My real concern in this case is the likelihood that organized crime and drug gangs were involved in this underworld bloodsport, compromising the integrity of the players who participated.
This is a point that is being ignored thus far.
The NBA has a problem with a referee that had a gambling problem that put him in the lap of the mafia. How close is Vick's actions, if found guilty, riding toward possible corruption in the NFL?
Can I venture to say that nothing good comes from fighting dogs?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I applaud Al Sharpton for speaking up against the matter rather than take the side I would have expected him to. Thank you for doing what appears to be the right thing!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
So are we making a big deal of this? I found myself asking whether I'm letting the media make a situation bigger than it should. Obviously the consensus of the nation and the media is that this is a huge deal. Then you have Portis, Emmitt and Iverson diverting the real issue to there being a witch hunt for celebrities and what not.
I have to say now that it is a big deal and might be a bigger deal than we can realize. If it wasn't a celebrity like Vick, I think the nation and the media would care for a brief period of time and it would end up in the back of our minds months later. Because it is Vick, he has become the lightning rod for animal cruelty and the "thug" nature in sports maybe to some degree. It is also a big deal because sports celebrities involvement in this behavior is rare; especially when you consider the penalties.
Maybe the Pacman and Tank Johnson issues make this bigger. Maybe those guys make this less astonishing. And then, there is the chance that this is the final straw for the fans.
For what it is worth, I truly think that people aren't going to carry the issue of dog fighting any further than the media brings it to us. Out of sight and out of mind. The fact of the matter is, it will come to us longer because it is a celebrity and Vick will take more criticism because he will be made the source of all that is wrong with the NFL.
And I won't feel bad if he is made an example if it sends a message to every player, high school star, college prospect, etc that no one is above the league. It is a privilege, not a right!