Thursday, July 19, 2007
Golden boy loses much of his luster
Shanna Flowers
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A federal indictment?
The cynics among us might have figured this from Marcus. But Michael?
Michael Vick was the golden child, Virginia Tech's golden child. Before the NFL was his stage, Lane Stadium was his incubator.
There, he was a star in the making, a lefty whose zippy passes and dazzling runs put Tech football on the map and took it to within one fateful quarter of a national championship.
In the NFL he became a bona fide star, eventually the highest paid player in the league.
But, as we were reminded this week, stars can fall.
These dogfighting allegations that Vick has gotten himself entangled in are nasty stuff.
Electrocutions. Executions. Dog carcasses. A "rape stand."
Indicted on a federal conspiracy charge, Vick will see his case wind through the legal system. Of course, the former Hokie has only been indicted. He remains innocent unless proven otherwise.
But as details of the allegations emerge, the question on the minds of many fans is why the NFL's $130 million baby is linked to a dogfighting operation in the first place?
Why is the famous face of the Atlanta Falcons indicted for conspiring in a sport that pits one animal against another? Besides being illegal and brutally violent, dogfighting has been connected to the drug culture.
I wasn't surprised several weeks ago when I read that Vick remains loyal to the guys with whom he grew up. Unfortunately, several members of his inner circle have been arrested on drug and gun charges.
Many young people feel they can't turn their backs on their longtime buddies, even if their friends haven't progressed as they have. They feel an obligation to "keep it real," to show that they haven't forgotten the people who knew them when.
That's fine. You don't have to forget them. You don't have to let them drag you down, either.
"That's one of the problems of these young athletes," said sociologist Carl Taylor of Michigan State University. "They get a large amount of money and fail to see the responsibility that comes with it.
"You want to act like you're in the street. You can't do that. You're the quarterback. The quarterback is the leader. We're always looking to our leaders. [Former NBA player] Charles Barkley said, 'We're not role models.' I'm afraid you are."
Vick's image has taken other recent hits, including a $10,000 fine for making an obscene gesture at fans during a game.
But the dogfighting investigation may cause him to lose endorsements.
"If he thinks dogfighting is a sport," Taylor said, "he's missed the whole point of sport. Sport builds character. Sport does not destroy."
Shanna Flowers' column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
