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NOTE: I originally titled this post "Of Shootings and Other Things," where I was going to talk about the recent mall/church shootings, but I went off on this Michael Vick riff and it ended up being longer than I thought. Sorry to those who clicked on this title and it was misleading. I will post my thoughts on the shootings soon.
Shawne Merriman, Linebacker, San Diego Chargers: tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2006.
Punishment: Suspended for four games of the 2006 season. Also won The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and was selected to the Pro Bowl to represent the AFC.
Ricky Williams, Running Back, Miami Dolphins: violated the NFL's substance abuse policies FOUR times.
Punishment: suspended for four games after the second violation, suspended for the 2006 season after the fourth violation, played in the Canadian Football League during his suspension, NFL eligibility reinstated Oct. 2007.
Terry "Tank" Johnson, Defensive Tackle, Dallas Cowboys: In February '06, arrested and charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest while on probation. In Dec. '06, charged with violation of probation and possession of unlicensed firearms.
Punishment: Received two sentences; 120 days on one charge, 45 days on a separate charge. Allowed to serve the sentences concurrently, spent 120 days in jail. Released by the Chicago Bears. Suspended by the NFL for 8 games. Signed by the Dallas Cowboys. Reinstated Nov. 11, 2007 and currently playing football.
Chris Henry, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals: Arrested Dec. '05 for possession of marijuana, driving without a license, and driving without auto insurance after being pulled over for speeding. Arrested Jan. '06 for concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm. Violated NFL policies regarding personal conduct and substance abuse policies in Oct. '06. Jan. '07, pleaded guilty to charges of providing alcohol to minors stemming from an incident in the spring of '06.
Punishment: Suspended by the NFL for 2 games because of the Oct. '06 violations. Sentenced to 90 days in jail because of the Jan. '07 guilty plea. Only served 2 days, the remaining 88 days suspended. Suspended by the NFL for 8 games in '07 for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Reinstated by the NFL on Nov. 5, 2007. Allegedly assaulted a parking attendant on Nov. 6, 2007 (currently under investigation.
Michael Vick, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons: Principle financier of a dog-fighting operation based in Newport News, VA. Plead guilty to "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture." Prior to this, Vick had a clean criminal record.
Punishment: Sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. By law, will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. Still faces state charges and, if found guilty, could have his sentence tacked on to the time he serves in federal prison. Suspended by the NFL indefinitely. Because of his sentence, will miss at least two NFL seasons, and possibly a third.
Can someone please explain the reason behind this disproportionate treatment of Michael Vick by our justice system and the NFL? Just what kind of message are they trying to put out there? That it is worse to mistreat dogs than people? This is really fucked up.
And, of course, I would like to point out that we're talking about Pit Bulls, here. If Michael Vick and his buddies hadn't "mistreated" these dogs, they'd probably all be out there biting the faces off small children.
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