The Washington Redskins are a disaster on and off the field. The team’s condition has brought Hall of Famers John Riggins and Joe Theisman to exchange words. Since they’re in ‘Wait ’til next year’ mode the Skins have nothing left to do but quit on their coach and start sideline brawls.

The quitting on the coach is already in progress from management and player standpoints. The sideline fighting went into effect after LaRon Landry late hit Falcons QB Matt Ryan out-of-bounds. Pushing and shoving followed with Ryan calmly pulling Landry away from the situation.. He should have grabbed DeAngelo Hall. The former Falcon got into with Atlanta head coach Mike Smith and then Albert Haynesworth mixed in for some reason.

DeAngelo Hall, Albert Haynesworth, and possibly Mike Smith for what looks like a punch thrown can expect to get fines from the Commish. Tommie Harris threw a clear punch at Deuce Liutu but DeAngelo Hall is the bigger asshole.

We already knew that DeAngelo Hall and Bobby Petrino wouldn’t be exchanging gifts for Christmas. The two men disliked each other equally, and Hall more than Petrino, had no problem letting it be known.

Forget the bitterness between the two men, DeAngelo Hall is right for ripping Bobby Petrino. Not only did he bail before the end of the season, it’s his first season. How about seeing it through to the end?..Of the year.. Jeezus Petrino. You’re gonna make David Stern institute a policy that requires coaches to spend an entire year in the NFL before they bolt for college.. And look, yes the Atlanta Falcons lost Michael Vick and the qb position is in shambles, but being a part of a team means sticking together through thick and thin. I know adjusting to the pro game was hard for Baby Petrino, but so what?!? If Cam Cameron hasn’t quit on the 0-13 Dolphins, Petrino could’ve at least gone to the end of the season with the Falcons.

Tags: DeAngelo Hall, Bobby Petrino, Atlanta Falcons, NFL, ESPN, Youtube, Utube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8tZz5fWMxc[/youtube]

I’m not sure what awards these are, but Michael Vick was Player of the Year, and he got a pimp cup. I was thinking that getting locked up would hurt his chances of repeating, but since it’s Hip Hop he’ll probably get a lifetime achievement award next year. Since he won’t be playing in the Super Bowl, Michael can always watch the big game with Pacman.

Tags: Michael Vick, Atlanta Falcons, NFL, Football, You Tube, Sports

Since bursting onto the NFL scene in 2001, Michael Vick has divided people with his talent and potential. There were folks that thought he would revolutionize the quarterback position as a strong armed, scrambling threat. There were others that thought he was nothing more than a running back lined up under center. Vick’s play didn’t help to settle the argument. He could stink it up for a few games and be amazing in others. He was never as good as the Vick lovers made him out to be, and never as bad as the haters claimed. Michael’s every move was seen as potential ammunition in the pro/anti Vick debate, and he was dealing arms to both sides. Unfortunately for MV, his enemies have the bomb, in the form of his plea agreement.

I’ve written about the Vick case from time to time, but I was trying to wait to see how things would truly develop. The plea deal means that the story is over for the time being, and that Michael Vick will be going to jail… Possibly for 3 years?!?! The things that he’s been accused of and will admit to are disgusting and ignorant. I’m not here to defend Michael Vick and his actions, but 3 years in jail or a lifetime ban from the NFL would be cruel and unusual. Six to twelve months in jail and a one year ban from the league seem fair to me when you keep things in perspective.

After reading the indictments and gathering all of the information I could over the past few months, here is what I have learned from Michael Vick’s predicament…

Hypocrisy Is Rampant: I don’t even know where to start. Some of the people that are advocating for animal rights want to kill Michael Vick. Johnathan Babineaux is still on the FALCONS roster and Qyntel Woods didn’t go to jail. The NFL might be more concerned with the gambling charges against Vick than the dogfighting charges. People hunt for sport and it goes on and on. The hypocrisy has been what’s bothered me the most. Especially in the case of Vick versus Babineaux. Killing dogs in the manner that the Bad Newz Kennel crew did is disgusting. What Johnathan Babineaux did is sinister… Using a hammer to kill a girlfriend’s dog because you’re mad at her might be a sign that you have problems. I could see that situation leading to domestic violence or worse… Which to me, would be a bigger crime than dogfighting, but a segment of our society believes…

Animals>People: If I’m ever in a LOST type of situation, I’m gonna pray that there’s no PETA members in the group. There’s no way I’m arguing about why we should eat fish instead of the pilot. Who isn’t wary of a person that would save an animal over a human in a life or death situation? And truthfully, most of this is about dogs rather than all animals. It’s easy to see why dogs want to be human’s bff. People got their dawgs’ back. Another form of animal pugilism, cockfighting, doesn’t get attention like this. Roy Jones Jr. only has to look out for Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson not the Feds.

Michael Vick Is A Terrible Businessman: John Elway got into the car dealing business, Mo Vaughn’s helping low income families with housing issues, and Michael Vick goes into dogfighting. He could have done a million things with his millions, but he’s investing in a cotdamn dogfighting ring. What’s the ROI on a dogfighting enterprise? He could have started a record label like Willie McGinnest or rapped like Troy Hudson… Sure nobody’s heard Hudson’s album but he ain’t going to jail… Unless selling under 100 copies in your first week goes on the books.

Davon Boddie, Quanis Phillips, Purnell Peace, And Tony Taylor Are Snitches: Let’s keep it real for a minute. If criminal activity is your chosen profession, you still have a code of ethics. Rule Numero Uno: Never Snitch. Never… And you don’t cook the golden goose. That’s a violation and bad business. Extensive evidence aside, if these snitches had shut up and done their time, Mike would have gone on with his football life… And when the Four Tops got home, he woulda looked out for them. Greg Anderson went to jail for Barry Bonds, Kato Kailin kept his mouth shut for the Juice, and Lil Kim perjured herself for the homies. I guess she’s a real bitch… Sorta like the Falseto Four.

Race Always Plays A Role: Minorities (Blacks) get accused of playing the race card, but a racist never admits to being racist. Ever. Just one time I would like to see somebody come out and say, “I don’t care either way. I just hate Blacks”. Race plays a factor in the Vick scandal, at the minimum because of some blacks feeling that Michael Vick was taking so much punishment in the media and the court of public opinion that they felt compelled to take Vick’s side… And I’m confident that some of the people protesting Michael Vick were more upset by his race than his actions. I heard one clown ass local sports radio host say that Michael Vick needs to get rid of his Black friends. And when he was called on it, he said that it wasn’t a racist statement. He’s full of shit just like my homeboy that’s a Falcon fan. The brotha told me he would be supporting Joey Harrington or Matt Schaub the same way. Yeah right.

Michael Vick Will Get A Book Deal: Pete Rose, Martha Stewart, and Heidi Fleiss all did books after being in jail. This is a market that Vick has to tap in to. Especially since he might be forced to quit his day job. He’s gonna have plenty of time on his hands so he should be able to crank out “The 48 Laws Of Dogfighting”, “The 7 Habits Of People That Blow 100 Million Dollar Contracts”, or “Federal Prison: How Herpes Saved My Ass”, in no time.

Put Vick, other sports ‘crimes’ in perspective. Courtesy of The Gainesville Times

Active Animal Cruelty Charge, Active On The Roster. Courtesy of Leave The Man Alone

NBAer Avoided Jail Time After Dogfighting Charges. Courtesy of Sports By Brooks

When the law and sports intersect I turn to Rob Becker, legal analyst for FoxSports.com. You can check out his views on Tim Donaghy’s plea deal here or Michael Vick’s arraignment here. Rob stays busy but he set aside some time to answer a few questions about the Michael Vick case for YBB.

HG: Since it looks like Michael Vick is going to accept a plea, can you tell us what that means for him and his defense team?

RB: Well from Michael Vick’s standpoint, he’s looking at the possibility that next week the prosecution would bring additional charges against him that would expose him to additional time in prison, and if he can plead guilty this week to what he’s already been charged with he can ensure that those additional charges won’t come down. Plus, he knows that he’s probably going to be convicted anyway because there are at least 7 witnesses against him now plus a ton of documents. So from that perspective, he should plead guilty and he can also probably get about 4 months taken off his sentence. By taking a plea and accepting responsibility for his actions Vick will probably be sentenced to 6-12 mos under the federal sentencing guidelines. However, if the government can portray him to the judge as a leader of the dog fighting enterprise, then under the sentencing guidelines he could get 12-18 mos. It may well be that what the prosecutors and Vick’s lawyers are negotiating over is whether Vick should be considered to be a leader of the dog fighting enterprise.

HG: And how do things look from the government’s side?

RB: From the prosecution’s perspective, if they can get him to plead guilty to everything he’s been charged with so far that’s a pretty good result it seems to me. You don’t have to win the game 100 to nothing. And at least they would be spared a trial against a high-powered defense team so I think there’s something in it for both of them.

HG: How much prison time is Vick avoiding by pleading out and when would you expect to see him on the field again?

RB: There’s a couple of things. First of all, I think if he pleads guilty he will almost certainly miss not just the ’07 season but also the ’08 season because he won’t start his prison term immediately. His best hope is to come back in ’09. If he took it to trial, by then he would have those additional charges and maybe he would end up with something like 3 years in prison, maybe he wouldn’t come back until the 2011 season. Those years matter. If he comes back in ’09 he’ll be 29 years old, so taking the plea makes sense for him as long as he’s not hoping he’ll come back too quickly.

HG: There’s been a major backlash against Michael Vick causing him to lose some endorsement deals. We’ve seen other athletes bounce back after serious legal problems, so what are the chances of any company doing business with Michael in the future?

RB: Given the reaction to his alleged crimes, it’s so strongly against him. We don’t see the normal kind of split in opinion that we see in a lot of other cases. I think that although it’s not unrealistic to think that he can come back and be a quarterback, I think it is unrealistic to think that he could get endorsements. I don’t think anyone wants to associate themselves with a dog fighter, particularly if he pleads guilty to dog fighting. If I were him I’d be happy enough to be paid by a team to play football and I wouldn’t be thinking that I’d be making additional monies from endorsements.

HG: The majority of people agree that dog fighting is inhumane, but would you agree that this case has been motivated by Michael Vick’s fame?

RB: I think that in a sense the government stumbled upon this. They were trying to prosecute his cousin for drug charges. When they went to the property, they stumbled upon the dog fighting ring. When you’re a prosecutor, that’s what you do. If you find out about a crime you prosecute it. I don’t think they were motivated by Michael Vick’s fame. Furthermore, when they discovered the disgusting aspect of this case what would stop them from wanting to go forward and prosecute? I think that would be the next logical thing to do once you learned the gruesome details.

Latest could mean more trouble for Vick. Courtesy of Rob Becker and Fox Sports

What Donaghy’s Deal Means. Courtesy of Rob Becker and Fox Sports

How many times have you heard a lawyer (real or fake) say “I could indict an innocent man/dead man/ham sandwich? The idea being that it’s easy to get an indictment. So when the feds come back and say that they are unlikely to indict Vick because:

The authorities have told the Falcons and league that there has not been any evidence that can be tied to Vick with the alleged dogfighting ring.

That’s a pretty powerful statement. It goes against almost everything we’ve heard during this saga. Michael Vick was tried in the media, and found guilty, because people wanted him to be guilty. There was a rush to judgment on the public’s part, but with a lot of the misinformation being given, what could you expect?

Whatever happened to the videotape that shows Mike Vick at a dogfight party? It would’ve turned up by now if it really existed. It sucks that something like that can get floated out by major outlets without consequence. Vick got done wrong in the media, Dwil has a whole lot more to say about it, and hopefully everybody has learned from it.

The news is good for Michael Vick but not for everybody in his camp. The feds still plan to indict at least 3 people, and the Surry County investigation hasn’t concluded yet. At least Vick’s name is safe from the smut for a few days.

Vick indictment seen unlikely in feds’ dogfight probe. Courtesy of ESPN.com

Michael Vick Will Not Be Indicted: Shhhhhhhh! Courtesy of The Starting Five

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It’s hard to hear NFL player and pit bull in the same sentence and not think of dogfighting. New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce is trying to change that. Antonio Pierce is a pit bull breeder, he even says so at the bottom of his NYG player page, but he says his operation is above board:

“Anybody who fights pit bulls is a punk. It gives my dogs a bad rap. Everybody loves my dogs because they’re good dogs. So of course I’m not pleased with it.”

Antonio chose not to come right out and talk about Michael Vick but he did acknowledge that he’s aware of Vick’s problems. He even added that if the evidence against Michael Vick turns out to be true then the NFL and prosecutors “need to do what they need to do“.

Pierce has sold dogs to teammates and friends but he won’t sell you a dog unless he knows you and he’s positive the pit won’t be used in any illegal activities. Does that mean speeding with the dog in the car? Jaywalking while taking Fido out for a leak? I’m not sure, but it’s good to hear that at least one guy has his head on straight when it comes to dogfighting. I wonder if Pierce knew about Vick’s alleged treatment of dogs before this play:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSbwAz1ajw8]

 It’s gonna be interesting to see what Antonio does for an encore on October 15th when the Giants are in Atlanta for Monday Night Football.

**YBB UPDATE** The news gets worse for Michael Vick. The house where the alleged dogfighting was taking place was robbed some time between May 7th and May 18th. The thief/thieves made off with 3 plasma televisions, two floor buffers, a wet/dry vacuum, an upright washer and dryer, and a leather sofa worth $17,550. It makes you think, if the dogs were still on the property would the house have gotten jacked? **END UPDATE**

Pierce: I’m a responsible dog owner. Courtesy of The Star Ledger

Report: Vick’s Va. home was burglarized last month. Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

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In the movie Final Destination death hunts down those that have escaped it’s clutches. In Atlanta, trouble chases the football team. Quarterback Michael Vick has had his well publicized offseason problems, defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux allegedly whacked his girlfriend’s dog, linebacker Demorrio Williams tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights, and over the weekend defensive lineman Rod Coleman ruptured his quadriceps in a boating accident. The problems haven’t been limited to the current roster as former Falcon Ray Buchanan was arrested in February for passing bad checks, and Ashley Ambrose was picked up for allegedly abusing his wife. And just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, the team signs Joey Harrington.

Michael Vick meets the Commish. Courtesy of SI.com

Falcons’ Babineaux faces felony animal abuse charge. Courtesy of ESPN

Falcons LB Williams has torn pectoral muscle. Courtesy of NFL.com

Falcons tackle Coleman injured in boating accident. Courtesy of ABC 30

Former Falcons CB Ray Buchanan Arrested. Courtesy of The Washington Post

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