What If...

The general public opinion on Michael Vick is ongoing outrage.What kind of a deviate loves dogfighting? Vick is wired wrong. He's sick, he's twisted, he's off. It's almost beyond reprehensible. That said, doesn't this whole thing conjure O.J. Simpson more than a little? First of all, as a player, Simpson was parallel to Vick in that he put up great numbers but never got close to the Super Bowl. Now think of this: If the O.J. trial had played out exactly the same way at the height of his playing career, would his acquittal have meant no disciplinary action by the NFL commissioner? Would the Bills have cut him loose? And if they did, would other teams be interested in bringing him in? The way I see it, even with his acquittal, signing O.J. Simpson would have been P.R. suicide for any franchise. His career would have been over and out, and there would be nothing his agent, his lawyers, the players association or Jesse Jackson could do about it. On that basis, I believe that even if/when Michael Vick is reinstated and despite having served punishment that Simpson avoided, he will never play in the NFL again, nor should he. His sentence should be life in the rat race.
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...Wishful thinking, at best. Some idiot will sign him. These days, so much money and pressure is at stake in sports that they sign anyone no matter what.

"Steroids? No problem. Get us some wins now. We'll make ourselves look good and punish you later by denying you Hall of Fame membership."

"Arrested? Fear not. As soon as you get out, the job is yours."

"Can he hit the fastball? Throw for touchdowns? Hit the jumper? Sign him up! I don't care if he's on parole for rape. That guy can play! He's up on DWI-homicide charges? Drug possession? Weapons charges? So what? He's got talent! He'll put fannies in the seats! He can help us win!"

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That's precisely the sports mentality that allows athletes' behavior to fester and foment. Character doesn't matter. These guys make more money in a day then many of us see in a year but the rest of us are still held to a much higher standard by society, and yet, the fans who are held to this standard are still rooting for these players - as long as they play for their team. It's sickening. And the already substantial risk of the player flaming out and getting in trouble and costing his team (paging Plaxico Burress!) is only considered after the fact. As I've said before, the business of sports is driven by the same mentality that fuels gambling - except for when it comes to gambling itself.

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Even Pete Rose thinks the hypocrisy is criminal.