The World of Black and White

Yes, this is meant in an ambiguous fashion, which I'll get to momentarily.

First, let me write out a contemporary math equation. What's Kobe Bryant + Duke Lacrosse team = ? Michael Vick.

No United States citizen other than the four accused (and perhaps a few others) in the case know much of anything regarding what did or did not occur in that Virginia home. Nobody. I don't know. You don't know. The attorneys don't even know what exactly did or did not transpire. Yet, based on the articles, the analysts' commentary, and average Joe's commentary, Michael Vick has been proven guilty in a court of law and is currently serving six years in prison, having been permanently banned from ever playing in the NFL again. Oddly enough, Vick just plead not guilty yesterday and the start of the trial won't get underway until November 26th.

I don't think I have heard this much rage in the public over a case in I don't know how long. I didn't hear this much rage even when Lakers' star Kobe Bryant was indicted on rape allegations. Bryant was not suspended by the league before he was proven innocent or guilty in a court of law. He lost a few sponsors, but Reebok didn't take his jerseys off the shelves for fans to buy. PETA didn't get involved and protest on the streets. It was ONLY a rape charge- a woman alleging that he forced sex upon her against her will. Oh, no, that's no big deal at all. Even with some rage, the charges were dropped and until we know differently, Kobe Bryant is/was not guilty of the rape allegations.

Three members of the Duke Lacrosse team were indicted on charges that they raped a couple strippers. There was a bit more outrage in this case. The three lacrosse players received death threats, property was vandalized, and they were the three most hated individuals on campus for about a year. Again, in the end, the men were proven to be not guilty.

That brings us to Michael Vick. He plead not guilty yesterday to two felony charges affiliating him with dogfighting. The trial won't begin for about four months. The team has suspended him for four games. Commissioner Goodell is having investigators look into the case to see what type of action he should take. He has lost many sponsors. Nike suspended his shoes until the verdict is final and Reebok has stopped the selling of his Falcons' jersey. PETA members are flooding any street associated with Vick and protesting.

Just like in the previous two cases, the media and the citizens have rushed to immediate judgment. Will the verdict be similar? It's impossible for me to say at this juncture. But, in saying that, just as it's impossible for me to say, it's impossible for others to say, as well.

Why does a man, who just two weeks ago, feds claimed would probably not be indicted on any charges, why does a man allegedly involved in dog fighting receive such worse treatment than a man charged with raping a woman? I don't enjoy dogfighting. I don't even enjoy boxing or wrestling, let alone dogfighting. But, dogfighting is legal and very big in some countries. Where is raping a woman legal? Why does Kobe Bryant receive treatment that he is indeed innocent until proven guilty, but Michael Vick is convicted before the trial begins?

I don't like playing the race card. I wish it didn't exist. I wish it didn't have to be utilized at times. I think the PETA would act in such a manner regardless of what ethnicity the person is/was. I do believe that. BUT, the public's reaction? I can't see it being so negative if the defendant were, say, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Marc Bulger, Trent Dilfer, Peyton Manning, Chad Pennington, amongst others. Michael Vick was a very polarizing athlete to begin with, due to the style of his play. Traditionalists have never liked Michael Vick, because he's not the pocket passer that they have grown used to through the years. He's a scrambler. He makes plays with his feet. So, he polarized the football world even before this incident. But, now? Oh boy...

This past year, the media have attempted to make Michael Vick their bad boy in football. The media loves their bad boys. There was Dennis Rodman in basketball for a time. Rasheed Wallace has been given the reigns since Rodman retired. Terrell Owens was the bad boy in football and handed the baton to Michael Vick. The media loves to have a guy they can speak and analyze about as a villain. It's almost cliche' anymore, that athletes want to be movie stars and movie stars want to be athletes. Well, in these scenarios, those affiliated with sports want to attempt to present a Hollywood-like plot and storyline. How do they do this? With good guys and bad guys.

In the spring, if some don't recall, Michael Vick was taken aside at an airport and was reported to have had a little compartment in a water bottle, which has an odor reminiscent of marijuana. Right then and there, he was convicted and guilty of possessing marijuana. Guess what? The tests came back negative. There were no illegal substances in his possession. So, what occurred then? The media defended themselves, by saying, "Well, Vick deserved it. We don't take back anything we said." Others claimed that there was a conspiracy, that Vick really did possess marijuana, but had connections to show otherwise. How will they react if Vick is proven not guilty this time around?

It amazes me how people allow their emotions to conflict with logical reasoning and morals. Many will claim to believe that we are all innocent until proven guilty, yet when something like this occurs, then that's not the case at all. They allow their emotions to get the very best of them. Indictment does not equal guilt. Indictment simply means that, in this case, the federal government believe a crime was committed and they believe the accused may have been involved. This has to be proven in court. Some claim, "Well, it's the feds, so he has to be guilty. They convict 91% of those they indict!" Yeah, but one has to look inside the numbers. Most everyone they indict don't have they type of money and/or representation that Vick has for himself, so yes, of course they're going to be convicted. When a defendant in a federal case does have his/her own representation, the percentage of convictions for the federal government drastically decreases.

But, just based on what we know (which really is nothing), let's attempt to think logically about this, not allowing emotion to distract us, okay? Just two weeks ago, the federal government stated that Michael Vick would unlikely be indicted in this case. Just two weeks later, he was indicted. Something must've happened in those two weeks, wouldn't you say? It was also stated yesterday that this case is superseding, which means that either charges will be added or someone's charges may be dismissed. Kind of coincidental, don't you think? The chances are that one of the other three defendants told the feds what they wanted to hear regarding Vick, which thereby led to his indictment and the dismissal of their charges, which will probably be released sometime in August. But, now let's think about something else. As it was stated yesterday, the other three defendants have prior criminal records and Vick does not. The specific records were not stated, but drug and alcohol charges were included. One defendant has to receive regular drug tests and another has to wear an ankle bracelet. Based on this information, can the feds, citizens, or a jury trust these three convicted criminals with their testimonies? It's a double-edged sword for them, because on one hand, if the allegations are true, then they'd be the ones to know, but on the other hand, due to the fact that they already have criminal records and Vick does not, how trustworthy are they with what they state in a court of law or outside a court of law?

Let's also attempt to think about the charges themselves. Okay, now, I admit that I'd be hard-pressed to believe that Vick didn't have any foreknowledge of anything that transpired at that household. It's possible. I mean, if I became famous and wealthy, there's no way I'd think any friends or family of mine would transform a house I provided them with as a dog fighting venue, so I guess I could see naivete play a factor. But, again, it's difficult for me to believe he had no knowledge of it whatsoever, so the conspiracy charge may be a difficult one for his defense team to prove his innocence. However, I also have a difficult time believing he'd have the time to actually be involved in a dogfighting operation. Professional athletes may only play in the regular season for 3-5 months in a year, but it's a year-round job. In football, one has training camp, the pre-season, the regular season, hopefully the playoffs, then off-season training and work-outs, practice, weight lifting, film study, charity events, etc. This goes on for an entire year. With Vick's residence being in Atlanta, where he plays football, I find it very difficult to believe that he'd have the time necessary to be involved in these operations.

But, like with everything else I've read, those are just speculative hunches right there. All I know is that in the media and in the public, Michael Vick is a convicted felon and with his sponsors dumping him as they have been, the NFL no longer cares what transpires in Vick's life. People are seeing it all in black and white. All they needed to see were the two words, Vick and dogfighting, and they immediately passed judgment. The surrounding content meant nothing. The entire story could have read, "...and today, quarterback Michael Vick was caught in his backyard fighting with his labrador. Vick stated jokingly following the wrestling, 'Yeah, I think he won this match, but I'll get him next time! (laughs)'." It's odd in a way. Currently, Vick reminds me of shock rock artist Marilyn Manson following his 1996 album release of "Antichrist Svperstar". He just seems to bring out people's prejudices. All-in-all, I just hope that Vick is given a fair trial and that justice reigns supreme in the end. If Vick is found guilty on all charges, I hope he spends a good deal of time in jail. But, my hunch tells me otherwise and if that's the case, I hope people are able to forgive and forget their own rushed judgments.