What bothers me about the Vick situation:

[rateyes]

other than the fact that what he is accused of doing is disgusting, and he should go to prison for a long, long time....

Does anyone believe that NOBODY ELSE on the Atlanta Falcons, or in the NFL knew about this? They are saying that Vick wagered tens of thousands of dollars at a time on these fights...if so, who was he placing bets with who also had that kind of money to put up on these dogfights?

As for me, if Vick takes the field, I am boycotting Coca-cola, Home Depot, and any other sponsor of the Atlanta Falcons. But, I hope that someone digs deeper than Michael Vick, and roots out EVERYBODY who ever placed a bet or attended any of those fights. GET.THEM.ALL.

[Virginia Dare]

1. There will be a lot of pressure..

this trial is going to be ugly once the facts start coming out, and people will be sickened and disgusted, whether Vick is proven to be directly involved or not, it was all happening on his property. I'll be interested to see how the Falcons and the NFL, as well as the sponsors deal with this, it's going to be a p.r. nightmare.

[The Stranger]

2. If he was using his millions and his properties to conduct the illegal enterprise, then the feds

should seize all of it, auction it, and donate the proceeds to anti-dogfighting efforts nationwide.

[Virginia Dare]

3. Agreed, and Vick needs to be proactive on this..

if he has any thoughts of saving his career and or his reputation. I realize he can't talk much until the trial is over, but he needs to come out now and say that he will donate all of his endorsement money to animal rescue organizations and disavow and repudiate what happened on his property. I'm not saying this will absolve him, but it's a step in the right direction. Personally, I hope he goes to jail for a while and career is trashed if he's guilty.

[Poiuyt]

6. Endorsement money?

I think it's safe to say that his sponsors will start dropping him real fast. He's going to be a PR nightmare for them and anyone he's associated with. I don't see how he bounces back from this.

[Virginia Dare]

7. One of the talking head "experts" on the tube last night..

said none of his endorsements have been canceled and probably what will happen is that they will simply stop running the ads until his contract is up.

[Poiuyt]

10. Nike is already being pressured to drop him

Here's a good article about his marketability:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2941489

"The cumulative hits to his reputation have simply become too much to overlook," said Scott Becher, president of Sports and Sponsorships, a Florida-based sports marketing firm. "He's simply damaged goods. This is not the time for any company to beat its chest about associating with the values of Michael Vick."

Despite published reports that Vick had endorsement contracts with Coca-Cola, Hasbro, Kraft and several other companies, those contracts were for a limited time and have already expired.

But Nike, to this point, has stood by Vick. In fact, Vick's signature shoe, the Nike Zoom Vick V, is scheduled to be released in stores on Aug. 23 for a suggested retail price of $100. Though Nike spokesman Brian Facchini declined to comment on the Vick charges -- he chose to read a statement that said, "We are aware of the indictment and are reviewing the information and have no further information at this time" -- he did confirm that the Vick shoe is still scheduled to be released.

On Wednesday morning, the sports shoe and apparel company, along with Falcons CEO Arthur Blank and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, received a joint letter from hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton and PETA president Ingrid E. Newkirk, condemning Vick's alleged involvement in the dogfighting ring and asking all parties involved to distance themselves from Vick.

[bicentennial_baby]

5. The indictment says that will happen

if he's convicted, they're seizing everything. But, I don't believe that they can touch his NFL money.

[flvegan]

12. Allegedly, Vick has been involved in the "sport" of dogfighting for some time

High level informants deep in the trade have placed him at fights throwing around lots of money. He's been directly involved for a long time, and I don't think they'll have trouble proving it in this particular set of charges.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. "Mr. Vick? Arena Football League is on line one for you."

"No one's on line two."

[Norquist Nemesis]

8. They knew, and there are apparently several involved in "the sport"

There was a piece in Sports Illustrated about it a few months ago when the news first came out about his relative gettin arrested. A good, informative piece to read if you get a chance.

What was kind of strange about it though, was it was almost like it was primarily (IIRC their term) ... 'part of the culture', and the 'culture' from the way it was written was that it's a Black thing. Dunno about that, but it's a sick "sport" regardless of race, creed, color, gender, sexual preference, etc. etc. etc. sick sick sick!

[DemGa]

9. No, I don't believe it

but from some of the comments I've read from other NFL players, they seem too stupid, rich, and insulated to even know it's a crime.

One such dumbazz: Clinton Portis. "It's his property," Portis told WAVY TV 10 in Virginia. "It's his dog. If that's what he wants to do, do it."

[Neshanic]

11. You are very correct. He's on a NFL team, and the things said in

the locker room are not as couched and nuanced as people may believe. At worst some of the coaches,and maybe the head coach were aware and some a fair amount of the players on the team knew. Reading the indictment, it is hard to believe, and strains believeability that in the locker room banter this never came up, with the timeline of offenses.

An NFL team is a very private inner world that is not that public, not even to the sportwriters, and if they do know SOME items, these same sportwriters hide, and deflect until there is no possible wayto defend a situation. Bonds, steroid use, McGuire, Canseco, various other sundry criminal offenses are all defended first. Then when the the situation is overwhelming they cave.

In this case, the indictments are so heinous, sports writers and Rome on his talk show are angry, and they have had it. The callers agree also. Rome is a very reasoned and very liberal level headed guy that does not get the exposure he deserves.

There are people who knew about this for quite a long time, and they are miserable excuses for human beings.

[rateyes]

13. The Humane Society, the no-kill shelters, PETA, and every

other animal rights group needs to picket every Falcons game that Vick is on the roster for, in whatever city he plays.

[Johonny]

14. So every person

ever indicted for a crime is guilty and should immediately be punished by his employer. Is it to much to ask that society wait for a verdict? When convicted there is an apparatus in place for the NFL suspending him.
Do process apparently is only for those people we "like".

[Neshanic]

15. You obviously have not read the NFL rules. They can suspend him, even without conviction.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

16. there is a process for suspending him NOW

per the NFL rules and the morals clauses found in most contracts. Also, the feds have about a 95% conviction rate. I will gladly take those odds to place MY bets (of course, that would be illegal in GA).

sP

[Neshanic]

18. Rhandi on one of her shows nailed it on professional atheletes claiming not to be "role models".

She said "You guys are ADULTS! That makes you a role model!"

Best response to the dual world an athlete thinks they inhabit. Acting as they wish,with no blame, but getting all the perks.

[rateyes]

20. I've lived the better part of my life in the area of Virginia where

he is from. I know his uncle, a Catholic Priest called "Father John Boddie." I know his reputation. I also know that there were several BUILDINGS built on that property for this enterprise, built in a way as to HIDE them, and that absent his own money those buildings wouldn't be there. He had a website dedicated to the breeding and selling of pit bulls from a company run from that address. And, if you really believe that he is innocent, then I have some ocean-front property in Kansas I'd like to sell you.

In the eyes of the LAW, he's innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted with a unanimous verdict of his peers. In MY EYES, he's guilty as sin. And, this is NOTHING like the Duke LaCrosse case.

[bluestateguy]

17. We have to wait and see if he is guilty

And he has not been found guilty yet, and he may not be at all.

Let's not turn this into another Duke Lacrosse case.

[Neshanic]

19. Ah.. the Duke defense.