NFL Commish orders Vick to stay out of Trianing Camp

[JeffNights]

hxxp://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-vick-leave&prov=ap&type=lgns

Dont know if somebody already posted the link yet.

[Buccaneer]

I had assumed that the NFL wanted the Falcons to take the first step but seeing that they are dragging their collective feets, the NFL looks like will have to take action. I call the Falcons leadership gutless.

[stevew]

Down with home depot!

[JeffNights]

+1

I guess Owner Blank figured Godell wouldnt call his hand. Opps on his part. :)

[Buccaneer]

I would have thought it would've been a no-brainer for Blanks to tell him to stay home and still get paid in order to avoid the confrontations at his own team's camp.

[duckman]

I would have thought it would've been a no-brainer for Blanks to tell him to stay home and still get paid in order to avoid the confrontations at his own team's camp.
Chris Mortensen reported that Blank was going to discipline Vick within the next 24 hours. From the way it was sounding, Blank was hoping the league would intervene because any punishment short of releasing him (the max is 4 games and he can't prevent Vick from reporting to camp) would go to an arbritrator and could be overruled. This way, any appeal would go directly back to the commissioner's office and he would most likely make the same ruling. PLus, he can suspend him for much longer than Blank can.

[Lathum]

Vick is done for, no way the big money advertisors want their product associated with him and his image.

[ISiddiqui]

Chris Mortensen reported that Blank was going to discipline Vick within the next 24 hours. From the way it was sounding, Blank was hoping the league would intervene because any punishment short of releasing him (the max is 4 games and he can't prevent Vick from reporting to camp) would go to an arbritrator and could be overruled. This way, any appeal would go directly back to the commissioner's office and he would most likely make the same ruling. PLus, he can suspend him for much longer than Blank can.

Yep... the way the appeals system works in the NFL, it would have been much more 'final' if the commissioner did something rather than the team doing it.

[Ksyrup]

I still don't understand why they didn't do this, or what they're eventually going to do to him (suspension/leave of absence), last week. It has seemed obvious to me from day one of this that there is no way the NFL can allow him to turn the NFL into a circus sideshow. I guess they did this now while they test the waters for an acceptable solution in a few weeks, once the games start. I will be absolutely shocked if he steps on the field for a game this year.

[ISiddiqui]

I still don't understand why they didn't do this, or what they're eventually going to do to him (suspension/leave of absence), last week. It has seemed obvious to me from day one of this that there is no way the NFL can allow him to turn the NFL into a circus sideshow. I guess they did this now while they test the waters for an acceptable solution in a few weeks, once the games start. I will be absolutely shocked if he steps on the field for a game this year.

My guess is that the NFL and the Falcons would rather have Vick say he's taking a leave of absence to prepare his defense rather than just outright suspending him. So I think they are taking the time to sit down with Vick and get him to see that that's the best way.

[Ksyrup]

Apparently part of the reason why Goodell intervened had to do with Blank setting the Falcons up to challnge Vick's ability to keep bonus money because he wouldn't have shown up on time for camp, arguing that he was in default of his contract. If that's true, then this is setting up as a battle between the Falcons and Vick which is more contentious than we've seen on the surface. Taking a leave of absence means he's getting paid, and it sounds like Blank not only doesn't want to continue paying him, but he wants money back.

[ISiddiqui]

They were talking about that rumor on the talk radio this afternoon. But I'm not sure how much of that is fact.

[flere-imsaho]

I would have thought it would've been a no-brainer for Blanks to tell him to stay home and still get paid in order to avoid the confrontations at his own team's camp.

I'd be inclined to think that Blank still has some hope he can salvage his investment in Vick, which is more likely to be lost if he a) suspends Vick himself or b) does something to make Vick mad at him (which would be a real :rolleyes: , but there you go).

But then....

Apparently part of the reason why Goodell intervened had to do with Blank setting the Falcons up to challnge Vick's ability to keep bonus money because he wouldn't have shown up on time for camp, arguing that he was in default of his contract. If that's true, then this is setting up as a battle between the Falcons and Vick which is more contentious than we've seen on the surface. Taking a leave of absence means he's getting paid, and it sounds like Blank not only doesn't want to continue paying him, but he wants money back.

Why would Goodell care, though? Surely there are plenty of instances where teams and players fight over money and the commissioner doesn't usually intervene in these. It seems more likely that neither Goodell nor Blank wanted to be the one to take action, and Goodell blinked first.

At this point, of course, pretty much anything's plausible.

[Anthony]

yeesh, i guess the curse of the Madden sports cover strikes again.

[Groundhog]

yeesh, i guess the curse of the Madden sports cover strikes again.

Yeah, next thing you know Ray Lewis will get caught up in a murder scandal or something.

[Karlifornia]

I get the feeling that the Vick children are not the most well-adjusted people in the world.

And to the black folks on Atlanta sports talk radio defending Vick by saying "it's just part of a culture"....fuck you. It's part of your sick twisted serial-killer triad behavior...Don't pin this shit on "it's just our black culture". What a beautiful representation of every who is in any way affiliated with black people. The dogfighters have a basic distortion of right and wrong, and they all suck.

[14ers]

I find it funny that the Commissioner orders Vick not to attend training camp in one paragraph and then orders the Falcons to pay him his training camp money in another.:)

[AlexB]

Yeah, next thing you know Ray Lewis will get caught up in a murder scandal or something.

lol