Deberg_1990
08-29-2007, 07:40 PM
Pretty good story for Gretz. He puts the Vick tragedy in perspective by comparing it to Leonard Little. A true crime how the NFL gave Little a pass. If that happened today i doubt Goodell would be so forgiving...
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2007/08/28/gretz_second_chance_for_vick/
Sometime in 2009, Michael Vick will have served his jail time and will be contemplating returning to pro football.
He should be given that opportunity.
I can’t imagine any scenario where the NFL would keep him out. The league doesn’t have a moral leg to stand on should it decide to slap a lifetime ban on Vick for pleading guilty to charges involving dog fighting.
Maybe they could do it legally; Commissioner Roger Goodell may have that power. But as long as Vick serves his time and does not get into further trouble, he should be allowed a second chance.
How can a league that has allowed St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little to play for the last eight years ban anybody from returning to the playing field?
In October of 1998, Little drove his SUV through a stoplight in downtown St. Louis, smashed into another car and killed Susan Gutweiler. She was 47 years old. She was a wife and mother, leaving behind her husband Bill and son Mike.
Little was drunk, with test results twice the legal limit.
If you want to know how unfair the justice system can be, then consider the fact that Little spent just 90 days in a special work program after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Ninety days for taking the life of another person. Not only that, but now the whole thing has been expunged from his record. According to the justice system in St. Louis, Little never did anything wrong.
And Vick is going to get 12 to 18 months for running a dog-fighting ring and taking part in the killing of some of those animals?
That’s a justice system out of whack.
Don’t take this as a defense of Vick. He deserves every single day he’s handed behind bars. Vick was part of a business that was illegal and he knew so. He put himself above the law. He thought he was untouchable because of his standing in the world of sports. These were not crimes of ignorance, but crimes of arrogance.
Vick has now learned that he’s not above the law. He will soon pay the price for his crimes. Once he does, he should have the chance to return to the NFL. If Little got a second chance, then so should Vick.
The league, under then Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, suspended Little for eight games. He’s played every year since, signing two new contracts and making multi-millions of dollars. Whether or not he learned anything from his tragedy remains unknown. Just a few years ago he was pulled over for speeding in St. Louis and he failed a field sobriety test. Only a screw-up by the police in how they handled the situation kept him from facing another DUI charge and real legal consequences.
Vick has a long two years to prove he’s learned something from this sad affair. But if he satisfies the courts by serving his time without further problems, that should be enough to satisfy the NFL. That doesn’t mean any team has to step up and sign him. Obviously, some clubs would be interested, but they would face plenty of public outcry and complaints.
Everyone deserves a second chance. If Leonard Little got one, then Michael Vick should have one as well.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2007/08/28/gretz_second_chance_for_vick/
Sometime in 2009, Michael Vick will have served his jail time and will be contemplating returning to pro football.
He should be given that opportunity.
I can’t imagine any scenario where the NFL would keep him out. The league doesn’t have a moral leg to stand on should it decide to slap a lifetime ban on Vick for pleading guilty to charges involving dog fighting.
Maybe they could do it legally; Commissioner Roger Goodell may have that power. But as long as Vick serves his time and does not get into further trouble, he should be allowed a second chance.
How can a league that has allowed St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little to play for the last eight years ban anybody from returning to the playing field?
In October of 1998, Little drove his SUV through a stoplight in downtown St. Louis, smashed into another car and killed Susan Gutweiler. She was 47 years old. She was a wife and mother, leaving behind her husband Bill and son Mike.
Little was drunk, with test results twice the legal limit.
If you want to know how unfair the justice system can be, then consider the fact that Little spent just 90 days in a special work program after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Ninety days for taking the life of another person. Not only that, but now the whole thing has been expunged from his record. According to the justice system in St. Louis, Little never did anything wrong.
And Vick is going to get 12 to 18 months for running a dog-fighting ring and taking part in the killing of some of those animals?
That’s a justice system out of whack.
Don’t take this as a defense of Vick. He deserves every single day he’s handed behind bars. Vick was part of a business that was illegal and he knew so. He put himself above the law. He thought he was untouchable because of his standing in the world of sports. These were not crimes of ignorance, but crimes of arrogance.
Vick has now learned that he’s not above the law. He will soon pay the price for his crimes. Once he does, he should have the chance to return to the NFL. If Little got a second chance, then so should Vick.
The league, under then Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, suspended Little for eight games. He’s played every year since, signing two new contracts and making multi-millions of dollars. Whether or not he learned anything from his tragedy remains unknown. Just a few years ago he was pulled over for speeding in St. Louis and he failed a field sobriety test. Only a screw-up by the police in how they handled the situation kept him from facing another DUI charge and real legal consequences.
Vick has a long two years to prove he’s learned something from this sad affair. But if he satisfies the courts by serving his time without further problems, that should be enough to satisfy the NFL. That doesn’t mean any team has to step up and sign him. Obviously, some clubs would be interested, but they would face plenty of public outcry and complaints.
Everyone deserves a second chance. If Leonard Little got one, then Michael Vick should have one as well.