Maybe the NFL Will Let Vick Play, But Teams Should Stay Far Away

With the impending prison release of former Atlanta Falcons superstar Michael Vick on the horizon, there are a number of factors and issues the National Football League has to consider and prepare to deal with. This situation is, for obvious reasons, a highly sensitive and potentially explosive one that Commissioner Roger Goodell will have to thoroughly review and handle appropriately – which there’s no doubt he’ll do.

Regardless of ones personal feelings about Vick, the fact is he’ll soon complete his prison sentence and fulfill the conditions of his punishment for the crimes he committed. So as far as society goes, Vick will be a free man and able to move on with his life – which will most likely involve an attempt at a return to the NFL.

Although the NFL and Commissioner Goodell will have to determine how much longer Vick’s indefinite suspension will continue, individual teams are already considering whether or not they’d be interested in signing the three-time all-pro quarterback.

From a public relations perspective, it will be very dangerous for an organization to publicly acknowledge that it’s even considering signing Vick. The specifics of Vick’s crimes are still very fresh in the minds of many sports fans, and the nature of those crimes will never be understood or easily forgiven.

So for a team to endure the heavy scrutiny and intense negative reaction by the media and to jeopardize the support and trust of its fans and community by signing Vick, you have to be certain the QB will regain his Pro Bowl caliber game and be able to perform at the world-class level he once did.

If Vick joins a team and he struggles, the media firestorm surrounding the organization will burn a thousand times hotter then it would if he had put up big numbers on the field and led a winning team into the playoffs.

America loves a winner. And whether it's fair or not, almost any athlete can be forgiven for almost anything in America…as long as that athlete is a winner.

Look at Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. In 2000 Lewis was indicted for murder and aggravated assault when a fight between his group of friends and a rapper’s entourage, following a post game Super Bowl party in Atlanta, left two men dead.

In exchange for reducing the charges against him to obstruction of justice (a misdemeanor) and probation, Lewis testified against two of his associates and walked away essentially a free man (three years later Lewis reached financial settlements with families of both murdered men and avoided certain civil actions).

Since the ugly and tragic incident, Lewis has gone on to win a Super Bowl, be named its MVP, win two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, earned six more Pro Bowl selections and now stands as a certain lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Despite suffering some initial taint to his public image, Lewis’s reputation rebounded quite well and he has since earned millions of dollars in endorsement deals.

If Lewis wasn’t a great player, would the Ravens, along with their fans and community, have stood behind him and allowed to him to continue to play for their team?

Not to mention the NFL (pre Goodell), that only fined Lewis and didn’t suspend him for even one game.

During his time with the Falcons (2001-2006), Vick experienced great success on the field and became a bonafide NFL superstar. But after almost two years in Leavenworth Prison, a federal medium-security institution, it’s extremely doubtful that Vick would be able to perform anywhere close to the level he played at before his incarceration.

For a professional athlete to miss two seasons during the prime of his career is a very significant loss of time. When you add the fact that the athlete has been locked away from society and unable to train or keep up with a proper dietary regiment important for a pro athlete, the probability Vick will rise again as a good player, let alone a great one, is remote.

So for an NFL team to take a chance on Vick would be extremely unwise. When you weigh the pros and cons, it makes no sense to try to incorporate Vick into your organization and your team’s community.

The media, fans and community surrounding a team would voice severe opposition to adding a player of Vick’s questionable character and criminal background, causing a public relations and marketing nightmare.

When you factor in further the extremely thin chance of Vick excelling again at the professional level, you have to realize that even considering signing Vick is a bad idea for a pro sports organization that relies heavily on its team brand and support from its community and fans.

The Jets Get it Right, Then Get it Wrong

So the New York Jets on Saturday pulled off a fantastic deal, in every way. In the boldest move in franchise history, the usually conservative and low-key Gang Green traded up for USC hot shot QB Mark Sanchez.

Granted, all trades and draft picks look great four months before the season opener. But for the Jets, this was a deal to not just improve the talent on the roster but a terrific public relations coup that greatly improves the team’s impact and relationship with the fans and community.

But less than 48 hours later, in the midst of all the great PR buzz and good feelings, Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum picks up the phone and calls superstar agent Drew Rosenhaus to inquire about the availability of his client, WR Plaxico Burress – UGH!

As we all know, Burress was recently released by the New York Giants following an incident in November when a handgun he was carrying in a Manhattan nightclub accidentally discharged and resulted in a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the thigh.

Burress allegedly did not have a New York State permit for the gun and, along with teammate Antonio Pierce, attempted to cover up the incident and not inform police. Burress, of course, was not successful in the cover up and the whole incident blew up into an ugly media storm – for both Burress and the Giants.

Prior to the accidental shooting, Burress had other numerous off the field incidents that angered Giants management and embarrassed the entire organization. Long story short, during his four-year career with the Giants (and also with his first NFL club, the Pittsburgh Steelers) Burress has been characterized by coaches, media and fans as a malcontent.

Although tremendously talented and one of the top-five receivers in the game, the Giants elected to cut ties with the troubled athlete even though they knew it would create a huge whole to their roster.

If Burress is healthy and does not have to face jail time (he has a June 15 scheduled court date to face gun charges), he’ll no doubt hook on with another team and get a second chance (really about an eighth chance, overall).

But why would the Jets, who’ve suffered decades of terrible draft choices, historical collapses, freakish injuries, coaching catastrophes and no Super Bowl appearances since 1969, want to get mixed up with this guy?

Granted, if Burress signed with the Jets, returned to greatness, and helped lead Gang Green to a championship, everyone would forget in a heartbeat about his checkered past.

But how likely is that? How likely is it that Burress, playing in New York again, will not cause any distractions, be a model citizen, and regain his all-pro form? Unlikely? Very unlikely?

Let’s look at four other pro athletes who’ve been tangled up in some recently negative publicity stories and examine how their careers have transpired as a result:

1. Adam “Pacman” Jones – A terrific NFL cornerback and return specialist, Pacman Jones was involved in a number of off the field criminal activities but most known for his involvement in a strip club shooting and subsequent cover up where an alleged member of his party opened fire and left a bouncer paralyzed. As a result, Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 season and became a symbol of “gangster-type” athletes that fans were getting tired off. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took a chance on the talented but trouble athlete and signed him for the 2008 season. The move backfired and caused tremendous embarrassment and PR strain for the Cowboys. While a member of the Cowboys Pacman Jones was involved, yet again, in an off the field incident when he was allegedly drunk and beat up his bodyguard who, by the way, was assigned by the Cowboys' owner to babysit Pacman and keep him out of trouble.

2. Barry Bond – Barry Bonds became the most prolific power hitter in baseball history, at the age of 42! Okay, we all know how he achieved this unprecedented success. But the bottom line for baseball teams is producing on the field and winning. So why, after Bond’s contract expired with the San Francisco Giants in 2007 and clearly interested in playing, did no team try to sign him? Bonds could still contribute with the bat and would have been able to help any offense. But all 30 MLB teams stayed clear of the tainted slugger. There’s a famous story that came out of the San Diego Padres front office where General Manager Kevin Towers was considering signing Bonds. But instead of running the idea by his scouts and other baseball people he held a meeting with the team’s marketing department to get their thoughts. It was unanimous that bringing Bonds to San Diego would be a nightmare for the team’s marketing and public relations efforts. So Towers passed.

3. John Rocker – I think we all remember the famous Jeff Pearlman – Sports Illustrated article about John Rocker released in early 2000. The story quoted the Atlanta Braves relief pitcher spewing a number of racist, homophobic, and other mean and stupid comments about just about everybody. At the time, Rocker was a terrific hard throwing left-handed reliever who was one of the best in baseball. But the controversy from the article brought so much attention and negative publicity to Rocker and Braves that he was ultimately traded to the Cleveland Indians. But Rocker was never the same pitcher. He bounced around with the Indians, Texas and Tampa before leaving MLB baseball and resurfacing in independent ball with the Long Island Ducks.

4. Latrell Sprewell – Latrell Sprewell did not follow the same path of the other referenced troubled athletes. In December 1997, the Golden State Warriors small forward attacked then-head coach P.J. Carlesimo TWICE during a practice and strangled him to the point where other players had to pull Sprewell off before he killed his coach. For the assault, Sprewell’s contract was voided by the Warriors and he was suspended by the NBA for a then-record 68 games. The New York Knicks stepped in and made perhaps their most controversial move in franchise history when they traded for Sprewell, taking a tremendous PR risk. However, the move paid off. Sprewell flourished with the Knicks and emerged as the team’s best player during his five-year stop in New York (which included a 1998 NBA Finals appearance). There were some hiccups and off the court incidents caused by Sprewell while with the Knicks, but overall the trade worked out very well for both parties.

So citing history, is it wise for the Jets to publicly explore signing Burress – let alone actually doing it? In a league that has serious image problems regarding guns and violence, does expressing interest in the former Giant send a bad message to the Jets fans and community? The Jets could be portraying their organization as one that’s not concerned about its players’ character or respect for authority, implying that just as long as the athlete is talented and can help us win on the field we’ll take him.

Now let’s wait and see which GM is crazy enough to make that call to Michael Vick’s agent. I can’t wait to watch that PR story!