Spring Break
From penthouse to doghouse: Vick awaiting jail sentence
By: James Mason
Issue date: 8/24/07 Section: Sports
Originally published: 8/24/07 at 2:27 AM EST
Last update: 8/24/07 at 2:27 AM EST
Originally published: 8/24/07 at 2:27 AM EST
Last update: 8/24/07 at 2:27 AM EST
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This past Monday it was announced that Michael Vick had agreed to plead guilty to federal charges related to dogfighting.
From the first pick in the 2001 draft to convicted felon, Vick's fall from grace is seemingly complete. Following a year in which he set an NFL record for rushing yards by a QB and a career high in touchdown passes, Vick is headed for the pen instead of the playoffs. The first question to ask is, "How did this happen?"
The dogfighting case exposed the most obvious reason; the people around him are horrible. In the era of "Stop Snitchin" and "You can't forget where you came from," his boys didn't think twice about copping a plea.
Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, is the main reason he got himself in this situation in the first place. When Boddie was arrested in April on drug charges, he gave police the address of the dogfighting enterprise as his place of residence. Not only was the house owned by Vick, but Boddie had to know about the dogfighting. Making police aware of that house was the worst thing that he could have done for himself, Mike Vick, and everyone else involved.
That's not to absolve Vick from responsibility. Being involved in a dogfighting ring was one of the dumbest things he could have been involved with. Yet that move was only one in a series of poor judgments made by Vick. In 2005, Vick was sued by a woman claiming he knowingly gave her herpes, introducing us to his alter ego "Ron Mexico." Last season, he gave Atlanta Falcons fans the "Dirty Bird" after they booed him following a disappointing loss. Earlier this year, he was stopped at Miami International Airport for trying to discard a water bottle that appeared to have a compartment to hide marijuana in. A few days later, he missed an appearance on Capitol Hill where he was supposed to lobby for more federal money for after school programs. Now, he's headed to jail.
Looking at those issues, it is not all that surprising that he ended up down this road. What's surprising is that it was dogfighting that took him down. When you look at his comment at this year's NFL Draft, Vick seemed to know it was time to turn things around. He just couldn't overcome the dogfighting rap as easy as he did everything else. What's also surprising is that he was able to shake the scrutiny of his personal life for so long. With all of the foolishness that was going on until April, his primary problem seemed to be his lack of consistency on the football field.
From the first pick in the 2001 draft to convicted felon, Vick's fall from grace is seemingly complete. Following a year in which he set an NFL record for rushing yards by a QB and a career high in touchdown passes, Vick is headed for the pen instead of the playoffs. The first question to ask is, "How did this happen?"
The dogfighting case exposed the most obvious reason; the people around him are horrible. In the era of "Stop Snitchin" and "You can't forget where you came from," his boys didn't think twice about copping a plea.
Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, is the main reason he got himself in this situation in the first place. When Boddie was arrested in April on drug charges, he gave police the address of the dogfighting enterprise as his place of residence. Not only was the house owned by Vick, but Boddie had to know about the dogfighting. Making police aware of that house was the worst thing that he could have done for himself, Mike Vick, and everyone else involved.
That's not to absolve Vick from responsibility. Being involved in a dogfighting ring was one of the dumbest things he could have been involved with. Yet that move was only one in a series of poor judgments made by Vick. In 2005, Vick was sued by a woman claiming he knowingly gave her herpes, introducing us to his alter ego "Ron Mexico." Last season, he gave Atlanta Falcons fans the "Dirty Bird" after they booed him following a disappointing loss. Earlier this year, he was stopped at Miami International Airport for trying to discard a water bottle that appeared to have a compartment to hide marijuana in. A few days later, he missed an appearance on Capitol Hill where he was supposed to lobby for more federal money for after school programs. Now, he's headed to jail.
Looking at those issues, it is not all that surprising that he ended up down this road. What's surprising is that it was dogfighting that took him down. When you look at his comment at this year's NFL Draft, Vick seemed to know it was time to turn things around. He just couldn't overcome the dogfighting rap as easy as he did everything else. What's also surprising is that he was able to shake the scrutiny of his personal life for so long. With all of the foolishness that was going on until April, his primary problem seemed to be his lack of consistency on the football field.
