Goddell will issue Vick a permanant ban from the league well before he applies for reinstatement. Goddell is sending a strong message with a zero tolerance approach that other major sports organizations should pay close attention to. Having Vick back in the league would cause a major public relations nightmare that the NFL doesn't want to inherit against their image.
Sure, I understand everyone saying that Vick is a major draw and some NFL owners will look at the opportunity of lining their pockets by bringing him in for a tryout years from now. BUT, it's not up to the NFL owners to give Vick another chance when the commissioner already hands down the decision to give him a lifetime ban.
I understand people arguing my opinion on a lifetime ban. But I'm sticking to it because I feel Goddell is the real McCoy when it comes to sticking to his guns and taking the appropriate action. His recent punishments against Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, and Odell Thurman prove it.
No way he gets a lifetime ban. Pacman is about as bad an actor as we've had in the league in sometime and he "only" got a year. Aside from the Ron Mexico issue, Vick doesn't have the history of a Pacman or Chris Henry. As far as I know, this is his first arrest, first conviction, and he has never had a problem on the field.
Here is what Leigh Steinberg has to say:
Eventual comeback isn't out of question for VickBy Ken Murray | Sun reporter
August 21, 2007
Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Furl Google Reddit Spurl Yahoo Print Single page view Reprints Reader feedback Text size: On Christmas Eve of 2004, the Atlanta Falcons gave Michael Vick a 10-year, $130 million contract, more in recognition of his promise than his production.
Almost three years and $22 million worth of signing bonus later, Vick is likely headed to prison and his football career is in jeopardy. The brilliantly talented, but tragically flawed quarterback has fallen short of the Falcons' vision in every way possible.
It is uncertain whether there will be any more NFL Sundays in store for Vick after a 12-to-18-month prison sentence - the punishment expected to be meted out for a guilty plea to dogfighting charges.
But Leigh Steinberg, the sports agent who has advised marquee quarterbacks, can see a future with Vick back in the NFL, if not back in Atlanta.
"Imagine a tearful Michael Vick admitting that he did what he was charged with, vowing to be an advocate for animals rights and [willing to] spend the rest of his life making up for whatever harm he did," Steinberg said.
"It's as brutal a destruction of a reputation as I've seen in years for a player, but the passage of time with the right repentance will heal a lot of wounds. It just does."
Steinberg, who does not represent Vick, said supply and demand for elite quarterbacks likely will dictate another chance for Vick.
"Remember, we're talking about a player that several years ago was considered to be the most talented player in the entire NFL by many people and the shining star of the NFL," Steinberg said.
That precludes a lifetime ban by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is cracking down on aberrant behavior in the league. Goodell has instituted a new personal-conduct policy, and could issue the lifetime ban if the NFL's investigation into the charges produces evidence of gambling.
Veteran Gary Stills of the Ravens says Vick should be allowed back after he has taken his punishment.
"Of course he should be allowed back in the league," Stills said. "Whatever he did, he's got to face up to it. Whatever he did was wrong, he got in trouble, he'll take a plea. He shouldn't be banned from the NFL."
Because terms of Vick's plea agreement haven't been announced, it's uncertain how much time he will miss. It is expected that Goodell's suspension will come at the end of Vick's jail time, just as it did when he suspended former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson during the offseason.
If Vick, 28, gets 18 months in prison along with the one-year suspension, he could be out of the league for three full seasons. In that scenario, he'd be 31 when he returns in 2010.
Ron Wolf, a retired general manager with a knack for developing quarterbacks, said he believes Vick could make a successful return to the league.
"Yes, he can come back," Wolf said. "You saw that during the war years. Some guys lost two or three years at that position and came back and performed as well as they did previously. He's young enough to do all that."
What's more, Wolf thinks Vick will be entitled to return once he's served his time.
"If he's paid his debt to society, why shouldn't he play?" Wolf asked.
The most recent player to return to the league after serving time in prison is former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, who served a four-month sentence before the team's 2004 training camp for using a cell phone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime.
Leonard Little, a defensive end with the St. Louis Rams, served 90 days in jail and an eight-game league suspension after killing a woman in a 1998 auto accident while driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.19.
Steinberg said that by following the right steps, Vick can make a comeback of sorts.
"America allows people to reinvent themselves," Steinberg said. "He did not murder a human being, he didn't hurt a human being. ... This is a country of pet lovers. The imagery of a physically virile athlete torturing an innocent animal was so repugnant that it struck a chord in the American public."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.vickcareer21aug21,0,4683032.story