Vick To Face Suspension Soon?

by Dave the Falconer on Jul 18, 2007 10:20 AM EDT in News Comment 5 comments

That's the word from Yahoo! Sports columnist Jason Cole, who has a couple of those nefarious anonymous sources to back up his claims. In all honesty, I would be surprised if we don't see a suspension on its way in the next few days. As some writers have correctly noted, this isn't Vick's first brush with trouble this offseason. If the dogfighting allegations were not preceded by him flipping off the fans, the water bottle incident, or the extremely overblown no-show in Washington, this might not be happening. Given Goodell's determination to suspend anyone who has gotten into trouble this offseason, you have to believe Vick might be watching Falcons games from home for a while.

"There's a lot riding on this one," a league source said. "Perception is really important right now for the entire league and (Goodell) has set the bar pretty high. I think the one thing going for (Goodell) if he's going to suspend Vick is that he gave Vick a chance to tell the truth."

Vick met with Goodell in New York, shortly after the raid on Vick's property, before the NFL draft in April. Vick told Goodell and said publicly that he never went to the house and that he was unaware of what his family and friends were doing there.

This is apparently the crux of any upcoming suspension; remember, Vick's been denying he ever knew this was going on for a long time now. The indictment isn't even close to a sure sign of his guilt, but because he's going to be summoned to court soon it seems likely there was enough evidence to suspect he knew something about it. If Goodell feels he was lied to--and there's every indication from these ghostly league sources that he does--he's going to be feeling a lot of pressure to crack the whip. Add that to the fact that Pacman and others have been suspended without being convicted and you have a situation that I'm afraid won't be resolved in a happy fashion.

Just to add to the horrible sense of dread, Cole finishes his article on an ominous note:

If Vick is suspended for any length of time, the Falcons are likely to turn to backup quarterback Joey Harrington as the starter.

Help me.

Update [2007-7-18 10:31:57 by Dave the Falconer]:: There's some quality analysis over at new Falcons blog Falcon Reporter that I'd suggest you check out. Writer T. Love thinks it would be in the best interest of everyone involved if Vick was simply suspended for the year. I think it's much more likely that he'll get 4-8 games, but it's probably too early to tell.

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Comments

Joey

If it comes down to Joey starting, I'd be willing to wager that he lasts somewhere between 5 to 7 games before Petrino et al throw Shockley into the fire. There is absolutely no way Joey will be able to lead this team on the field.

by Hamburger on Jul 18, 2007 10:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Makes you wish

they still had Kittner.

by Sunil on Jul 19, 2007 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks a lot, Sunil

I think I just had a seizure at the mention of that name.

by Dave the Falconer on Jul 19, 2007 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's Sad

I won't go to the trouble of repeating my entire diatribe on Vick. Anyone can read it on my blog. In summary I have no sympathy for Vick and would expect Goodell will come down hard. He should be done playing in the NFL until he is cleared of all charges.

I do feel sympathy for the Falcons franchise though. After letting Brett Favre get away and now Matt Schaub they just can't seem to get a break with QB's. Having Joey Harrington at the top of the depth chart is a sad position to be in going into the season. Chris Weinke anybody? Sorry, that was a low blow.

Carolina Panther Fan www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Jul 18, 2007 1:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs