Vick backs out on another interview

Michael Vick was scheduled to appear on ESPN’s First Take this morning which was being filmed in front of a live audience at Disney for ESPN’s annual “Disney the Weekend” BS. Pro Football Talk reports that near the end of the show, First Take host Dana Jacobson informed the audience and viewers that Vick would not be making the interview.

“We have some bad news. We were supposed to have an interview with Michale Vick, we’ve been telling you about it, and sadly the Eagles actually pulled the interview, is what I’m being told. In all honesty, we were looking forward to talking to Michael about what has been a turnaround season for him and what has been a rough few years and getting to some other stuff.”

Co-host Jay Crawford then added “We’ve been Oprah’d!” referencing the Oprah interview that was cancelled at the last minute. Interestingly, Jacobson clearly indicated that the interview was cancelled by the Eagles. When the Oprah interview was originally cancelled, it appeared that it was the doing of Michael Vick. Later reports indicated that the Eagles strongly urged Vick to cancel the interview, but they officially prohibited him from going on the show.

So why in the world would the Eagles be so afraid to let Michael Vick participate in interviews?

Honestly, I have no idea. I suppose it’s possible that the Eagles just want to avoid any potential negative publicity surrounding a “mis-step” by Vick on air, but that doesn’t even make sense. Vick has done countless public appearances speaking about his off the field issues and his story of redemption so why would the Eagles all of a sudden be so against interviews?

Just this week, Vick signed his franchise tender earning him a significant pay raise to an estimated $20m based on the 5 highest players at his position.

It makes little sense to me at this point, hopefully more details will be forthcoming.

 

Oprah Cancellation Not Vick’s Choice

 

Michael Vick was scheduled to tape an interview with  Oprah and drew a lot of attention and speculation yesterday after canceling shortly after news came out about the interview. According to Fox 29, Vick postponed his Oprah interview after the Eagles voiced their objections.

The interview was schedule for yesterday and it was to be aired on February 24th. According to an Oprah show representative, NFL reps called late Tuesday canceling the appearance for “personal reasons”. Vick then issued the following statement:

“After careful consideration, I will need to postpone the taping of the Oprah Winfrey interview scheduled for February 22nd. I admire and respect Oprah and hope to be able to participate in an interview in the future.”

The interview was to detail Vick’s time in prison, his work with the Humane Society, and his return to the NFL. It’s incredibly interesting that the Eagles and the NFL would object to Vick going on Oprah to speak about his story.

It certainly doesn’t clear anything up as far as I’m concerned. Actually, it just draws even more question to the situation. Here is the video from Fox 29:

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Brett Favre: “Why play? Not worth it.”

 

Apparently the ‘Ol Gunslinger has finally had enough of the game of football. The old man who so often looked like he was a kid playing a game in the backyard has finally conceded that he can no longer handle the game at the NFL level.

After a shoulder injury and disgustingly purple hand ended his precious streak at 297 games, Brett Favre surprised everyone by inserting himself in the lineup at the last minute last week in an attempt to come up with one more magical Monday night against the Bears.

For one drive, it appeared that he would come through one more time as he drove the Vikings offense right down the field for a score. But Favre was knocked out of the game, and apparently was knocked unconscious on a hit that may have ended his career for good this time. No, seriously.

Now, I have learned to never believe a word that comes from this man’s mouth, but for a couple different reasons, I tend to believe this quote. When asked about a return to the field this week or next, Favre added the following:

“Why play? Not worth it.”

He then went on to confirm that he was knocked unconscious for 20 seconds following the hit by Wooten last week. I’m not sure I believe that part as we’ve also learned that Favre loves to exaggerate his injuries in an attempt to manufacture and enhance his “tough guy” persona.

But here is why I think he probably won’t play again. For starters, the Commissioner is close to ruling on the Sterger case and from everything I’ve heard, he has done enough to get suspended if the Commissioner has the balls to do so. I predicted a while back that the Commissioner would have a conversation with Favre convincing him to stay off the field and ride off into the sunset so Goodell can quietly conclude the investigation rather than issuing disciplinary measures.

In addition, it started a couple years ago, but never has it been more evident that Favre just doesn’t look like he wants to be out there. He doesn’t look like he wants to be in the cold, deal with the hits, or practice. Even with his incredible year statistically last season, you could tell that he really didn’t want to get hit in the NFC Championship game against the Saints. Not that I blame him… he got CRUSHED!

Given these circumstances, and since he hasn’t been able to finish a game lately, I honestly believe he’s done and the video below will show the final play in his illustrious and sometimes notorious career.

New York Post takes a cheap shot at Mike Vick

 

 

Apparently the game of the week and maybe the game of the year just won’t die. After coming back from a 31-10 deficit with only 8 minutes remaining the game yesterday, the Eagles took control of the NFC East. Desean Jackson won the game on a “Walk-Off” punt return for a TD and it was one of the greatest collapses in recent NFL history.

For Vick, it was yet another incredible performance in his comeback story and despite doing everything asked of him and more, some just refuse to let things go. The New York Post took the opportunity to publish a tasteless and classless cheap shot against Vick with the above headline. I’m sure everyone in New York is pissed off about yesterday’s game, but c’mon… this is the front page of the Post and it’s really getting old.

I guess because Vick is playing nearly flawless football on the field, there just isn’t much to attack him with except for his past.

Insider Video of the Eagles Post-Game Celebration

 

We’ve all see the amazing comeback win the Eagles had over the Giants yesterday and Desean Jackson’s incredible “Walk-Off” punt return for a touchdown by now. But you may have not seen this insider video of the ensuing celebration by the Eagles on the field and in the locker-room.

I’ve linked the website here (http://bit.ly/hfGwBQ) and cannot get the video to embed at this point, but I’ll keep trying. Trust me, it’s worth the effort to navigate to their site and check it out.

A couple of things stood out to me and the first was Giants lineman Shawn Andrews almost doing something stupid and then catching himself. I’m sure it wasn’t any fun being in the Giants lockerroom yesterday and he didn’t look too happy.

The next was Andy Reid calling his superstar WR, Desean Jackson a MIDGET! I mean, it’s true… but that was funny!

Also notice Vick as he’s clearly feeling welcome and at home in Philly. He’s playing great and they seem to be having a ton of fun as well. This team is going to be dangerous come playoff time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Michael Vick Violating a Court Order?

Michael Vick‘s story showed us one of the most incredible “Falls from grace” in professional sports history. After an amazing college career at Virginia Tech and with unparalleled physical and athletic talent, Vick was selected #1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons. During his tenure in Atlanta, he admittedly relied solely on his physical gifts and did not put in the time or effort to study film or to dedicate himself on becoming a better football player, QB, or man. He had enormous endorsement deals and a $100M contract with the Falcons. He had multiple Pro-Bowl appearances, tremendous success in terms of winning in the NFL and he appeared to have it all.

And then his world was flipped upside down. He was indicted on a multitude of State and Federal criminal charges as a result of his funding and participating in a multi-state dog fighting ring. The details that came out were gruesome and quite honestly heart-wrenching for anyone who has ever owned a dog. This didn’t come out of nowhere either as Vick was in  repeatedly trouble with the law and with the NFL for alleged drug use. Not too long before the dog fighting charges came to light, Vick was arrested for having marijuana hidden in a water bottle in an airport.

After he was convicted of the multiple charges related to dog fighting, he was released by the Falcons who voided his contract and he was suspended by the NFL. He obviously had to serve nearly 2 years in a Federal Prison as well and lost all of his endorsements. He went from a man who had incredible financial resources to a man who had no way to sustain the luxurious lifestyle that he not only became accustomed to, but was also locked into for the foreseeable future.

Vick had so much debt owed to creditors (including the IRS) that with the loss of income he was forced to file for voluntary bankruptcy protection. Bankruptcy law can get confusing, but the short explanation is this was a way to settle his debts with creditors. It didn’t eliminate all of his debt, but rather they agree on reduced balances and agree upon essentially a payment plan until the debts are paid in full. As a part of the bankruptcy, Vick was issued a court ordered budget by which he must adhere to until 2015. This budget stipulates the amount of money that can be spent on certain expenses like housing, car payments, etc.

This is done so as to protect creditors and to make sure they get their fair share of what is owed to them. That’s all fine and good, but the issue arises, potentially, when the person is able to recoup their previous level of income and they’re tempted to go back to their luxurious lifestyle.

Vick’s re-entrance to the NFL means he immediately made more money than 99% of Americans and while he’s not making near what he did in Atlanta, he’s doing just fine. With his MVP like play this season for the Eagles, he’s also positioned himself for a HUGE payday as he enters free-agency at the end of this year. I don’t begrudge him any of the money he’s making as he’s just earning what owners are willing to pay him. The potential issue, however, is there are some signs pointing to Vick violating the court appointed budget.

There are recent photos showing that Vick’s brother Marcus’ fiancee just received a $100K+ car and Vick’s fiancee also received a $100K+ car. We know Marcus failed in the NFL and has no source of income for these purchases and from what I’ve gathered, the ladies don’t have sufficient income to make these purchases. So did Vick, anticipating a payday next year, spend some of the money he’s earned in the past 2 years in the NFL to splurge a little? Personally I think he should be able to as long as he’s meeting his obligations to creditors and there wasn’t a clause that increased the payment amounts should he receive a boost in income.

The question, however, is what the court says. Is the court going to hammer him for spending more than the allowable budget. I’m not an attorney, but from my research, it appears that he COULD be found guilty of fraud if he’s found to have violated his court appointed budget. This would be a horrible and tragic mistake for Vick after he’s taken incredible steps to turn his life around.

There is another potential explanation for the cars. It isn’t unheard of for dealerships to provide free leases to star athletes and celebrities in exchange for certain promotional activities and just so these athletes are seen in their cars. it’s entirely possible that these cars were obtained without violating the court appointed vehicle expense which appears to be a mere $472/month according to court records.

It’s all speculation at this point as there have been no whispers of any sort of investigation or potential issues with the courts. And who knows, maybe he got approval for the purchases or maybe he didn’t pay anything out of pocket for the use of the cars. I honestly hope something stupid like this doesn’t derail his comeback both as a QB and as a man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Vick wants to own a dog

 

Mike Vick has demonstrated incredible resilience and redemption since going to prison for funding and orchestrating a dog fighting ring during his days with the Atlanta Falcons. Since returning to the NFL, he has worked diligently to recover as both a football player and a man. He has spent countless hours speaking to kids on the issue of animal cruelty and has worked very hard to get his life back together. For that, he should be commended.

But some will never forget the horrific acts he committed on dogs. Ever. He was banned by the judge who sentenced him from ever owning another dog, but in a recent interview Vick informed us that he misses dogs. In an interview with NBC News he said that he and his family miss having a dog and that he wants to show people that he can be a responsible pet owner if ever granted another opportunity.

“I would love to get another dog in the future. I think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process,” Vick said.

He added “My daughters miss having one, and that’s the hardest thing: Telling them that we can’t have one because of my actions

I don’t necessarily think it would be a bad thing if he were able to own and care for a dog properly again, but right now probably isn’t the best time to bring it up. He is on his way to an incredible, MVP caliber season and the Eagles are fighting for the NFC East crown. He has undoubtedly taken great strides and due to his rehabilitation and spectacular play, he has been largely under the radar of criticism. He doesn’t need to stir up the hornets nest, so to speak. At least not right now.

I know he’s probably just honestly answering a question, but I can see the backlash now from the likes of PETA and others. I’m a huge animal lover myself and find what he did to be disgusting, but I also give him credit for the steps he’s taken. But lets get through the season and demonstrate a little more of a track record before we start talking about wanting to have a dog.

Tragedy at Soldier Field

 

During yesterday’s game between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field, we witnessed yet another tragedy related to a person falling at a sporting event.

23 year old Stewart Haverty was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 5:24 PM after he fell out of Soldier Field and landed on a roof-top on the west side of the Stadium. The incident occured at 4:55 PM during the game according to Chicago Police and Fire officials.

Haverty reportedly fell approximately 20 feet and landed on a small roof-top on of the stadium near Lake Shore Drive. Witnesses report that the man ran up to the ledge and jumped.

It is unknown at this point what the man’s intentions were and if drugs or alcohol were involved. An autopsy is schedule for today.

Terrell Owens: Jealous, Bitter, Classless

 

 

By now you’ve heard about the shocking contract extension that Donovan McNabb signed with the Washington Redskins. 5 years, $78M with $40M guaranteed. Yep, you read that right. After Shanahan benched McNabb and essentially called him old, fat, stupid and out of shape, he signed a monster extension. It’s my belief that Daniel Snyder was none too pleased with the way Shanahan treated his QB and wanted to be sure to lock up McNabb up and also send a message to Shanahan as to where Snyder’s loyalties lie.

We weren’t the only ones caught off-guard by the blockbuster extension and Terrell Owens isn’t one to keep his opinion to himself. Owens, who has routinely disrespected McNabb and literally every other QB he’s ever played for except Carson Palmer (and he will), is apparently extremely jealous of his former QB’s new contract. Hell, I’m jealous of the contract, I’m sure a lot of players are. But you won’t see anyone else in the NFL or elsewhere display the absolute lack of class, lack of professionalism, petty jealousy, and overall poor taste that Terrell Owens displays on a regular basis.

This is just the latest in his blatant bitterness and disrespect for Donovan McNabb who is, mind you, one of the classiest and purely professional players in the NFL:

 

Owens has been whining about his own contract all season after literally every single NFL team passed on him except the Cincinnati Bengals. And we can see how that turned out for the Bengals. What he continually fails to realize, is his ridiculous bitterness and unprofessionalism is one of the key reasons that he’s unable to draw attention from teams and why he was only signed to a 1 year deal.

If Owens displayed even 1% of the professionalism, class, and character of McNabb who he constantly disrespects, maybe he wouldn’t have such a hard time landing a team and a big contract.

 

 

 

 

lll