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Memorial Day Musings
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by Bill Chuang, Head
Columnist, 5/29/07
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Memorial Day just went and I am finding
out how tough it is to write anything about the NFL this time of
year. There’s not a lot of real news. Personally, I’m not
interested in the fact that Philadelphia has already signed all its
first day picks. Listening to the NFL on Sirius radio, it seems
like the only call in topics are Michael Vick’s dog fighting story,
Trent Green’s attempts to get traded, Chris Henry’s recent arrest, and
the ongoing Pac Man saga. Here’s what I think. First of
all, it’s pretty sad that the top stories right now are about criminals
in the NFL. I used to think the thugs were in the NBA, but it
seems like they’ve cleaned up their act, and the NFL has gotten a lot
worse. I’d venture a guess to say that the average NFL fan
doesn’t really care about these stories, except for the possibility
that a player, like Pacman could be lost for a certain number of games
– then it matters.
I think the Michael Vick story has gotten blown way out of
proportion. I’ve been following it since it was first rumored
several weeks ago on Profootballtalk.com. I didn’t think much of
it then and I don’t think much of it now, even though ESPN has
“legitimized” this story. NO, I do not advocate dog fighting, and
yes, I believe Michael Vick was involved, but I don’t think he should
get in that much trouble for it. He is allegedly involved in
gambling as well as the actual training and fighting of these
dogs. Now, I have 2 dogs of my own, and I would classify myself
as a dog liker, not a dog lover. I have never been to or seen a
dog fight. I would imagine that they are very bloody, and I’m
sure the dogs get injured and killed. My issue with this is not
so much the dog fighting itself. Dog fighting is legal in many
countries including most of Latin America and in Japan, where it has a
rich tradition. Dog fighting in most states in this country,
including Virginia, where Michael Vick’s fights allegedly took place,
is a felony, and that’s where I have an issue with what Michael Vick
did. Vick and many pro athletes seem to think that they are above
the law, and he may be right. His lawyers will shield him from
conviction, and if he ever leads the Falcons to the promised land, all
of this will be forgotten.
Remember that in 2000 Ray Lewis and two members of his posse were
charged with murder for stabbing two men to death. Lewis later
pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. He
never did any jail time, and was never punished by the NFL. His
record was even expunged after completing probation. This was
MURDER. Two men died, and Lewis admitted to being involved, yet 6
years and one Super Bowl win later, he is deified in the press and
gives motivational speeches on ESPN. Now compare this to what
Michael Vick has allegedly done. As far as I know, murder is not
legal in any country. Back in 2000, Lewis was lambasted by the
press, but all was forgiven after Baltimore won its Super Bowl.
The same will probably happen with Vick.
I think the Pacman Jones story is much more serious. In short,
Jones got into an altercation with a bouncer in a Las Vegas night club
and was thrown out. A member of his posse returned later that
night and shot the bouncer, paralyzing him from the waist down.
To me, this may be worse than death. The bouncer made a living
with his body. As well as his job as a bouncer, he was also a
former pro wrestler. He is a husband and
father. His life as he knew it is over. Pacman
on the other hand will serve his year of suspension, and then go back
to making millions in the NFL. He will probably never be
convicted. If there is any justice, he will win a huge lawsuit
against Jones like the Goldman family did against O.J.
Are the Patriots cursed or is Karma just taking its toll? I do
not want to make light of the recent death of Marquis Hill. By
all accounts, he was a decent player and a better man who certainly did
not deserve to drown in Lake Pontchartrain. By my count, this was
the third freak occurrence to happen to a Patriot player during their
recent championship run. First Ty Law broke his foot in
Pittsburgh on Halloween 2004. He was not touched by any Steeler
or Patriot on that play. The break sidelined him for the rest of
the season. It was his last play as a Patriot. Later that
year, after winning their third Super Bowl, Tedy Bruschi suffered a
stroke. The odds of a healthy young man suffering a stroke even with a
defect in his heart are miniscule, yet it happened, just days after the
Super Bowl. And now we get news of the tragic death of Marquis
Hill who was not wearing a life jacket when he fell off his jet
ski. On their own, any one of these incidents is strange, but for
all three to happen to players on the same team is eerie.
I’ve said it before, Belichick made a deal with the devil, and he is
collecting.
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