Vick Suspension Will Affect Others
Dr. Harry Edwards Says High School Code Of Conduct Is Next
Noted sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards says Michael Vick's guilty plea on dogfighting charges will forever change the way players at all levels must act off the field.
It's a very simple document.
Only four pages long, actually.
But even though it might not be what National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell had in mind when he rolled out a revamped Personal Conduct Policy for all his players, it could now just be the new standard for every young player, too ... from Pee Wee League to college.
The policy is clear as glass: Do the right thing off the field, or you might never get on it.
"This is about personal conduct," said Dr. Harry Edwards, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, who assisted Goodell in shaping the league's new code of conduct policy.
"This is pre-emptive. It has to filter down all the way to college, to high school, to junior high school.
"If a player wants to play, they're going to have to act like they want to play by acting in a responsible manner," Edwards said.
The new policy already has several high-profile NFL casualties littered in its wake:
- Second-year wide receiver Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals, suspended two games after having pled guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge;
- Adam "Pacman" Jones of Tennessee, suspended the entire 2007 season for ... among numerous other off-field incidents ... making it "rain" $1bills at a Las Vegas strip club. That little bit of stupidity led to a parking lot altercation, which led to a club bouncer being shot and paralyzed after someone allegedly in Jones' group opened fire. Vegas police charged Jones for inciting the whole thing;
- Tank Johnson, of the Bears, suspended 8 games for the upcoming season after being found in violation of the conditions of his parole when police raided his suburban Chicago home last December and found six unregistered firearms.
And, of course, that same policy now threatens the very career of Michael Vick ... one of the NFL's most popular players and one of the most recognized athletes in the world, who Monday will plead guilty in federal court to running an interstate dogfighting enterprise.
Under a plea agreement he will enter into, Vick will serve prison time ... maybe as much as two years ... that will cancel at the very least his 2007 season.
Once out of jail, he will surely be suspended for another full season by Goodell under the new policy's guidelines.
Being away from football for two full seasons can kill any player's career.
For a quarterback its almost a sure-fire career ender.
Edwards says because of Vick's inexplicable behavior, players coming into the NFL better even be careful of the kinds of pets they keep.
"If they've got pit bulls, they can forget it (playing in the NFL)," he said.
"When you've got pit bulls, its just a matter of time before somebody says to you my dog is badder than your dog. And that's when the fights start.
"This stuff has to stop, and by putting a personal code of conduct in place you have clear rules everybody has to adhere to.
"Ninety percent of the players in the league are sick of this stuff, man" Edwards said.
"It only takes one person to hijack an entire league.
"One referee has hijacked the NBA," he said, in reference to former National Basketball Association referee Tim Donaghy, who pleaded guilty recently to betting on basketball games over the past two seasons, including ones he officiated.
Edwards believes the NFL's policy will be adpoted on other levels as the standard by which all players ... in every sport ... are judged.
"There has to be a translation of these personal conduct policies that are applicable at every lower level" he said.
"And not only does the policy have to be presented to every athlete, so they know exactly where they stand, but there has to be ongoing conversation once the rules are in place."
Edwards said he just recently had discussions on the subject with University of Florida football coach Urban Myer and Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan, as well as University of California football coach Jeff Tedford.
"The thugs and homies are out there every day," Edwards said.
"What has to happen is the kids have to realize the risks they run by continuing questionable behavior ... being around questionable people.
"Michael Vick has possibly thrown away almost a quarter of a billion dollars he would've made over the next several years," said Edwards, in reference to Vick's 10-year, $130 million dollar contract the Falcons will no doubt try to opt out of soon, and some $90 million more in endorsements that have already all but been canceled.
Edwards said holding players accountable ... to the letter of the league's new laws ... is long overdue.
"This (new NFL policy) is going to change things," he said.
"What Goodell is saying is you can have a tackle, a quarterback, a wide receiver with all the ability in the world, but if they don't follow the rules they will not play.
"It's time."
