[Vision2020] NFL: Goodell Orders Vick Out of Training Camp

[Saundra Lund]

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Goodell Orders Vick Out of Training Camp

By DAVE GOLDBERG
The Associated Press
Monday, July 23, 2007; 9:11 PM

NEW YORK -- Michael Vick was ordered by commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday
to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons' training camp until the league
reviews the dogfighting charges against him.

"While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or
innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football
League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless
violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," Goodell
said in a letter to the quarterback.

The NFL said Vick would still get his preseason pay and Goodell told the
Falcons to withhold any disciplinary action of their own until the league's
review was completed.

Goodell told Vick the league would complete its review as quickly as
possible and that he expected full cooperation. The review is expected to
involve conversations with federal law enforcement officials so the NFL can
determine the strength of the case against Vick.

The Falcons open camp on Thursday, the same day Vick is scheduled to be
arraigned in Richmond, Va., on charges of sponsoring a dogfighting
operation.

The team declined comment other than to say a news conference was scheduled
Tuesday at owner Arthur Blank's office in Atlanta.

Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft, last season became the first
quarterback ever to rush for more than 1,000 yards.

After his indictment last week, the NFL's position was that it would monitor
developments and allow the legal process to "determine the facts."

Since then, pressure has been mounting on the league and the Falcons,
particularly from animal-rights groups.

PETA _ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals _ demonstrated at
Falcons' headquarters in Flowery Branch, Ga., on Monday and did the same
outside NFL offices in New York last week. At the same time, Goodell was
meeting with officials from the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals. The league and the ASPCA are working on a program to
educate players about the proper treatment of animals.

Activists also put pressure on companies that have endorsements deals with
Vick to sever their ties. Nike said it would not release a fifth signature
shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer. Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the
four shoe products and three shirts that currently bear Vick's name will
remain in stores.

Goodell's order came down after lengthy discussions involving the league
office, the Falcons and the NFL Players' Association. Gene Upshaw, the
NFLPA's executive director, was one of the first to side with Goodell when
he instituted the strong Personal Conduct Policy after a season of repeated
misdeeds by players.

Disciplining players has turned out to be Goodell's main focus since taking
over last Sept. 1 for the retired Paul Tagliabue.

Since the end of last season, he has used the new policy to suspend Adam
"Pacman" Jones of the Tennessee Titans for the entire 2007 season; and Chris
Henry of Cincinnati and former Chicago Bear Tank Johnson for eight games
each.

Those calling for Vick's suspension have noted that Jones, who faces charges
of coercion in Las Vegas stemming from a shooting that left a man paralyzed,
wasn't convicted when he was suspended.

However, league officials said there were mitigating circumstances in the
Jones case.

In January, he accepted a plea agreement to dismiss public intoxication and
disorderly conduct charges in Tennessee if he behaved himself for six
months. League officials say that the charges in Las Vegas voided that
agreement and were a major factor in his suspension.

The indictment of Vick alleges that about eight young dogs were put to death
at his Surry County home after they were found not ready to fight. They were
killed "by hanging, drowning and/or slamming at least one dog's body to the
ground."

Purses for the fights ranged from hundreds of dollars to the thousands, and
participants and spectators often placed side bets on the outcome, according
to the indictment

If convicted, Vick and three others charged with him could face up to six
years in prison, and $350,000 in fines.