August 22nd, 2007
Did Mike Vick get Screwed, Is There a lesson for blackin business?
Answer to the post title questions; yes and yes. Yes Mike is getting screwed without a drink and dinner. Yes there is a lesson for blackinbusiness. I do not feel sorry for Mike Vick. I remember a song by Public Enemy; the song title could be used to describe many of us when we are young. “Dumb Nigger!” is the title. Mr. Vick’s behavior adds to the already mountain of negative stereotypes that plague black young men, and to a lesser degree, all black people. For that we have a right to feel some discuss toward Vick and the situation. I would hate to be a young black man interviewing with Arthur Blank or almost any Atlanta based firm with all of this in the news.
Mr. Vick is a tremendous athlete, has exhibited times of greatness as a QB. He is a scrambler, similar to former greats; Fran Tarkenton, Roger Staubach, John Elway and Steve Young. All of these men are in Pro Football’s Hall of Fame, and Vick is a better runner and scrambler than all of them. He is Mr. Excitement.
I think Vick is being screwed because, we are talking dogs, be serious! This is a country and a part of the country where human beings were slaves, were lynched, raped whipped, and separated from family. We all know of cases of police brutality where there is no discuss. Dog Fighting is a legal sport in many countries. I think they should slap his hands, no jail, 4 game suspension and let the brother grow up, get new friends and play football. I know many will disagree but dose anyone feel the same. As OJ would say, he did not kill anybody!
Here is the lesson for blackinbusiness. Stay out of trouble. As a Youngman, I was a troublemaker, anything went. When I finisher college and went to work for Xerox, I understood, some friends had to go, I had to be trouble free. We are lucky to have opportunity, it dose not make sense to toss it all away!
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Amen! I agree with you on all counts …including the punishment! My grandfather gave me the lesson clearly one day in his office when I was in business casual during a work day. He said, ‘Wayne, you cannot get away with the same things that you white counterparts can get away with. Understand this … and never come to work in casual dress again. You never know when someone of influence will see you … and you don’t want to play into their stereotypes of young Black men.”.
I later became the youngest executive (Senior Executive Service) in my federal agency. I guess that Grandfather’s advice was good! (smile).
It is too bad that Vick didn’t have someone in his life that could pull his coattail about the dog-fighting. As we’ve learned … white folks love their animals!
peace, Villager
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Wayne, thanks for the visit, your business success is evident by the quality of your blog. It is no surprise your grandfather’s good intentions and coaching paid off. Role models contribute to success, when postive and failure when negative
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:40 am
Vick committed a crime that, by law, is punishable with jail time regardless of race. This article seems to suggest that because he’s a talented athlete, and because of a history of racism, Vick should go relatively unpunished. I can’t see the logic in that.
I would agree with you if Vick were being punished beyond the scope of the law but that just isn’t happening. He’s being treated the same as anyone else. Unless you can indicate whites are getting away with this crime, while Vick is being punished for it, I can’t agree with your point.
And even if that point were true, it would only show that there needs to be equal punishment under the law, not that Vick should walk away without reprimand.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Zane, thank you for your comment,The fact That I cannot point to white dogfighters, only means none may have been arrested, it dose not mean this crime is being blown out of proportion
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I’ve always thought (and stated) that black professionals-athletes, entertainers, employees, and employers-are held to a different standard than our white counterparts simply because of color. We are more easily seen by the media, our problems more easily magnified because of our color. When Vick was stopped at the airport for having the ‘brown substance’ in his possession last year, he should not have looked to his celebrity status as the means for him not be magnified, he should have recognized it as the reason for it. The same goes for the dogfighting. There is no comparison in terms of the law-there have not been any cases as tried in the media, black or white. But I have to admit, I do not think that if he were not such a huge athlete, let alone black, that there would be as much uproar over this case. In Illinois alone, there have been two such cases, of dogfighting, and animal cruelty. They have not nearly done as much coverage, one of the guys was white and the other black.
To much whom is given, much is expected. I expect much more from these million dollar athletes than the lunacy some of them create. Just because your paycheck earns you automatic status does not give the right to go out and put your common sense on the dresser and leave it there when you go out into public view.
August 24th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Stleosophy Thanks for dropping by, you said it all, there nothing to add.MV could have benefited from a older brother or father to help with the decision making
August 24th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
My mother often reminded me never to believe that, as a Black man, I would be able to get away with the same things that white men did. She told me that when the times comes for doling out blame, white will always point the finger at the Black participant, and it will make perfect sense to the police, judges and juries that the Black man MUST have been the one responsible. So, never engage in what your white colleagues are doing illegally.
That’s surely not the only lesson to come out of this, but it’s worth remembering: whatever you do as a Black man will seem ten times worse than the same behavior by a white, so keep your nose clean. And STILL watch you back.
And don’t be paranoid! And don’t let any of this drive you insane.
August 25th, 2007 at 12:04 am
I find what Vick has done to be reprehensible certainly but what I think is actually disgusting is the number of professional athletes with convictions for domestic violence who continue to play unfettered while Vick will likely lose his career over canines. Beat your woman, keep on playing. Kill a dog, game over. The math seems off, no?
August 25th, 2007 at 10:19 am
ESQ, my mom said the samething to me.I remember my company going through all of my expense reports 2 times looking for abuse. It was consider a sure fire way to get rid of someone. I told the security team what Mom told me
August 25th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Charming, thanks for keeping it real!
If Vick had rape as a charge, the NFL more than likely had worked something out
August 27th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Vick is being punished because he was the ringleader of a massive criminal operation, not because he is black. You and all of the black talking heads on TV playing the race card in defense of Vick sound ridiculous. You are using the race card as a crutch to prevent individual responsibility for Vick’s actions. Vick would be punished for this action whether he’s white black yellow brown or pink. Dogfighting is a terrible inhuman bloodsport. It is cruelty for the sake of cruelty. Worst of all, it uses living beings who cannot defend themselves or understand why they are being tortured. It has no place in a liberal western society. Sure, it’s leagl in some other countries - but those countries also allow human trafficking and sex and child slavery. Those are not countries whose legal systems we should be modeling.
Vick isn’t being held to any different standards here. You do the crime, you do the time. He admitted guilt and prosecutors are pushing for the lowest end of the sentencing spectrum - 1 year. He can’t get any less. So I don’t know how you can argue he’s being treated differently by the legal system. Show me a white guy who admitted to running a massive dogfighting operation who got less time than Vick. The reason he’s getting all this attention in the media is because he is a superstar not because he is black. There would be the exact same media firestorm if Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez, or Yao Ming admitted to the same charges. Heck, it would probably be worse for those guys because they wouldn’t have all their fellow athletes standing up for them and the NAACP coming out in support of them. They would actaully have to face individual responsibility in the media without people playing the race card and saying he’s being persecuted because of his race.
Speaking of the NAACP, what a bunch of hypocrites. They see race first, facts second. When those innocent white Duke lacrosse players were tarred and feathered in the media, the NAACP led the charge and was the first to convict them in the press. Then it comes out later that they are actually innocent and the black woman made up the charges to get paid and the NAACP doesn’t apologize or anything. Now Vick, who admitted he was guilty, the NAACP comes out and says we shouldn’t say anything bad about him in the press and let the legal process work it’s way through. So they are willing to do exactly that to innocent white people but all of a sudden when it’s a black person, even though he’s admitted he’s guilty, they take his side. Talk about hubris!
The bottom line is this: you shouldn’t play the race card so much. Especially with the NAACP getting involved and treating this as a civil rights issue - that trivializes TRUE civil rights issues.
PS: Vick is no Elway or Young… let’s face it, he may be the best running qb of all time but his arm is mediocre at best… he only has a 1.4:1 td:int ratio. That’s nothing to write home about.
August 27th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
breal, you points are strong and well thought out. Mike has only himself to blame, what I do not understand is why are dogs so beloved that there is such outrage? We are talking animals.You are right Vick is no Elway yet, I reffered to them as scrambling QBs and you agreed, Vick is the best.Vick has a strong arm but had not become a strong passer. Thanks for commening
Regarding the NAACP, I am not a member but I think it stands for National Association for the Advantgement of Colored People. The Duke players, no pun intended, had plenty of support
September 20th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
ANYONE who wonders why he has been chastised. It is a real pity!
December 10th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
I disagree with you.Micheal Vick should be put in jail and suspended for a long period of time.I say suspended, only because i know he’ll never get kicked off the team for this.You say it’s not that serious because it’s just dogs, and it’s legal in some countries.Just cause it may be legal,doesn’t make it right.They may just be dogs to you,but they feel pain just like humans do.Do you have any idea what these dogs go through?The things that happen to them are horrible, and the people who inflict the pain are disgusting.You either don’t know what happens to these dogs,or you do know what happens,and think it’s okay,which makes you, a not so great person.You bring up the fact that this is a country that once had slavery,lynchings,rapings,etc.,and that is as digusting as well,but what does that have to do with dog fighting not being such a bad thing.I don’t understand your reasoning behind that.Michael vick should be treated the same way those dogs were treated(electrocuted,drowned,and beat against the ground).
March 21st, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Let’s not forget. Mikes biggest crime(besides stupidity) is lying to the Feds. Same as scooter libby(doubt he gets a pardon). I mean what the heck was he thinking. His whole family exibits criminal tendancies. I chalk this one up to bad parenting. And the only one’s seeing Black and White are the black(as usual). Prejudice only happens if you let it.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
mptoledo, thanks for your comment, you have a lot of truths in it,