[Paintrain]

Originally Posted by Slingin Sammy 33

Agreed 100% people > animals. If there is any outrage it should be focused on the lack of sentence in FL for the DUI manslaughter, rather than Vick's 23 months. If someone killed a loved one of mine in a DUI I'd sure expect a sentence tougher than 30 days.

The NFL punishment is a separate issue. Should Stallworth be banned from the NFL for lack of judgement on one night that resulted in an accidental death. He fully cooperated with the police, accepted responsibility, and reached an out-of-court financial settlement with the family. What damage to the NFL would occur if he was only suspended for a year and allowed to return. I don't think any.

Should the NFL ban Vick for the damage he did to the league and for willfully carrying on this venture for many years in direct violation of his NFL contract, then lying to his team and the NFL about it? I believe reinstating Vick would cause a PR backlash and result in some financial loss of ad revenue or corporate sponsorships. In the grand scheme of things the financial impact would probably be minor to the NFL. The willful disregard for the NFL's rules and policies needs to be considered as well. The NFL is a business entity, and as such it needs at look at the damage each incident caused to its business and how the disciplinary actions to each player effect its future business. If you look at the result of each players actions only to determine the correct punishment by the NFL, rather than the surrounding circumstances it would be a mistake.

On a moral scale; have you ever driven after a few beers/drinks? I hate to admit it, but I have made that mistake in the past. I thank God I didn't hurt anyone, but it's possible I could have. Have you ever trained dogs for dog-fighting, attended many dog-fights and watch them bite and tear each other apart, have you killed dogs who didn't "perform well" by electrocution, slamming them on the ground, drowing etc. I'm sure you haven't. Could you do those things? I'm sure you couldn't. The heartlessness and inhumanity in what Vick did is sickening to most people. What Stallworth did is an accident that could've happened to many people.

I guess I see it as both of them used poor judgment. Both knew what they were doing was wrong when they did it. Both made a conscious choice that drove (no pun intended) their actions. Both faced consequences and are subject to punishment thru the legal system. Both are killers. One will get a virtual pass among fans because 'it could/has happened to all of us' even though he killed another human. I just don't really get that I guess.