Ventre: Vick got exactly what he deserved
As surprises go, it was not much of one.
The reaction in some quarters to the Michael Vick sentence handed down on Monday was one of mild disbelief. The word "stunning" was even uttered, more than once, on a certain cable network.
But 23 months is not a shock. Upon further examination of all the variables, it was appropriate. It makes sense. It is justice.
Michael Vick got what he deserved.
Animal rights activists might argue that he deserves a lot more, and I can't really argue with them. But their stance is strident because they're passionate about the treatment of animals and irate over Vick's actions even now, months after they were fully disclosed.
Vick's fans, the ones who don his jersey, chant his name and ignore his cruelty, will exclaim that he is being persecuted. But they have no case. They have never had a case.
In the big picture, Vick's football career is essentially over and he'll be spending the next 22 months (he should have one month's credit for time already served) behind bars in a federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson did not look at Vick, see a wondrous football player with magical talents, and ease up on his gavel. He saw a young man who committed some dastardly acts and handled the aftermath of their discovery with extremely poor judgment and even arrogance.
The judge could have demanded 33 or 43 months in jail, but then he would have called the entire process into question. He would have invited charges that he was looking to buff his image as a no-nonsense judge and polish his credentials for future judicial posts. He would have inflamed those who believe this is all an issue of race, and Vick is just the latest fall guy.
Instead, the judge did what he was supposed to do. He acted wisely. He slapped Vick with a sentence that exceeded the prosecutors' recommendations of somewhere on the low end of 12 to 18 months. He nailed Vick more harshly than he did Vick's co-defendants, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, who received sentences recently of 18 and 21 months, respectively, because Vick was considered the ringleader and the source of the financial backing for the so-called Bad Newz Kennels and the entire dogfighting operation.
And he did so for other reasons, too.
He'll be locked in a small cell for almost the next two years because the images still cause anguish. Vick presided over an operation that set one pit bull against another, so they could tear each other apart for the amusement of men with money to gamble.
Vick will be incarcerated because he was the kingpin in a criminal enterprise that crossed state lines.
Vick will be denied his freedom because he mistreated dogs beyond the fighting, by denying food to some so they'd be more ornery in the ring.
Vick will be kept away from family, friends and other loved ones because he and his co-defendants killed dogs that didn't perform to their standards. They did so by electrocution, hanging and drowning. Because of the grotesque nature of his actions, Vick will be placed in an ugly environment.
But that's not all.
He received 23 months because he lied, because he told anyone who would listen — including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank — that the dogfighting charges were bogus, that he had nothing to do with any of it. He did not step forward and accept responsibility when he had the chance. He hid behind his superstar veneer and hoped it would blow over.
He will sit in jail because, even after he pled guilty and signed a deal with prosecutors, he tested positive for marijuana, a violation of his agreement.
He will mingle with tough men who are not teammates but inmates because he gave a public apology that satisfied just about every group that mattered save for the one that he needed to satisfy the most: the people who care about animals. His token mention of his rejection of dogfighting was calculated, insulting and ineffective.
The judge looked at all of that.
What he didn't look at was how much money Michael Vick is losing as the result of his transgressions. That shouldn't matter, even if some complain that the man has suffered enough by having to forfeit over $100 million in salary and endorsements.
Vick's personal losses are inconsequential in the criminal matter. If he were a mailman going to jail for two years, would anyone complain of his financial woes? The money out of Vick's pocket is a separate issue. That's his problem. If he didn't want to see over $100 million vanish before his very eyes, he shouldn't have tortured and killed dogs and bet on the outcome of dog fights.
Vick isn't going up the river because he naively fell under the sway of old neighborhood friends who led him down the path to destruction. Vick is an adult. He had ample opportunity to say, "You know what? I don't want to get involved in anything illegal." And if he were a true friend, he would have also said, "You're my friends and I care about you, and I don't want to see you get into trouble, so I don't think a dogfighting ring is a good idea."
He didn't. From the time he signed his first NFL contract in 2001, he planned to start a dogfighting operation. He carried out that plan and stuck with it. He did not make a mistake. He executed a premeditated scheme to run a criminal operation.
As a result, he received a prison sentence of 23 months, a punishment he richly deserves.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22184988/page/2/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment