NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?!! - Week 16

[Lord Avalon]

Falcons had a big 60-yd punt, down at the 1. So what? Saints drive 99 yds for a TD. Chris Redman, who was selling insurance not so long ago, now a starting NFL QB playing on MNF, throws a TD to tie it up.

[Lord Avalon]

I'd think the NFL would sue, since they're so rabid about protecting their brand.

So they're saying Bush is out for the season with a partially torn PCL, though maybe he could be back for a playoff game.

[-Jrabbit]

This miscreants selling it are at vickdogchewtoy.com...

[-Jrabbit]

Found this on AOLsports...

Michael Vick Chew Toy: The Only Thing You Can Still Buy With Vick's Name on It

Michael David Smith
Posted Aug 6th 2007 10:00AM by Michael David Smith

You can't buy a Michael Vick jersey anymore. You can't buy his Nike shoes, you can't buy Vick-related apparel from the NFL's online shop and you can't buy his stuff at sporting good stores.

So the Vick dog chew toy is just about the last thing you can purchase with Vick's name on it. The manufacturers explain:

[I] Is it different you ask? You bet it is! The Vick Dog Chew Toy is made of state of the art "dog" material. The Vick Toy Doll is so strong and flexible, it will challenge even the most aggressive breeds. Especially Mike's Favorite Breed, The Pit Bull.

Unlike Vick, our manufacturer is so sure of its durability they guarantee it against the most aggressive dog destruction. It Bends. It Bounces. It Flies. It Floats. And best of all, it lasts through the whole season and more![I]

Vick and the NFL could probably sue to stop sales of this product, since it uses Vick's name and likeness and a Falcons jersey without permission. But the NFL might not want to call any more attention to the Vick case, and Vick's lawyers have more important things to do right now.

[-Jrabbit]

Well, my guess would be that it's not an officially licensed arrangement.

[SlowwHand]

Shouldn't he get claim to royalties of his likeness? Help him pay who he owes.

[-Jrabbit]

My wife informs me that the hot doggy present for this Christmas is a Michael Vick chew toy...

[Grandpa Troll]

q f t

who knows, year and a half more in prison, he may be the dog that learns how to fetch a bone

[Lord Avalon]

Tough sentence reflects judge's displeasure with Vick

RICHMOND, Va. -- In the months since Michael Vick pleaded guilty for his role in a federal dogfighting case, Vick should have been trying to impress federal officials with his honesty and contrition. It would have reduced his time in prison considerably.

Instead, Vick flunked a drug test, lied about his drug use and failed a lie-detector test on his role in the executions of fighting dogs that failed to perform.

In his sentencing hearing Monday in Richmond, Va., Vick paid the price.

U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson sentenced Vick to 23 months in a federal penitentiary. With time off for good behavior, Vick would be eligible for release in May of 2009.

If Vick, who filed a guilty plea Aug. 24, had cooperated with FBI agents and probation officials, the sentence could easily have been between 12 and 18 months.

It was apparent in the opening moments of the hearing that Hudson was not happy with Vick's performance in the presentence procedures. As Vick's attorney, Billy Martin, tried to explain that Vick had "accepted responsibility" for his role in the dogfighting scheme, Hudson interrupted, describing two specific statements Vick had made and the exact dates when he made them.

Hudson demanded to know how Vick, sitting at a table in the courtroom in a black-and-white-striped chain-gang jail jumpsuit, could have denied a personal role in the execution of seven dogs in April 2007 and how he could have lied to an FBI agent about his marijuana use.

Martin tried to explain, suggesting that Vick merely handed a dog to a cohort for hanging and that the disgraced NFL star was smoking dope as "self-medication for clinical depression."

Neither explanation seemed to impress Hudson.

Martin described the false statements as "hiccups" and "bumps on the road to redemption."

The judge quickly responded that Vick's story on executions was contradicted by two of Vick's cohorts, and that Vick had tested positive for marijuana.

"These were false statements to federal agents," the judge observed, closing the discussion.

Acceptance of responsibility is a critical factor in the calculation of federal sentences. If Vick had shown he accepted responsibility, his sentence under federal guidelines would have been in the range of 12 to 18 months.

But Hudson refused to give Vick any credit for acceptance of responsibility, asserting that Vick made "false denials" to government agents about executing the dogs and "was less than candid about his drug use."

Hudson's ruling pushed Vick into a range of 18 to 24 months in prison -- with Hudson sentencing him to one month less than the maximum under the guidelines.

In addition to the deception on drugs and executions, federal prosecutor Michael Gill explained that Vick "had made a calculated effort to hide the truth" on four other issues in interviews with federal agents.

Vick's lawyers made no effort to deny Gill's assertion, and when Gill offered to support his claim with testimony from an FBI agent, attorney Martin quickly told Hudson that would not be necessary. The subjects of these FBI queries are not known because they are sealed in court files unavailable to the media and the public.

In addition to the 23 months in a minimum-security penitentiary, Hudson ordered Vick to serve three years of "closely supervised probation."

It is a maximum sentence under federal rules and will require Vick to report to a probation officer frequently. He will be subjected to drug tests and forced to tell the officer about everything he does, from applying for a new credit card to buying a new home.

Hudson's tough approach to the Vick sentencing was instantly apparent when Vick entered the courtroom. As he walked down two steps from a lockup in the rear of the courtroom, spectators saw the chain-gang outfit and gasped.

Vick's attorneys had requested permission from Hudson to allow Vick to change into a suit before the court appearance. Hudson refused, requiring Vick to wear the uniform of the jail in Warsaw, Va., where he began serving his time last month.

In six to 10 weeks, Vick will be assigned to a federal prison where he will serve the remainder of his time.

Vick's family members, including brother Marcus, were permitted to sit in a front row of the courtroom but were separated from Vick by a low wall and a phalanx of federal agents. In previous court appearances, Vick's family sat inside the low wall, close enough to talk with and touch him.

Even Michael Vick's personal apology did not impress Hudson. As Vick tried to make a statement, Hudson admonished him, saying he should "be apologizing to the millions of kids who idolize you."

In addition to prison and supervised release, Vick must pay the government nearly $1 million for its care of the dogs seized on his property.

Vick's financial situation is increasingly precarious, with creditors piling on with lawsuits against him over a car rental business, a line of credit and a wine shop.

In addition, an NFL arbitrator has ruled that Vick must return nearly $20 million in bonus money. Vick is appealing that ruling, and many legal experts expect him to succeed in reversing the arbitrator's decision.

Vick's sentence concludes a rocket ride through the criminal justice system that began with a raid on his kennel property in Surry, Va., on April 25, 2007, and concluded with his prison sentence seven months later.

As his lawyer, Martin, said outside the courthouse after the sentencing, "Never has someone fallen so hard, so fast and so far."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?id=3148826

I guess he was uncoachable.

[SlowwHand]

Michael Vick Gets 23 Months
Suspended Falcons QB sentenced for role in dogfighting conspiracy

With time served, Michael Vick will get out of prison by October 2009.

[OzzyKP]

*sigh*...

[snoopy369]

Well, they tried to give that home field back to Detroit yesterday...

[SlowwHand]

Yep, and it will be a chore to beat Indy twice in a season. Same reason that I kind of wish the Cowboys had lost to Green Bay. Home field was depending on it, so I couldn't wish too much.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yep... ask the 85 Bears about those pesky Dolphins .

And Hell, a perfect regular season won't mean anything if they lose to a healthy Colts team in the playoffs .

[Jonny]

Originally posted by Donegeal


Excited to be able to watch perfection in my life time.

Don't jinx it... they still have to play Miami again.