Michael Vick, the embattled quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons charged in a dog fighting ring, has to answer the most important decision of his life.
Do you accept a plea offer by the federal government or do you put your future in the hands of 12 people?
The situation is such that Vick now has his fellow co-defendants already accepting plea agreements, presumably in deals to offer evidence against Vick. That has led to the belief that future indictments could be issued against the quarterback.
According to ESPN, Vick’s legal teams wants the plea agreement to include less than a year in jail. Keep in mind the judge in this case, Judge Henry Hudson, is not bound to the sentencing structure assigned in the plea agreement. Hudson is also known for stiff sentences.
Vick also wants to know what the ramifications would be for his NFL career should he decided to take the plea agreement. The NFL is not saying and has denied reports the league is ready to suspend Vick for the season.
If Vick accepts a plea deal, he is looking at the very least a year in jail and some period of probation after he is released from jail. Vick would thus miss the entire 2007 season and it would then be likely that the NFL would suspend Vick for part of the 2008 season, we’ll say eight games. That means Vick would not become available to an NFL franchise until midway through the 2008 season.
Now who would want Vick, who has proven to be more of a runner than a quarterback in his time in the NFL. He has thrown 71 touchdowns, rushed for another 21, but lost the ball nearly as much with 52 interceptions and 27 fumbles (on 55 total fumbles.) At that point you are getting a mediocre NFL quarterback who will be a year-and-a-half older and removed from the game.
By taking Vick, a NFL franchise is also looking at a public relations hit. Groups like PETA are not going to forget Vick’s violations of law quite easily and would likely protest him the remainder of his career. Would a NFL team want that destraction?
Personally, I’m not quite sure any NFL team would want Vick or even if they did desire that risk. The Falcons seem prepared to go with Joey Harrington as their starter, at least for 2007 and then perhaps go for another quarterback in the draft. And, as was the case during April’s drafts, not too many teams are in need of a quarterback. You could argue that Jacksonville would be in the quarterback market at the end of the season, but after Byron Leftwhich, would the Jaguars want to go down that road again of a mobile quarterback.
Vick may not play in the NFL again, but that should be the least of his worries. His first priority should be whether to accept the plea deal or wait for the new charges to come down the pike.
