N.F.L. Is Under Pressure Over Vick
July 21, 2007
As animal rights activists demonstrated yesterday in front of the N.F.L.’s headquarters to urge the league to suspend Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, the league continued to grapple with the fallout from Vick’s federal indictment on charges related to dogfighting.
The league has decided not to suspend Vick immediately, preferring to wait for the case to progress. But N.F.L. and Falcons executives have discussed other options.
The delay in discipline has displeased some. Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, sent a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday, encouraging Goodell to suspend Vick immediately. And about 50 people joined a demonstration organized by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in front of the N.F.L.’s Park Avenue headquarters, some of them chanting “Sack Vick.”
Goodell was not at his office during the protest. Instead, he was meeting with officials from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Earlier this year, the N.F.L. and A.S.P.C.A. began working together on public-service announcements and programs to help educate players and the public on treating animals properly.
“We agree with them that dogfighting is cruel, degrading and illegal,” the N.F.L. spokesman Brian McCarthy said of the demonstrators. “The alleged activities are very disturbing and we are extremely disappointed Michael Vick has put himself in this position.”
Vick is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Richmond, Va., and could join the Falcons on Friday.
Among the many options N.F.L. and Falcons executives have discussed since the indictment was announced Tuesday is asking Vick to take a paid leave of absence from the team. That would relieve the Falcons of the possible distraction at Coach Bobby Petrino’s first training camp.