Many people have indicated that Roger Goodell does not have the authority to prevent Michael Vick from playing in the NFL.  After reviewing the CBA (its only a few hundred pages long), it would appear to me that the Commissioner does have this authority based on the CBA’s following sections (at a minimum I suspect there are more)

(view the CBA its about a 3.6 mb pdf file)

See Appendix C Section 15

Note this section states that any NFL player that knowingly associates with gamblers or gambling activity;   . . . .then the Commissioner will have the right, but only after giving Player the opportunity for a hearing at which he may be represented by counsel of his choice, to fine Player in a reasonable amount; to suspend Player for a period certain or indefinitely; and/or to terminate this contract.

Furthermore, the NFL CBA seems to recognize that any player like Michael Vick has the power to damage the NFL if their conduct is not held up to an appropriate standard.

This clause does not link suspension or removal, but as it is part of the contract failure of a player to live up to this clause could make the contract voidable and therefore remove the player from the club or the league.

The CBA provides appendix G which lays out the standard Notice of Termination as follows

Earlier today we published an article titled Tony Dungy is Michael Vick’s Dupe of the Season, we basically started out the article saying that ‘it didn’t matter if Michael Vick didn’t follow Tony Dungy’s advice’ about not drinking. 

Apparently we were half right and half wrong.  As one of our astute readers was able to point out to us in an email today.

Its true that it doesn’t really matter if Michael Vick ignores half of what Tony Dungy says, but (and this is a big one) Michael Vick IS REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE CONDITIONS OF HIS PAROLE & (another big one) Michael Vick IS REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE CONDITIONS OF HIS CONDITIONAL NFL REINSTATEMENT.

By going to a bar and drinking Vodka with friends after his First day back on the job in the NFL, Michael Vick likely violated both his parole and his NFL reinstatement.

But don’t take our word for it, check out the terms of Michael Vick’s reinstatement as quoted from Roger Goodell’s letter to Michael Vick.

“Among the conditions of this reinstatement, you are required to abide by the terms of the supervised release that were imposed on you by the court, which include not committing any further crime, limits on who you may associate with, prohibitions regarding drug and alcohol use, possession of a firearm or other dangerous weapon, and forbidding you to own, possess or be involved with the sale of any dog.”  Source NFL.com

So the New York Post caught Michael Vick drinking Grey Goose Vodka on his first day back on the job.  If that allegation of the Post holds up, then Michael Vick may have just sabotaged his latest and often repeated ‘second’ chance.

We’d like to call on both the NFL and Parole officials to investigate whether or not Michael Vick violated his parole.  Truthfully, it would be painful to watch this man go back to jail, especially just 5 days after his younger brother was sentenced to 20 days for violating his own parole, but we were one of the first groups to say that Michael Vick should not be in the NFL and it could very well be that his latest actions prove this yet again.

Open Questions

As things stand, I am personally unclear as to whether Michael Vick is on parole in Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania or possibly at some federal level since he was released from Federal prison.

If someone could shed some light on this, I think it might help.  It would then be a likely next step for us to review parole conditions for whichever jurisdiction Michael Vick must report, to determine if Roger Goodells letter talking about parole requirements is accurate.

Update

It would appear that Michael Vick is under the jurisdiction of Virginia.  Furthermore, the conditions of his parole suggest that consuming alcohol may have violated his probation.  From the overall scope of Michael Vick’s judgment the root of the issue seems to hinge on Michael Vick’s substance abuse issues.  You may recall that while he was still negotiating with the courts in 2007 he tested positive for marijuana and had to undergo a special substance abuse program in prison, which helped to fast track him for an earlier release.

There are two clauses in his judgment that relate to alcohol:

1. the first states that ‘the defendant shall refrain from excessive use of alcohol’
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2. The second item in the Special Conditions of Supervision seem to be where Michael Vick may have already run into trouble, it states “The defendant shall participate in a a program approved by the Probation Office for substance abuse, which program may include residential treatment and testing to determine whether the defendant has reverted to the use of drugs or alcohol”
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3. Based on the New York Post article it would appear that Michael Vick DID use alcohol after that first day of work with the Eagles.
4. It now remains to be seen whether
1. Michael Vick’s probation officer will take action and what that action might be
2. Will Roger Goodell hold Michael Vick to the NFL letter which specifically prohibited alcohol.

At a minimum it looks like Michael Vick may have broken his most recent commitment to Roger Goodell and the NFL, it remains to be seen if he broke any laws.

Its true that several major news organizations have also questioned whether Michael Vick just flamed out before our eyes and no one noticed, but obviously a little grass roots action may be required to actually get something done.

The Eagles seem to think that Michael Vick’s alcohol consumption in a bar was not a parole violation but they are not in charge of the Michael Vick’s parole nor the NFL.  The real authorities have yet to weigh in.

Since the NFL and especially the Philadelphia Eagles made the unfortunate decision to allow Michael Vick back into the NFL where he will likely play his first football game in over 2 years the day after National Dog Day, we have received some novel examples of ways to protest, boycott and share our displeasure with the NFL.

We would like to open a dialogue with everyone and brainstorm on ways to do this better, and more effectively.  We want to cover the spectrum of potential ways to achieve our goal of removing violent felons from a fan money funded NFL.  That said, we do not want to cause or inflict violence or harm on any person, nor do we want to put potential fans in harms ways by their potential protest actions.  So first lets have a brainstorm on the potential ways of boycotting the NFL and or the Philadelphia Eagles.

Different people have different levels of commitment for this cause.  Some of use are engaging in a total boycott of everything related to the NFL or that sponsors the NFL.  Others are boycotting the Philadelphia Eagles and or their sponsors.  Some are simply boycotting anything related to the violent felons still playing in the NFL today.

We want to identify all the potential ways of maximizing our efforts across that entire spectrum so that anyone that wants to participate can do so in a way that fits in with their own perspective and goals.

To kick things off here are 9 ways to boycott or protest Michael Vick & Violent Felons in the NFL

1. The easiest thing you can do is to leave your comments here on SackVick and other similar sites.  Each comment you make generates a new web page, which help fills up the internet a little bit more with more perspective and views on fans against felons in the NFL.
1. If you have a site of your own, link to our site or to an article.  Drop me a comment with a link to your site pointing at SackVick and I will add you to one of our blogrolls of animal loving sites, fans against felons or general supporters.
2. Our site has been around for over 2 years and we are heavily indexed across the internet but every little bit helps and if we can help you in return for your support with a link back, we’re more than happy to reciprocate.
3. Include a badge on your site or in a blog article if you like  Here are some different sizes
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2. Contact sponsors of the NFL and The Eagles and call for them to remove their sponsorship until violent felons are removed
   1. contact them by mail
   2. contact them by email
   3. contact them by twitter and other social networks
   4. contact them by communications channels,
   5. contact them on blogs
   6. contact them by employee email
3. Write blog articles highlighting the transgressions of felons and where possible putting sponsor logos or products next to pictures of the crimes
   1. Most sponsors that sponsor the Eagles do not want to see their products next to images like those of Michael Vick’s dogs after he fought them, brutalized them or killed them
   2. If they don’t want their brand next to images like these, then they need to remove their sponsorship or experience the synergy of their sponsorship of a brand such as the brand that is Michael Vick for example
4. Sports bars across the country both in and out of Philadelphia have stopped serving miller and coors products.  Many people at first see this as something that is bad for business, but today there are hundreds of other beer options out there, especially considering micro brews which can be more profitable even for a bar owner to serve.  Boycotting these Eagles sponsored products can be good for raising attention, good for getting free press, and good for the bottom line
5. Some sports bars are also refusing to play any game with the Philadelphia Eagles in their establishment.  This could be tougher on the bottom line, but will sure get people in the bar talking about the situation.  Sometimes its better for a bar to have its patrons talking (and drinking) than it is for them to be passively sitting on a bar stool watching a game.  That goes double if the bar finds some way to flip that attention towards some other activity.
6. Philadelphia Season ticket holders are planning to engage in a tailgate protest at Philadelphia games.  They will show up with their tickets, park and tailgate and protest Michael Vick.  The coup in this effort is that they are going to sell their tickets to people from the opposing team, hoping to displace the home field advantage for the Philadelphia Eagles until Michael Vick is removed from the team.
7. On a personal level, don’t watch any Eagles games, or escalate that to not watching any Fox broadcast NFC East telecasts, or if you are in it all the way, don’t watch any NFL games at all this season!
8. If you do watch games, take note of the companies that are running commercials during Eagles games and send them a protest letter, email, etc .
9. Protest on National Dog Day – If you are in the Philadelphia area, protest the Eagles on Wednesday August 26th – National Dog Day and on Thursday August 27th, the first day that Michael Vick is likely to play again in the NFL.  If you are at the game don’t wear any Eagles colors, bring protest signs and signs that include images of the dogs that Michael Vick fought or killed.  If you do not go into the game, bring your dogs to protest the event outside.  Howl and wail like a dog in pain every time the Eagles have possession of the ball.
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    What would you add to this list . . . .