Post by *†*Oz70NYC*†* on Jul 27, 2009 14:00:09 GMT -5
As NFL Training Camps begin all across the country, the Buffalo Bills held their 1st mandatory camp yesterday. And of course, all eyes were on their new star, Terrell Owens. He looked pretty good at practice from what experts (And critics) say, and hopefully this carries over to the regular season. But anyone with a pulse who follows the NFL knows that it's what T.O. does OFF the field that makes him famous. (Or infamous...depends on your outlook.) After the camp yesterday, T.O. spoke at a media conference for the team, where he had some candid things to say in the direction of NFL Commissioner Roger Giddel in response to his handling of the reinstatement of embattled QB Michael Vick. As we all know, Vick's spent the last two years in prison after being convicted for running a dog fighting ring. This indubitably put a dagger into the beforehand untarnished image of Vick, as well as took away two years from what was shaping up to be a Hall Of Fame career. Let's remember, when Vick was pinched, he was the most exciting player in Football. He made defenses look like they were in slow motion, and he was finally starting to put together what it took to be not just a great player, but a great quarterback. But it all was taken away by the drop of a Judge's gavel.
And here we are, two years later. Vick's now a free man, and has paid his debt to society. And he wants to salvage what he can of his career. There are plenty of teams that would take the risk, but it's clear he's about 2 years away from even being remotely close to being a starting NFL Quarterback again. He hasn't taken a snap since 2007, so rust is a definite factor, as is age. He'll be 32 this year, so it's safe to say he's right at the beginning of the end as far as his playing days. He got pulled away from the game when he was about to reach his ceiling, and unfortunately we may never see "The best Michael Vick" under center. But apparently, paying his debt to society isn't enough for Giddel, as with Vick's reinstatement, he slapped an ADDITIONAL 4 game suspension on top of it. That's where T.O. was plenty pissed about.
Owens said during his time on mic that "He doesn't know what kind of message the commissioner is trying to send, but it's ridiculous. The man's spent two years in jail, and he's paid his debt. All he wants to do is move forward, play the game he loves, and repair his image to the world. He's ready to turn the page, but Commissioner Giddel obviously isn't." T.O. also went on to say "Vick just wants to feed his family and make his livelihood again, just like everyone else in this room. There are guys in the NFL right now who have done far worse then him (Can anyone say Plaxico Burress? Larry Fitzgerald? Ray Lewis?) that are still playing, and haven't even so much as been put under the microscope. Yet Vick makes one mistake and he's being crucified for it to this day. I'm surprised that other players don't have the heart to speak up on this. It's wrong. That's all there is to it, it's wrong. The Player's Union needs to step in and step up. How much more can you punish the guy?"
I've always liked T.O. as a player, but as a person I often question what he does. But this shows without a doubt the type of character he has, and I think changes a lot of people's perception of him. T.O. and Vick have never played together. Hell, I doubt they've ever even met face to face. But T.O. has given Vick his full support in his return to the NFL, going as far as calling out "The Boss" in the process. That takes a major set. And T.O.'s shown he has them, as well as a brain, and a heart. I personally agree 100% with everything T.O. said. Vick's served his time. He's paid for his mistake in more ways then you can imagine. Losing two years of your career, endorsement deals, MILLIONS of dollars. A lesser man would never want to see a Football again, but Vick wants to come back into the league and prove he still belongs. He's even gone as far as saying he knows he has an uphill battle, but if he's allowed to, he'll do what it takes to climb it. Roger Giddel runs the NFL like Hitler did Germany. He's all about making examples of those who don't follow rules. And like T.O. said, there are guys who have done much heinous things still playing. So why does Vick get the short end of the deal? Let the man have what's left of his career back. Let him start on the road of salvaging his tarnished image to the world. He knows he's under the microscope, what's the point turning a light on over it? I applaud T.O. for speaking up. SOMEONE had to do it, why not the most vocal player in the NFL.
And here we are, two years later. Vick's now a free man, and has paid his debt to society. And he wants to salvage what he can of his career. There are plenty of teams that would take the risk, but it's clear he's about 2 years away from even being remotely close to being a starting NFL Quarterback again. He hasn't taken a snap since 2007, so rust is a definite factor, as is age. He'll be 32 this year, so it's safe to say he's right at the beginning of the end as far as his playing days. He got pulled away from the game when he was about to reach his ceiling, and unfortunately we may never see "The best Michael Vick" under center. But apparently, paying his debt to society isn't enough for Giddel, as with Vick's reinstatement, he slapped an ADDITIONAL 4 game suspension on top of it. That's where T.O. was plenty pissed about.
Owens said during his time on mic that "He doesn't know what kind of message the commissioner is trying to send, but it's ridiculous. The man's spent two years in jail, and he's paid his debt. All he wants to do is move forward, play the game he loves, and repair his image to the world. He's ready to turn the page, but Commissioner Giddel obviously isn't." T.O. also went on to say "Vick just wants to feed his family and make his livelihood again, just like everyone else in this room. There are guys in the NFL right now who have done far worse then him (Can anyone say Plaxico Burress? Larry Fitzgerald? Ray Lewis?) that are still playing, and haven't even so much as been put under the microscope. Yet Vick makes one mistake and he's being crucified for it to this day. I'm surprised that other players don't have the heart to speak up on this. It's wrong. That's all there is to it, it's wrong. The Player's Union needs to step in and step up. How much more can you punish the guy?"
I've always liked T.O. as a player, but as a person I often question what he does. But this shows without a doubt the type of character he has, and I think changes a lot of people's perception of him. T.O. and Vick have never played together. Hell, I doubt they've ever even met face to face. But T.O. has given Vick his full support in his return to the NFL, going as far as calling out "The Boss" in the process. That takes a major set. And T.O.'s shown he has them, as well as a brain, and a heart. I personally agree 100% with everything T.O. said. Vick's served his time. He's paid for his mistake in more ways then you can imagine. Losing two years of your career, endorsement deals, MILLIONS of dollars. A lesser man would never want to see a Football again, but Vick wants to come back into the league and prove he still belongs. He's even gone as far as saying he knows he has an uphill battle, but if he's allowed to, he'll do what it takes to climb it. Roger Giddel runs the NFL like Hitler did Germany. He's all about making examples of those who don't follow rules. And like T.O. said, there are guys who have done much heinous things still playing. So why does Vick get the short end of the deal? Let the man have what's left of his career back. Let him start on the road of salvaging his tarnished image to the world. He knows he's under the microscope, what's the point turning a light on over it? I applaud T.O. for speaking up. SOMEONE had to do it, why not the most vocal player in the NFL.
