The president of Virginia Tech just permanently dismissed Marcus Vick from the team after giving him chance after chance after chance after chance to grow up and stop acting like an emotionally retarded spoiled brat.
I always cheer for a school that takes a stand against student athlete misbehavior but the cynical side of me wonders why they waited until after the bowl game to do this.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. To be fair, Ryan, it was during the bowl game that he stepped on the guy’s leg. That’s what broke the camel’s back.
“Dec. 17, 2005: Pulled over by police in Hampton, Va. for driving 38 mph in a 25 mph zone and driving with a suspended license.”
They still let him play the bowl game even though he was supposedly under a zero-tolerance policy. Still, glad to see the university did something.
He says he’s going to declare for the draft. I’m guessing he’s going to be an early 2nd day pick (4th round?), but I have a feeling, based on reports of his attitude, that’s going to be a wasted pick.
Well yeah of course he’s going to declare, his other two choices are to play for a Division IIA school or not go into football at all and just go back to school (or not school and just become a bum). Given his moronic attitude, I figure he’s go for the draft.
— Alan
Great! He can be Maurice Clarette’s getaway driver.
I doubt he goes before the 6th. He is not as talented as his brother, and Mike is now being heavily criticized for his QB play. Marcus is short for the NFL at QB, and he isn’t as fast as Mike. Miami’s defense exposed him. Then add in the character concerns…he will be lucky if he gets picked, but I doubt it will be before the 6th.
I read his reaction was something along the lines of, “That’s okay. I’m just going to take it to the next level, baby.”
What an asshole.
The footage of him stomping on the Miami guy was pathetic. Guy tackles him, he stomps on the back of his calf, and the guy grabs it immediately screaming in pain. Now, maybe he’s just acting, but I don’t think so.
I bet the Ravens draft him.
Yeah, if someone steps on your calf in cleats…it hurts. Dumervil is going into the draft too. He has to get ready for the combine in February. Vick should be charged with assault for that move, IMO. I’m very serious.
I’d like to hear Michael Vick’s take on all this. I’m guessing he’s not entirely happy about the Vick name being dragged through the mud like this.
If only his little bro had used Mexico on his jersey, like Mike suggested.
Yeah if you’re wearing cleats that’s gotta be painful as hell.
— Alan
I agree. I’m often surprised that it seems that sports is considered beyond the reach of the law. I certainly wouldn’t advocate going after a player for every hard, even nasty tackle. But when a player does an action clearly intended to injure a player, that is well outside of both the rules and expectations of the game in question, then I think it’s entirely valid to consider assault charges.
And no, I wouldn’t charge assault for a fistfight in hockey - that’s expected. But if, say, you took your hockey stick and swung it hard at the back of a player’s neck/head, away from the action and with that player looking the other way, why isn’t that assault? Or, if Vick did as described (I didn’t see it), again, seems like assault to me. And generally, it’s all on tape and quite easy for authorities to review.
Yeah, I vaguely recalled the hockey controversy, which sorta shaped my example, but I didn’t remember the outcome. Thanks for the link. From that link (chopped up a bit by me):
>>
The 37-year-old McSorley, one of the league’s most notorious enforcers, testified he tried to hit Brashear in the shoulder to provoke him into fighting and didn’t mean to hit his head.
But Judge William Kitchen disagreed, saying “Brashear was struck as intended.”
McSorley “slashed for the head. A child, swinging as at a tee-ball, would not miss. A housekeeper swinging a carpet-beater would not miss. An NHL player would never, ever miss,” Kitchen said.
The hit came with three seconds left in the game between the Bruins and Canucks.
Brashear’s head hit the ice. He briefly lost consciousness, and had a concussion and memory lapses. He returned to play after several weeks and has fully recovered.
Brashear testified he has no memory of what happened.
…
Marty McSorley was found guilty of assault with a weapon but won’t be sent to jail for his two-fisted stick attack on an opponent.
McSorley, a 17-year NHL veteran who was with the Boston Bruins at the time, won’t have any charges go on his record as long as he completes 18 months of probation. He was ordered not to play against Brashear during that time, in Canada or the United States.
…
Players and the NHL say the case shouldn’t have gone to court.
…
The trial was the first for an on-ice attack by an NHL player since Dino Ciccarelli, then with the Minnesota North Stars, was sentenced in 1988. He received one day in jail and a $1,000 fine for hitting Toronto’s Luke Richardson with his stick.
<<<
So an assault that was fully intentional, brutal, and NOT done for game benefit (there was 3 seconds left in the game), which could have killed the guy, and as is, knocked him unconscious and out of the game for several weeks (with who knows what lingering effects), results in just probation. And the NHL and players complain about even that. And there hasn’t been any other such case in the previous 15 years.
If the same attack had occurred outside of a bar at night, the guy does 3-5 years. Why is the hockey rink (football field, pitcher’s mound, etc), exempt from the law, even in the most egregious cases?
This isn’t a great angle, but here is video. From the front, you can see that he is actually looking down, right at the guy’s leg, as if he wants to make sure he really stomps it.
ESPN has been running a better shot from the front where you can see him clearly looking down at the guy and trying to find the best placement for his foot on his calf.
Did he also take a stab at the knee as well? I couldn’t really tell. Either way, that’s a great way to break someone’s leg which can then ruin a shot at millions in the NFL…
Couldn’t he also get sued?
Update on Marcus Vick. Apologies if this has already been posted:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/ncaa/01/09/bc.fbc.vickarrested.ap/index.html?cnn=yes