Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in a federal prison yesterday. Fortunately, there is no chance for parole in the federal system, but he can get time off for good behavior. So assuming he behaves himself while in 'da clink, Michael can be released as early as the summer of 2010 - just in time for the NFL pre-season.
Some of you may think that due to the heinous nature of his crime, Vick will never play in the NFL again. Well, time heals all wounds, and when you're famous and can pull in millions of dollars for a sports franchise, you can pretty much do whatever you want and still expect to earn the league minimum. Look at these dumba** Falcon players during last night's game against New Orleans:
Awesome. You know - it may just be a cultural thing. Anyway, obviously, the sentiment that Vick's punishment was too harsh is already out there, and it's only going to get stronger. I wouldn't be surprised if he's signed before release in the off-season leading up to 2010.And let's not forget about Ricky Williams. Recently, Miami (the Yang to the Patriots seemingly unstoppable drive to be undefeated) re-activated Williams after he was suspended for smoking the reefer - for the 4th time. Yes, I know smoking marijuana is not as bad as organizing and running a dog-fighting ring, but the fact that Williams was allowed back into the NFL 4 different times despite the painfully obvious fact that he has no intention of giving up the ganja shows that if a team is in a bad enough spot (0-13, for example), the management will be willing to forgive all past transgressions.
In the perfect world, Williams, Vick, and any other professional athlete who fails to conduct themselves in accordance with the role model status that comes with the position would be banned from professional sports for life. But that's just unrealistic. The most we can hope for is that the complete repulsion that America felt when Vick's crimes were discovered will be remembered in the summer of 2010, and he will end up as a bouncer at some Atlanta night club.
