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Just asking.
Because in all those cases, depending on aggravating circumstances and a number of other factors, the fine and jail time Vick would face after pleading guilty - in his case, to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge - could be roughly the same. In terms of what else Vick stands to lose, it isn’t even close.
The Falcons will try to recover $22 million of Vick’s signing bonus, and as much as $71 million total, from the 10-year, $130 million contract he signed in 2004. A marketing firm recently estimated Vick will sacrifice as much as $50 million in endorsements over the next decade, which doesn’t seem inflated considering how quickly Nike terminated his shoe deal, Reebok quit selling his No. 7 jersey and Upper Deck and Donruss pulled his likeness from trading-card sets. And even after serving his time, he may be barred from playing in the NFL again.
Vick formally entered his plea Monday before U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson, but commissioner Roger Goodell had already suspended him indefinitely without pay. In a statement released Friday, Goodell made clear that Vick’s involvement in illegal gambling could trigger a lifetime ban under the league’s personal conduct policy.
“I’m totally responsible, and those things just didn’t have to happen,” Vick said after his court appearance. “I feel like we all make mistakes. It’s just, I made a mistake in using bad judgment and making bad decisions. And you know, those things, you know, just can’t happen.”
“Dogfighting is a terrible thing,” he added, “and I did reject it.”
At this point, it’s worth noting that players who have committed crimes every bit as heinous have long since returned to the NFL. Jamal Lewis pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges in 2004 for trying to set up a drug deal. He spent the 2005 offseason serving time, was suspended by Goodell’s predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, for Baltimore’s first two games the following season and begins this one on the Cleveland Browns’ roster.
Ray Lewis, Jamal’s former teammate but no relation, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in a murder investigation. St. Louis’ Leonard Little is still rushing passers despite pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter after killing a woman while driving drunk in 1998, then getting stopped for drunken driving again just three years ago. And despite a number of arrests and even convictions, not even one NFL player charged with domestic violence has been suspended.
Last week, I wrote that Goodell should give Vick another chance to play, provided he accepts full responsibility for his actions and serves his time. That sentiment hasn’t changed. It’s hard to imagine Goodell being confronted with a decision until the 2009 season, at the earliest, which should give Vick time enough to demonstrate he’s worthy of another opportunity. The way things stand, he might need every day.