Michael Vick is the largest star on a long laundry list of dirty work done by players of the NFL all off-season, the most embarrassing one, by far, for the league. Allegations against him have not led to any convictions, but strong evidence led to an indictment last week. Dead dog corpses? Bloody carpets in a fighting ring? Enough malnourished and/or wounded dogs an entire shelter could not care for? Are you serious Vick? The feds sure think it is serious, and so does the NFL. Nike even pulled the plug on his new shoe coming out, and Nike is not known for making moral stands, even if persuaded by the public. I am sure “Pacman” Jones and the Cincinnati Bengals are happy to be out of the spotlight, but this is an embarrassment to everyone affiliated with the league.
Tim Donaghy has never been a household name, and he sure wishes it was still that way. Usually shaded by the stars of athletes in the NBA, this referee brought himself to the leagues center stage, and the curtain will not draw closed anytime soon. Amidst allegations that this ref bet on NBA games over the last two seasons and possibly even ones that he refereed for, Commissioner David Stern is looking dead into the eye of the darkest storm to ever hover over the NBA.
For the rest of this column, read this week's Cadiz Record.
