his way to being a bust.
Mike Vick is not one, he has had success in the NFL.
I'm a native Atlantan, a life-long Falcons fan (sucks to be me), and I was screaming the loudest that Vick had to go when this all went down.
Now? Hell, he's done his time and after the slap on the wrist Donte Stallworth got maybe Vick's paid enough and it's just time to let him play.
there is no public opinion, its a fact that he paid his debt society in accordance with what the judge handed him....
people act like they are so perfect and have never done anything wrong, give the man a chance to try and regain composure. The man still has a life to live and a family to provide for, so stop hating because he has talent and teams in the NFL want him regardless of whether people like it or not..
It would be a shame to suspend him further, he was already out of the league 2 years...a little thing called time served.
Vick, as of Monday, will have paid his debt to society in full. There's no good reason to delay a determination as to his further debt, if any, to the NFL.
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Just because he 'paid his debt to society' doesn't mean he hasn't 'paid his debt to the NFL'.
Don't forget, he was busted for drugs shortly before going to prison and he flat out lied to the commish about the dog fighting to begin with.
He went to prison, but hasn't served a suspension from the NFL yet, so the NFL hasn't punished him at all.
Those that will say that he was 'suspended' while he was in prison, that's not a suspension. How many games would ha have played and how many practice sessions would he have made it to had he not been under 'suspension'? None, he was in prison.
His suspension should begin on July 20 and last for at least 12 months until the 2010 season.
For all those who are of the mindset that Vick served his jail sentence and that should be punishment enough, remember this; Goodell called Vick in for a face to face before his jury trial and gave Vick a chance to come clean.
Let the record show that Vick lied to Goodell's face, he didn't own up to any of it while he had the chance. I think for the audicity of that alone, Goodell should ban Vick for life but in the end, he should suspend him for a year, not for killing dogs but for lying when he was given a chance to come clean.
I honestly believe Vick is so stupid he thought he was going to get away it all until his sleazy buddies started to sign like birds.
I've spent 3 days in jail before, wow did that suck. Vick most definitely deserves to come back to the NFL if a team wants him.
Debt to society is a bunch of crap, he should be banned for life and forever thereafter. He's shown what kind of man he really is, what's on the inside. Move on without Vick-who the hell really needs him?
f vickie.
Go sniff his jock florio you know you love it
goose08 says:
Every player that breaks the law has to deal with the punishment. And Goodell has continually tacked on to that punishment. Why change his stance with Vick just because he committed a heinous crime that resulted in more time served than any other athlete? He shouldn't & he won't.
Umm he killed some dogs and gambled... Stallworth killed another human being. Not even close. Comrade Goodell shouldn't be allowed to lock you out of working, you pay your debt and move on. There's no where else to work to utilize your skills.
Right now I full believe he should be reinstated. He served his time...but I am interested in why people think he shouldn't.
He ran a gambling operation. How is that conducive to him being allowed back in the NFL? It should be a lifetime ban.
This case is just like steroids in baseball......The fans dont care half as much as the media would like them to.
If you werent such a knucklehead you would see that.
Youre finally changing your tune so you dont look like half the raging lunatic you were when he was first released from the state play pen. For Christ's sake Al and Jesse think you were a little over the top.
The Real Shuxion says:
July 17, 2009 2:22 PM
In 2004/05 they made the NFC championship and lost in a close game to the Eagles.
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Close game?!?! Close game????
LOL 27 - 10 isn't a 'Close game'. The Falcons were man handled by the Eagles in that game.
Vick to Carolina....Here's why it makes sense: Delhomme is injury prone. There's no proven backup. He will get his chance to play.
other spot: Green bay behind rogers. enough said about that. Rogers will be considered a bust after he cannot be the next favre!
Why couldn't he have hooked up with Kazemi?
Ok so maybe I'm old school and out of touch; but to me playing pro sports is a priviledge.
If Vick had worked in corporate America would he get his job back? Doubtful.
As far as saying the man deserves a chance to earn a living I agree he does.
Just not as a pro ballplayer, there are many vocations available in this country.
In his case he earned the opportunity to life after football earlier than others.
There's a big deal about Vick coming back into the NFL, but hypothetically if he does come back, then he would suck anyway. Vick was an average passer at best before he went to prison; so I doubt coming out of prison he suddenly becomes accurate. His main strength was in his legs, but that wasn't his job.
paid his debt to society?
Great and he can do whatever he wants now. However, getting employed again by the NFL is another story.
He flat out lied to the commish's face about the dog fighting incident at the draft. He then flunked a drug test during the trial.
Not to mention he got off scott free from the ever corrumpt Gerald Poindexter for the dog fighting incident. Meaning Vick was never punished for the killing of dogs but for only running an illeagal gambling operation.
The man has continued the mentality of being beyond the law and has disgraced his employer time an time again. Now he expects mercy to be reinstated? Why? The mans actions have spoken louder than words. I don't want to hear about second chances, this man exceeded that a long time ago. He is obviously psychotic and its going to take alot more than to work construction 2 weeks out of his life to learn the meaning of remorse. He should be banned indefinitley.
You know...I would consider a quarterback, that was taken with first pick in the draft, being in the bottom half of the league in terms of QB rating AND completion percentage to be a huge bust! What do think of that???
Some of the comments on this forum are assinine.
Giant Midget says: Umm he killed some dogs and gambled... Stallworth killed another human being. Not even close.
Really? Really? Shoot yourself. Seriously. He didn't "kill a couple of dogs." He brutalized living creatures, trained them to fight and kill visciously, and when they didn't, he killed them himself. But - he didn't actually go to PRISON for that. He went to prison for avoiding taxes and running an interstate gambling ring.
Does Pete Rose ring a bell? This guy will NEVER get into the baseball hall of fame because of his gambling problems, meanwhile Vick runs a violent, brutal, and abhorrent gambling operation and has the BALLS to lie to the commissioner of the game that provided for his lavish, over-the-top lifestyle?
Really Giant Midget? Really?
Dude 17 hit it right on the head. Bank this @$$hole for life. Let him spend the rest of his life repaying his debt to the "couple of dogs" he killed. Better yet - let's starve him for weeks, train him to fight violently, and throw him in a ring bare @$$ naked and tell him only one of you is coming out alive - fight for your life. Oh, and when he doesn't win, let's um... what did he do? Electrocute him, and if that doesn't kill him, lets hang him from a tree... and if that still doesn't do that job, let's slit his throat open like he did to all those poor animals.
Reinstate him? He should be locked in a cage for the rest of his life.
Side note: I own 3 dogs.
Why do people think a private organization has to agree with a sentence the gov't handed down?
The NFL & the Feds are two different entities.
If the NFL determines he has not been away from the league long enough the fact he was in jail for any amount of time has no bearing.
Its not like the Feds based his jail time on the fact that the NFL would or would not also apply a suspension. So the NFL should not base their decision on how long he should be out of the league on the fact that he spent some of that time behind bars.
OH if playing on a team that lost in a conference championship is all a #1 draft pcik has to do to be a success and not a bust, our expectations of #1 picks has been greatly diminished.
nobody else won a playoff game in green bay as a qb? how quickly they forget bf... among others... and under vick the falcons continued their forrever streak of not having 2 winning seasons in a row. ever. real team changer... not.
the playoff game vs the eagles was not close. the eagles owned the falcons. both times.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_playoffs,_2004-05
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_playoffs,_2002-03
he killed dogs, gambled, ran it interstate (what he was punished for), lied, and had dope on planes, threw the finger to the crowd... lied. also cant read defenses, doesnt work hard, looks like he threw games (or just played bad), cant hit a wideout with a pass...
also threw teammates under the bus.
nobody needs the asshole. ban him.
Just because he served his time in prison doesn't necessarily mean the NFL shouldn't lay down a punishment as well. When I think about what he did to those animals I can help but hate the man. Maybe they should put him in a room with Brock Lesnar for a little while
Boy are you stupid.
For starters, Gooddell isn't preventing Vick from working. Working in the NFL maybe, but not working in general. Vick doesn't have some inherent right to play in the NFL again nor is there a law saying Vick has to work in the NFL. Vick can work anywhere that's hiring, and Gooddell can't prevent it. Case in point, his job in construction.
Next, there is absolutely no comparison to the heinousness of Vick's crimes to those of Stallworth's. None, nada, zip, zero, zilch. Stallworth's was a genuine accident, and from all appearances, it was unavoidable. Vick's, not so much.
Plus, Vick has been a habitual shit head since he came into the NFL. His latest actions shouldn't be rewarded with an NFL contract. The league doesn't need him anyway, so lets ban his ass and move on.
SteveC etc. you people are blind, and dumb. Vick paid his debt to society, nobody is denying that. That doesn't mean he will and has a God given right walk right back into the most popular League in America.
Goodell has set a precedent, and that is the sole reason why Vick shouldn't be let back in RIGHT AWAY. Serving society's debt has nothing to do with the NFL, which Goodell has worked hard to establish. You think he gives a shit that Vick was in jail? Then why was Stallworth suspended indefinitely? It has nothing to do with "time served," and everything to do with his conduct policy.
Vick served time, great. Pacman went through the process too and he was repeatedly banned. Vick will get the same type of treatment. It's hypocritcal to say Stallworth, Henry, & and Tank Johnson received just suspensions from the league yet Vick should walk back in just bc he served a greater prison term. That's just blind ignorance...like a majority of people walking this earth.
Some of the comments on this forum are assinine.
Giant Midget says: Umm he killed some dogs and gambled... Stallworth killed another human being. Not even close.
Really? Really? Shoot yourself. Seriously. He didn't "kill a couple of dogs." He brutalized living creatures, trained them to fight and kill visciously, and when they didn't, he killed them himself. But - he didn't actually go to PRISON for that. He went to prison for avoiding taxes and running an interstate gambling ring.
Does Pete Rose ring a bell? This guy will NEVER get into the baseball hall of fame because of his gambling problems, meanwhile Vick runs a violent, brutal, and abhorrent gambling operation and has the BALLS to lie to the commissioner of the game that provided for his lavish, over-the-top lifestyle?
Really Giant Midget? Really?
Dude 17 hit it right on the head. Bank this @$$hole for life. Let him spend the rest of his life repaying his debt to the "couple of dogs" he killed. Better yet - let's starve him for weeks, train him to fight violently, and throw him in a ring bare @$$ naked and tell him only one of you is coming out alive - fight for your life. Oh, and when he doesn't win, let's um... what did he do? Electrocute him, and if that doesn't kill him, lets hang him from a tree... and if that still doesn't do that job, let's slit his throat open like he did to all those poor animals.
Reinstate him? He should be locked in a cage for the rest of his life.
Side note: I own 3 dogs.
He needs to sit out at least a year. The dog fighting thing is what really upsets me, but I think the NFL is probably more concerned about the gambling aspect of it.
I think it would be interesting if you had the ability to take comment posters on any Vick chat and line them up to see who they really were.
For the most part, I bet on one side you'd probably have decent, somewhat moral, hard-working, good solid people... and on the other side you'd have your crude, thug-type, degenerates that probably don't contibute anything of substance to society.
I say this because it's obvious that one side can see that Vick is a piece of crap human, and the other, well they can't see that, why, because they are the same type of person he is, and they can't see anything wrong with what he did!
Per the Law, I do believe that Vick has paid his debt to society... however, I also believe he should be suspended this year, first and foremost for lying to Goodell's face, and secondly, for being an all around piece of crap human being. He should then be reinstated in 2010 and allowed to play.
Let Vick Back in........ Im an Eagles Fan so I have no side agenda for saying that we have a quarterback and plenty of back ups.
Like someone else said Stallworth getting suspended isn't the same sitution as Vick. Stallworth is still in custody Vick is 100% free. And that fact that if Goddell didnt suspend Stallworth that would have meant he would have been arrested jailed and killed someone and playing profootball 6 monthes later. Vicks crimes happened 2 years ago not 6 monthes. And the Fact that Vick was released early to house arrest instead of staying in Levinsworth shows hes been keeping his neck clean and out of trouble.
Goddell doesn't need to worry about him making the same mistakes b/c anyone whose been on house arrest knows its a joke he could have easily been partying smoking weed etc. but he wasnt. (I know this because they do tons of house checks, blood and urine tests weekely and randomly if he was on something they would know about.
If you look at Vick's pattern of behavior..., I can't imagine Goodell will let him play right away. It's been nothing but false presentations ever since the dog fighting story broke. Even his construction job was a shell game. He did that for what.., 2 days, before he left there, to do some nonsense for the local Boys & Girls Club.
Michael Vick has served his time and should be free to go get himself the best job he can. If that's working at the Boys & Girls club.., so be it. His pattern of blatent lies to the face of Arthur Blank and Roger Goodell will keep him out of the NFL for at least a year. By the time he's eligible to play.., he'll be just another guy who had and wasted the talent.
Who can feel sorry for that?
This is for all you jacka$$'s that for some reason think that Vick "Deserves" another chance. Why in God's name makes any of you think that he "deserves" anything from the NFL???? It's a privelage to play football........."Not a right". He screwed up and now he can go get a job digging ditches..........if he is smart enough to do that. Which I doubt he is. HE messed up his career and he now has to pay that price. End of story.
I say let him back in. Any team that looks to pick him up will have to deal with all the baggage that comes with him which will ultimately be their undoing. Hopefully that team will be the Vikings...
Hey goose08 just a heads up. Killing a HUMAN BEING while driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and drugs IS NOT THE SAME and should not be considered the same as supposedly fighting dogs. Vick has more than paid his debt to this at times hypocritical society and should be afforded the same rights and privledges to pursue an honest living just as much as you and I. I hope you are never have to face a jury of YOUR peers.
I attended a boarding military school for four years. It had a very strict conduct policy and you could get kicked out for anything - fighting, drugs, sex, etc. If you acted like trash, you got treated like trash and taken out! No refund on that 16K tuition either (hi dad!).
The NFL has a conduct policy, people. Most quality establishments do. You misanthropes out there who believe Vick should get another chance in the NFL have clearly never been a part of anything worthwhile in your entire lives, and with attitudes like that you never will be (not for long, anyway).
There can be no exceptions in dolling out conduct code violation punishments or the whole system gets compromised. The men who drafted that conduct code know this better than anyone, and I expect them to come down hard on Vick...
"Vick, as of Monday, will have paid his debt to society in full. There's no good reason to delay a determination as to his further debt, if any, to the NFL."
Not really. He'll be on probation, which is just as much a part of his debt as the rest of his sentence. If he screws up while on probation, he then fails to fully pay his debt to "society". His dept isn't paid until he's completely finished with the system.
"While I agree with the general public's opinion that Vick has paid his debt and should be allowed to play this year"
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The general public opinion?! Someone must only reside on sports forums and the internet, or so it seems. Depending on where you go outside the sports world, the general opinion is opposite of this statement. Those that don't want his return, have a slight edge out in the real world fella. One can't say it's a majority, but just the same, one can't claim the "general public's opinion" is that he should play again.
He's a felon, and a felon shouldn't be allowed the privilege of playing in the NFL. It's just that simple.
"he got them for lying under oath, running a gambling ring, and some other RICO style offenses....stop it with this self righteous nonsense, he should, and will be allowed to play"
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Yea, and if any one of us were convicted on those charges, we would still be in prison. not only that, as a felon, we would be lucky to get a job at Wal-Mart while on probation.
Mike Vick paid his debt to society & after Monday he is free to live & exist within that society. Just because he is free does not guarantee that he is eligible to play in the NFL. The message of the past few years from the NFL is that it is a PRIVILEGE to be in the NFL. Not a right. The difference will soon be explained by Roger Goodell to those who don't understand it. Best guess is he gets 8+ games for lying to Goodell if nothing else.
# Raiders757 says: July 17, 2009 8:15 PM
"he got them for lying under oath, running a gambling ring, and some other RICO style offenses....stop it with this self righteous nonsense, he should, and will be allowed to play"
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Yea, and if any one of us were convicted on those charges, we would still be in prison. not only that, as a felon, we would be lucky to get a job at Wal-Mart while on probation.
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That is an irrational argument. You can't hold Vick accountable for the fact that you guess that your penalty would have been harsher. Chances are, you would have suffered the same penalty as Vick, and this is more about the fact that he has talent, you don't, and you want him to pay for wasting that talent.
Dear The Real Shuxion
Vick is a bust... a huge one... he was just marketed well.... I have a question.. is there any other QB in the NFL that has never ever ever ever ever ever had a passer rating over 80, a completion percentage over 56%, and thrown over 3000 yards that is so sought after by teams... NO... He Only threw 20 TDs in a season once in his career and 1/4 of his TD's he has ever scored are rushing TD's.. are you kidding me.... Vick is a joke... a cancer to have on your team as a QB and apparantly as a player. There are 3rd string QBs with better comp %'s than Vick... HE SUCKS!!! And futhermore... he will never ever ever ever ever take a team to the superbowl!!!
If Stallworth's case were as simple as "He killed another human being while driving under the influence," the DA would have been able to make the case rather than allow it to be plead out with such minimal punishment, and Stallworth would have rightly been punished to multiple years in prison. But the facts showed Mr. Reyes was equally as responsible for his own death as Donte Stallworth was, proving Stallworth's involvement was more of an accident than anything.
On the other hand, Vick's torture of animals was a deliberate action and served no other purpose than to function as a vehicle for his own amusement. Nothing he did involving Bad News Kennelz was accidental. Not to mention he lied about it, to the commissioners face no less, and denied his involvement from the get go.
Plus he was involved in interstate gambling, which I'd imagine the NFL might have legitimate concerns about. I know I wouldn't want him on my team, since I couldn't trust him not to throw a game so he can make an extra buck on the side. And given his history, it's not beyond the realm of possibility.
Finally, Vick has been a turd from day one. He has a whole history of offenses behind him, ranging from drug possession to knowingly infecting a woman with an STD to this. The league has nothing to gain by reinstating him, so it's time to move on.
Vick should not be able to return to the NFL. He crossed the line and his debt to society might be paid, that makes him a free man, but he can never repay the pain and suffering he caused. So I say he keeps his construction job and goes from there. He has been and will be a poor role model to our youths. So by paying his debt he can go on with his life and show people he has changed, but coming back to the luxury of the NFL. Hell no.
I agree, I think Vick should be allowed to return. The law agrees that his debt has been paid, so let's get him back in uniform doing what he loves to do. Also, here is an interesting article on what might be next for Mike Vick, including potential UFL signing: http://www.mindreign.com/en/mindshare/Sports/What-s-Next-for-Mike-Vick-3f/sl40763392bp324cpp10pn1.html