Posts Tagged ‘Michael Vick’

Update! As you’ve doubtless heard, Michael Vick now has a team. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a two-year contract, Mortensen says, and it’s about as comfortable a setting as Vick could find: He’s backing up Donovan McNabb, who hosted Vick on a recruiting visit to Syracuse way back when, and who opposed Vick when the Falcons met the Eagles in the NFC title game.

And oh, yes: The Eagles play the Falcons at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 6.

The signing capped a week of frenzied Vick-related activity. He was in Decatur on Saturday, and this week he set off a Twitter-fed furor just by walking through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

From Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune: “Michael Vick arriving in Chicago had as much to do with him playing for the Bears as LeBron James being in town had to do with James signing with the Bulls in 2010. The Bears were compelled to issue a statement ruling out a Vick possibility once a TMZ video …

Continue reading Bradley’s Buzz: All-Vick edition, and he now has a team! »

The Wall Street Journal ran a story last week on “The Reinvention of Michael Vick,” and the article hit the same familiar points: Might need to re-start as a Wildcat quarterback; must take less money up front to prove himself; could be better off trying the United Football League first.

At this point, I’m as much intrigued by the reinvention of Michael Vick the person. What’s his strategy — I’m assuming he has one — to win back the public he lost when he pleaded guilty? What does he need to do to sway hearts and minds? So I asked a public relations professional.

Gail Sideman has her own firm in Milwaukee — it’s Publiside; catchy name, huh? — and she’s familiar with athletics (she worked as an intern under Claude Felton in Georgia’s sports information office) and Atlanta (she was the Metro Conference’s publicist when the Metro Conference existed and was based here) and electronic media (she works in TV). She’s also a leading exponent of social media, meaning Facebook and …

Continue reading How does Vick win folks back? He can start by Tweeting »

The Minnesota Vikings were willing to wait all summer on a 39-year-old prima donna who has nothing left. So yeah, they could do worse than a 29-year-old who has a point to prove. Yeah, I’m thinking Michael Dwayne Vick would look just dandy in purple.

The Vikings have no quarterback unless you count Tarvaris Jackson, which even the Vikings don’t. If they had a quarterback, they wouldn’t have prostrated themselves before the latest whims of Brett Favre. Michael Vick needs a job and is free to look for NFL work. (Perhaps you’d heard something about this.) So if you’re the Vikes, here’s what you do:

You tell your fans, “We know Vick comes with more baggage than Louis Vuitton, but we’ve got no choice. We’ve got a decent team that’s lacking at the most important position. We know some of you might have some reservations about his character, but would you rather us hire the nearest Eagle scout and do a Detroit? (Meaning: Go 0-16?) Or would you want us to take a chance on a guy who we …

Continue reading Vick to the Vikes? If the Vikes have any sense, absolutely »

The NFL has finally ruled. Michael Vick can practice, but he can’t play until the final two preseason games. (This assumes he can find a team that will hire him, which I believe he will.) Once the regular season commences, he can do everything except play in games.

That’s in September and the first half of October. Once October passes its midpoint, he can play in real games, too.

I don’t get it.

Maybe there’s a Solomonic compromise embedded in Roger Goodell’s ruling, but for the life of me I can’t find it. What I see is a commissioner who felt pressured to do something even if he wasn’t quite sure doing anything more is warranted. So he half-stepped. He also overstepped.

This is, to use a football term, piling on. Vick has been suspended by the NFL for 23 months and three days. If the league wanted to disassociate itself with him completely, it could have just said, “Suspension stands. Sorry, Mike.” But clearly it doesn’t want to disassociate itself with Vick. Clearly it …

Continue reading Michael Vick’s “conditional reinstatement”: I don’t get it »

Michael Vick was suspended by the NFL on Aug. 24, 2007 and remains suspended to this day. That’s 23 months (plus three days) of a suspension that ran almost concurrent to a 20-month jail sentence (reduced from 23 months for good behavior). That is, in a word, enough.

So far as we know, Michael Vick has broken no law since he reported to Leavenworth. So far as we know, he hasn’t further violated the NFL’s code of conduct. Currently speculation holds that commissioner Roger Goodell wants to clear Vick to sign with a team and participate in training camp — but then suspend him for the first four games of the regular season. I’m not a lawyer (though I was accepted to law school 32 years ago), but that seems, to use a legalistic term …

Stupid.

It’s essentially saying, “We know you’ve paid your debt to society, but we’re afraid certain parts of society [read: PETA] will look ill upon us if we let you play on Opening Day. So we’ll tack on another month. Doesn’t matter if you’re as …

Continue reading T.O. and I agree: Vick shouldn’t be re-suspended »

Citing sources, former colleague Chris Mortensen and Sal Paolatonio of ESPN.com reported Tuesday night that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could meet with Michael Vick as early as this week. And Goodell, ESPN also reported, could allow Vick to join a NFL team in training camp. From ESPN:

“Under a scenario involving conditional reinstatement, Goodell would reserve the right to extend or further define Vick’s indefinite suspension but allow him to attend training camp if he is signed with an NFL team, sources said. A conclusive reinstatement, or additional suspension, for the 2009 season would be expected before Sept. 1, the first mandatory date for roster cuts.”

The belief here has been that Goodell would allow Vick to play in the NFL at some point this season, but I didn’t think we’d see No. 7, who was released from federal custody only Monday, back under the league umbrella this summer. Assuming Goodell sees the desired “genuine remorse” from Vick in their meeting, a …

Continue reading ESPN: Goodell could let Vick attend an NFL training camp »