bubba9497 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2943276 click link for full article NFL, Falcons could ask Vick to focus energies in court By Len Pasquarelli and Chris Mortensen ESPN.com Updated: July 20, 2007, 11:29 AM ET ATLANTA -- In what has quickly evolved into a collaborative effort that includes the input of officials from the NFL, the NFL Players Association and the Atlanta Falcons, embattled quarterback Michael Vick could be urged to take a voluntary leave of absence to focus his energy on the legal challenges from a federal dogfighting indictment confronting him, sources said Thursday and Friday. There are, however, two critical components that must be resolved: Falcons owner Arthur Blank must be on board with a plan that has generated considerable discussion at the league level the past two days. And Vick, who might be reluctant to accept even a paid hiatus from the game, might have to be convinced that the leave could be his best option right now. Blank and the Falcons might also be considering other options. Under the leave-of-absence scenario, and given the projected timeline of any trial that could ensue from the federal indictments brought against the quarterback Tuesday, all parties would enter into the agreement, if it is consummated, with the expectation that Vick, 27, would probably miss the entire 2007 season. While the concept of a leave has been broached conceptually to associates and advisors of Vick, it has not yet been formally presented to the Falcons' star. Vick could be briefed about the possibility of a paid leave of absence, however, as early as Friday. He would likely be granted time to consider the suggestion, which would almost certainly have to be communicated by Blank, with a decision not coming until early next week. It has become clear, as high-level discussions have progressed, that all the parties involved in the talks are desperately seeking a resolution to a potential public relations disaster before the Falcons begin training camp Thursday afternoon. A league source acknowledged on Thursday that "something one way or the other is going to have to happen ... by the start of training camp." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Could time be running out on this scumbag.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCSaints_fan Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I think it would be ridiculous if they didn't at least take this step. The QB is the leader of the team and you can't have them running back and forth from court hearings all the time during the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAFGA Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 As mentioned in another thread, in any other job (except maybe the NBA) if this were to happen at MINIMUM you would be asked to leave and be re-evaluated after your legal procedings are over. Why can't the NFL step in and say this is how it's going to be? At MINIMUM Vick should be told to sit until everything is over. If he's acquitted (highly unlikely) he would get back pay and his job back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins4me58203 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 The NFL isn't like any other job and there is a Union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouvan59 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 As mentioned in another thread, in any other job (except maybe the NBA) if this were to happen at MINIMUM you would be asked to leave and be re-evaluated after your legal procedings are over. Why can't the NFL step in and say this is how it's going to be? At MINIMUM Vick should be told to sit until everything is over. If he's acquitted (highly unlikely) he would get back pay and his job back. I don't think the league should mandate what an accused player can and can't do. No matter how much I or anybody else here thinks he's guilty, he's not until the verdict comes in. It should be up to the team and the player. Also if the league sets a precedent that a player must sit until his trial is over you are opening the door for every blood-sucking leech in the universe to start accusing players or rape or assault. They would know that if the player is forced to sit out a year he stands to lose quite a bit of money and would be likely to settle out of court to avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAFGA Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 The NFL isn't like any other job and there is a Union. Police officers have unions but they are still held to a higher standard. Why can't NFL players? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Jones Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 A paid leave of absence at this point might be good for all parties. Vick gets paid. The league avoids a public relations nightmare. Vick is not really being punished before being found guilty. Vick can actually concentrate on his trial. If Vick is found guilty he can claim he has already served some time and pay some large fine to get back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins4me58203 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 There is a difference in being accused of a crime when your the one who is expected to uphold the law. Vick is not a public servant. He is a private citizen, he hasn't been proven guilty yet, and punishing him before a verdict would be inappropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tastes Like Chicken Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 There is a difference in being accused of a crime when your the one who is expected to uphold the law. Vick is not a public servant. He is a private citizen, he hasn't been proved guilty yet, and punishing him before a verdict would be inappropriate. The NFL is a private company, not a government entity. They have, can, and will punish before any court of law takes action. This is about money. Once organizations like PETA and the Humane Society put on enough pressure, sponsors start jumping ship and the money goes right out the window. The idea to take time off to concentrate on his case is not necessarily about putting Vick's best interests first. It's like my wife telling me to focus energies on my hand. :jerk: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 This does seem like the best way to remove some of the attention he is going to recieve. Although slightly dignified, if Ooke takes this step, I can see Nike delay the premeire of his sneaker thats coming out next month and then the ball would be rolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tastes Like Chicken Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I think they already put the new shoe on hold. I wonder if you can order a #7 Falcons jersey with "OOKIE" on the back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeydont Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Vick is eager to get this behind him allowing him time to set up his new Backyard Worm fighting dynasty. The monopoly board of life says you go JAIL Vick. And be the sponsor on the Dog Whisperer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21 always Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 HMMM If he sits its all good they have a really good backup in Matt Schaub .. hold on a sec hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Oh yeah thats right he's in houston hahahahahahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAFGA Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 There is a difference in being accused of a crime when your the one who is expected to uphold the law. Vick is not a public servant. He is a private citizen, he hasn't been proven guilty yet, and punishing him before a verdict would be inappropriate. So everyone who was suspended from their job for doing something unlawful outside of work is in the wrong? As for everyone making up charges to get someone off the field as another poster mentioned, I see your point. However, suspensions can still be handed down IF you look at the case individually. All parties involved would be better served if Vick just went away for a while. There's no denying that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I think the NFL is more worried about what could happen at televised games IF Vick is playing. We all know how crazy PeTA can get. I'm sure they've already planned staged events at all Falcons games as I type this. And think of the opposing fans yelling obscenities non stop during the game that gets picked up by the mics. Not that that is unusual. There's dozens of things that could happen, we can use our imagination. So with all that said... it's in the NFL's best interest to have Vick take a leave of absense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Jones Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 It's like my wife telling me to focus energies on my hand. :jerk: I really didn't need that comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisco750 Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 Anyone else disgusted at how political the NFL has become? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerbo Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 Anyone else disgusted at how political the NFL has become? I have, with the NFL now going to be running symposiums on the prevention of abuse to animals... , Please do a symposium on starving kids in Africa or Mexico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Day Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 I have, with the NFL now going to be running symposiums on the prevention of abuse to animals... , Please do a symposium on starving kids in Africa or Mexico. Or how about the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewCliche21 Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 Ugh. Why couldn't we play the Falcons THIS year? It'd be the very first time I'd LOVE to hear "Who let the dogs out?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Day Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 It has been my stance since the indictment was handed down that it would be best for the Falcons to suspend him. 1. There training camps are going to be circuses with players answering nonstop questions about MV. 2. For the fans, they won't be able to have access to their team because the players will be trying to avoid the MV crap and hence avoid the fans, possible pissing some future fans off. 3. The falcons need to plan ahead as if MV won't be there anyways. Use the roster spot to acquire another qb or at least give all the snaps to Harrington. 4. Environment for the fans (imagine an away game in a Falcons jersey from drunk enemy fans) and the players at all games and team events. They need to distance themselves from MV and these problems as much as possible. By allowing him to stay they are in a sense condoning his actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanoker Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 A time out for Ron Mexico would be a good solution for the NFL, Falcons and himself. Since this is a federal indictment and no one is running for office, the charges appear to have been investigated moreso than the lacross situation. I guess the Falcons are thinking about the impact of the Schaub deal... It will probably come down to the credibility of the witnesses. Unfortunately, it seems that this whole matter has cast a dark cloud over the entire league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbodiesel#44 Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 A paid leave of absence at this point might be good for all parties.Vick gets paid. The league avoids a public relations nightmare. Vick is not really being punished before being found guilty. Vick can actually concentrate on his trial. If Vick is found guilty he can claim he has already served some time and pay some large fine to get back in. If he is guilty, I don't want to see him back in the NFL. I doubt any team would want to deal with such negative public opinion anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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