News today that Michael Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges stemming from an alleged dog fighting ring in Virginia should come as no surprise. Federal investigators had spent months investigating claims that Vick was a major organizer in dog fighting.
According to reports, Vick began his involvement in dog fighting in 2001, his rookie season, and sometimes dogs died during fights or were electrocuted.
The indictment will likely be met by a quick response by NFL Commission Roger Goodell. Yahoo Sports reports that Vick didn’t help his case by saying that he had no involvement in dog fighting. If you go by the Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, or Adam “PacMan” Jones suspensions, Vick could be looking at anywhere from 8 games to a full year on the bench.
And when he comes back there is the question of would the Atlanta Falcons want him back. The team issued a statement saying, “Obviously, we are disturbed by today’s news from Virginia. However, we are prepared to deal with it, and we will do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out. We have a season to prepare for and training camp opens next week.”
The Falcons must prepare assuming that Vick will likely not be part of the team when training camp opens. Joey Harrington would likely move into the starting role, should Vick be suspended thanks to Matt Schaub being traded to Houston earlier in the year. D.J. Shockley and Chris Redman would complete the depth chart.
In other words, the Falcons won’t be in the best of situations at quarterback to start the season. Harrington is a solid starter, but stints at Detroit and Miami have been less-than-impressive for the former Duck.
The quarterback positions, thanks to today’s indictment, now becomes a major question for the Falcons going into the season where it had been a strength. Perhaps not the way new head coach Bobby Petrino wanted to start his professional career.
