So that’s what a famous life crashing to a screeching halt sounds like?
The rollercoaster ride that is the Michael Vick experience is over. At least for now.
The next step does not involve athletic ability, physical prowess, or the ability to entertain. Only humility and remorse will get Vick through his next, most serious and important opponent — the justice system.
On Monday, August 27, Michael Vick will step foot in a Richmond, Virginia courtroom and proceed to accept responsibility for whichever charges will warrant him the least amount of jail time. His statement, as read by lead attorney Billy Martin, offered acknowledgement of responsibility and remorse:
“Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made… Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter.”
At one point, Vick was a role-model to kids. He didn’t grow up in the best of conditions, but he worked his way into college and eventually the NFL. As one of the most spectacular talents in sports, he earned one of the richest contracts in NFL history, despite questions of his quarterbacking ability. We have become immuned to the hard knocks life upbringing for our favorite athletes. But now that he plans on pleading guilty to charges related to dogfighting, he is no longer a role model.
Pending a Scooter Libby-like miracle, Vick, one of the top-5 most recognizable faces of the National Football League, is headed to jail. The deal is reportedly set to keep him behind bars for 12-18 months, assuming the judge follows the recommendation offered through the plea agreement made between the prosecution and defense teams. But if the judge lives up to his reputation as being relentless in dishing out punishment, Vick will most likely see the higher end of that agreed minimum. Or, in the worst-case-for-Vick scenarios, he could face anywhere up to the 5-year maximum the charges warrant.
Let’s just be very clear about one thing before we continue — my position has remained the same from the beginning. In July, I stated the following:
“Remember, they are charges against the defendants but none of the listed men, including Vick, has been convicted yet. If they are convicted after given due process, then let the law deal with them as it is written.�
On Monday, if Vick pleads guilty to charges related to dogfighting, my position remains. His conviction should lead to the law dealing with him as it is written. If Vick were to flip around and change his story, as inconsistent and crazy as that would be, I would feel the same way.
In every case dealing with the law, in crime and punishment, due process is always in order.
Contrary to popular belief, pointing out the need for due process is not, in any way, shape or form, the same as being sympathetic towards the accused and/or convicted, nor does it downplay the crimes to which they are involved in.
With Vick’s popularity and view as a role model, people feel the need to advocate an expedited decision without dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. I’ve said it once, now I’ll say it again — Hold your horses, folks.
For those who witnessed Vick committing one or more of the crimes accused, or have spoken with credible sources who have, you have been in the right the entire time. Due process allows for that story to be understood by those who officially pass judgment on the accused and convicted.
For those who said, “Mike Vick is guilty” before the charges were laid out, and had no in-depth inside knowledge of the case, you were wrong. Yes, Vick was indicted, and yes, he is set to plead guilty to dogfighting charges, but you were still wrong for not letting the due process take its course before passing judgment.
We are in America, the land of the free. We have rights and liberties other countries do not. Our liberties motivate people outside our borders into risking life and limb to get what we have. Our leaders value American liberties so high they often try to sell our way of life to other cultures and countries who may not even be the least bit interested.
By no means do I condone dogfighting or cruelty to animals. The crimes of which Vick are charged are incredibly serious. When the plea bargain goes through, the years he will spend locked away in a jail cell will hopefully show Vick and others the seriousness of their crime.
It has proved to be a difficult task, however, in convincing anyone so passionately involved that even Vick deserves his due process of the law. Yes, a millionairre who had it all and seemingly lost it due to irresponsibility, deserves to let the process work itself out. The process in Vick’s case was a strong case against him and three peers, leading to eventual plea bargain deals by all parties involved. Before they agreed to deals, it was a matter of letting the trial reveal innocence and guilt, not the court of public opinion.
Even people who commit the worst of crimes deserve human rights. This is embedded in our law because, for every person accused, at the very least one may be innocent. Once the plea bargain is official next Monday, there will be four parties accused, and four persons convicted, so there will be no exceptions in this case. But one day you may be on the wrong end of an accusation and it would be refreshing to know that the law has your back.
Right now, PETA and animal activists do not want to focus on human rights, and understandably so. Especially in a case where a plea bargain is reached, thus shortening the seriousness of the charges, PETA and other animal rights activists will not be pleased with whatever the punishment laid out for Vick. They picketed that same courthouse when charges were first brought, to voice their demand for “stiff punishment to be meted out,� as a PETA correspondence assistant Jeff Haines wrote in an email to me.
No punishment suggestion is mentioned, but Haines added, “It is PETA’s job, however, to speak up for animals in every case where people—celebrities or otherwise—are accused of hurting animals.� For a Q & A about animal rights, visit PETA’s website and get involved. Talk to your lawmakers if you feel not enough is being done to protect animals. The PETA’s of the world will continue fighting for those who go unheard, and they deserve all the respect in the world for it.
Just the same as their case for animal rights, human rights cannot be neglected. Because “we’re human,� we will often let emotions cloud our judgment. But the lessons of the past should remind us to be mindful of human rights when passing our judgment on those both simply accused and those guilty.
Years ago, when racism consumed America, African-Americans were constantly accused of crimes they did not commit. Punishments were swift and unfair. Human rights were needed back then but since they were not around, many innocent lives were lost or destroyed.
Human rights were also needed years ago when in Massachussetts, lives were taken and destroyed during the Salem Witch Trials.
On Monday, Vick will plead guilty to crimes related to dogfighting, and in the months that follow, he will be sentenced. The involvement in which it appears Vick took place in with the operation known as “Bad Newz Kennelz� is despicable, irresponsible and if the judge chooses to lay the full extent of the law on him, you will hear all but a peep from this corner.
If the judge chooses to grant Vick the chance to rehabilitate himself while serving time in jail, I would applaud him even more. Our judicial system should be focused on rehabilitating Michael Vick, Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor. By rehabilitating them for the crimes they committed, they would set an example for others.
Human rights are important and we can’t wait until we are on the wrong end of an accusation to find out just how much.
* * * * * * *
One thing the Vick case taught us is that we need to reassess who we honor as a role models. Standards need to be raised and high-dollar contracts and the ability to entertain should not be at the forefront in the decision-making process.
Just as with Vick, we must remember how little we know about our favorite professionals. Placing them on a pedestal before assessing their judgment, morality and compassion is a mistake and we cannot continue to let a few smiles, amazing plays and large promises make the decision for us.
Mike Vick burned a lot of people who made that mistake before. It is is up to those burned, including parents and mentors of the kids burned, to be much more careful. Because tomorrow it may be your next favorite professional next.
(Notables: Ray Carruth, Chris Benoit, the D.C. Madam list, Scooter Libby, the Watergate scandal and now, Michael Vick.)
Let’s end poverty, folks!
It is interesting that after the Jason Grimsley investigation Clemens is no longer playing as if he had found the fountain of youth… What if I bought Clemens’ 1000th strike out as a New York Yankee ball and donated it to the Hall of Fame with an asterisk branded on the ball? Would it be accepted? Let’s take it one step farther. What if Bill Cosby donated Josh Gibson’s Negro League Pittsburgh Crawfords jersey to the Hall of Fame with the inscription, “If America allowed me to play I would be the single season record holder instead of Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, or Babe Ruth.” Or what if I got a hold of a Negro League Satchel Paige baseball and branded “This ball would have kept Babe Ruth to only 713 Home Runs if I was white,” then donated it? How would it be received?
