Courting disgraced quarterback Michael Vick risky business
February 17
Orlando Sentinel
columnist Chris Henry
"Free agency is just 10 days away, but one of the more intriguing subplots churning in the offseason rumor mill has nothing to do with Albert Haynesworth, Julius Peppers, Nnamdi Asomugha or any of the other unfettered players set to hit the open market.
Disgraced Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will have to wait until (at least) July for his 23-month prison sentence to end before finding out what uniform he'll be wearing after tossing aside the orange jumper assigned by the Fightin' Dogs at Team Leavenworth.
Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff put Vick's football career back in the public conscience last week in an interview that appeared on the team's Web site, announcing that Vick's rights had been put on the trading block.
"We feel a trade is the best move for the Falcons, and it's also in the best interest of Michael," Dimitroff said. "This has been a really unique situation from a variety of standpoints and because we will actively be involved in a trade situation, I don't envision our organization speaking any more about this subject publicly until it's reached a resolution."
Immediately, images of Vick sitting next to a babbling Al Davis at a news conference, or shaking hands with Mike Singletary, or jogging onto the field at Jerry Jones'new 100,000-seat palace to run a play from the "Wildcat" were being conjured.
Forgive me for interrupting fantasy with some reality.
Let me say, first of all, that I believe Vick will get another chance in the NFL. And I also believe — as much as this might sicken some people — he deserves one. Our society is about second chances.
But here are some questions worth asking and points worth considering:
•Say Vick is, indeed, released on time. That doesn't mean he's walking into a training camp three weeks later. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell indefinitely suspended Vick in August 2007, but his time served for felony dog-fighting crimes doesn't run concurrently with the league's code of conduct penalties. Goodell must reinstate Vick, who many feel makes Pacman Jones look like Tim Tebow. Given the black eye Vick put on the league — and remember, he lied to Goodell in their initial meeting — it's my guess reinstatement will come in time for the 2010 season.
•Vick has six years remaining on a 10-year, $130 million contract extension signed in 2004 that made him (at the time) the highest-paid player in the NFL. The monetary balance of that deal is said to be about $45 million. Even if Vick is cleared to play in '09 (when he's due to make more than $15 million in salary and roster bonus), that's a lot of money to pay a player who's been picking up trash the last two years.
•What's Vick worth? He turns 29 in June — and, yes, that's a low-mileage 29, thanks to two years "off" — but does anyone know what kind of shape he's in, football or otherwise? Randy Moss, the year before he caught a league-record 23 touchdowns, was traded for a fourth-round pick. Jason Taylor and Daunte Culpepper, seemingly in their prime, went for second-rounders. What's the going rate for a convicted felon who hasn't taken a snap in three years? A second-day pick. Maybe.
•Finally, the team that takes on Vick does so knowing a PR (and PETA) nightmare is part of the deal. That'll be fun.
Eventually, an altogether different "Michael Vick Experience" will play out.
My bet, though, is the phone is not ringing in Mr. Dimitroff's office right now."
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