'Indefinite' Isn't Much of a Suspension
August 24, 2007
N.F.L. Suspends Vick Indefinitely
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 5:56 p.m. ET
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The NFL indefinitely suspended Michael Vick without pay Friday just hours after he acknowledged in court papers that he did, indeed, bankroll gambling on dogfighting and helped kill some dogs not worthy of the pit.
Vick, however, insisted he placed no bets of his own nor took any winnings.
In disciplining Vick, commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick's admitted conduct was "not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible" and regardless whether he personally placed bets, "your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player."
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On the other hand, thank god you're not Pete Rose, who played his heart out and always gambled on his Reds to WIN. But then Charlie Hustle didn't have a multi-million dollar contract with ten years to run, that someone will have to negotiate.
The sports pundits were already polishing up Vick's image last Sunday.
I said Vick would never play again, but then I occasionally overestimate the moral standing of major sports and their commissioners.
* For more in-depth articles by Jim on Things That Make Me Nuts, check out Opinion-Columns.com