Posted on 08/25/2007 7:52:02 PM PDT by blam
Dog fighting case unmasks fixers' of US sport
By Tim Shipman in Washington, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:42am BST 26/08/2007
When American football star Michael Vick enters a guilty plea in a Virginia courtroom tomorrow on dog fighting charges, he will not be the only one facing judgment.
Michael Vick arrives at court in Virginia last month
The disgrace of one of the sport's most exciting young players - who plays for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL) - has drawn attention to what critics say is a culture of criminality and cover-up in US professional sport.
For alongside the manager, coach and physio there is now also the "fixer" - whose sole role is to keep players out of trouble, or if that proves impossible, out of jail.
When Vick, 27, signed a 10-year contract in 2004 worth $130 million with another $37 million in bonuses, the world was at his feet. Now, however, he has shocked his fans by admitting to running an illegal dog-fighting ring at one of his homes, in which pit bull terriers were trained to fight for money. Last Friday, he agreed a plea bargain that is expected to see him sentenced to between a year and 18 months in prison tomorrow.
He might have been behind bars much sooner, however, had it not been for the efforts of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, a former NFL star and now an executive in charge of player development at the Atlanta Falcons.
In January 2002, Vick was threatened with jail by a judge in Georgia after he twice failed to appear in court for a parking violation. It was Mr Johnson who took him to court to pay a $260 fine and then acted as Vick's spokesman, describing the case as "bogus".
Two years later, two of Vick's travelling companions stole a watch from an airport security worker. Leaked papers from an Atlanta police report show that Mr Johnson arranged for the watch to be returned to the security scanner operator, Alvin Spencer, and then offered him a sum between $450 and $1,000 for "any inconvenience he may have encountered".
Mr Spencer said Mr Johnson told him: "If I kept it out of the press and if I kept Vick's name out of it, I wouldn't have to worry about it any more."
Atlanta police concluded that the watch was taken by accident, and after speaking to Mr Johnson, Mr Spencer decided not to press charges. He never received any money.
The Atlanta Falcons have denied authorising "any types of pay-offs in these types of situations", and last week Mr Johnson was not returning calls.
But Jonathan Cohn, a writer who has discussed the role of sports fixers with ex-players, team officials and sports consultants, described the Falcons as "a case study in how teams tolerate off-field trouble".
He said fixers were assigned "to watch over players and then clean up the messes they left behind." The role, he said, was commonly likened to that of "The Wolf," the tuxedo-clad character played by Harvey Keitel in the movie Pulp Fiction, who is tasked with clearing up the evidence trail after a gangland shooting.
Prof Sharon Stoll, the director of the Centre for Ethical Theory and Honour in Competition and Sport at the University of Idaho, has been hired by several professional football and baseball teams to help players learn how to behave.
She told The Sunday Telegraph that most teams still needed to clean up their act. "If someone has a problem they get a good attorney, who will have a quiet chat with the prosecutor and sort it out. They get plea agreements. They don't want us to know about their dirty laundry."
Vick, however, is hardly alone. A study in 1998 found that one in five NFL players had a criminal record or had been arrested. Three years ago, a similar survey of the NBA basketball stars found that 40 per cent had been involved in a criminal inquiry, on charges ranging from assault to rape.
Paul Shirley, an author who has played for three NBA teams, said the security directors of many teams were there not just to protect players but to give advice on which strip joints and limousine firms were most discrete.
As evidence of the perverse values in the NBA, Mr Shirley stated that managers often questioned his dedication to the sport.
He wrote: "They seem to think the 21 hours each day that I am not working out would be better spent in nobler pursuits than writing. Like fathering illegitimate children or shooting at my illegally-procured pit bulls."
Don’t tell this writer about professional wrestling, he’d pop an artery.
Our buddy Tim Shipman again. /sarc
I think the larger problem with the Vick case is how far will this go and how did this operation go on without anybody knowing about it.
I find it difficult to believe that all of this went on without the league knowing this.
I find it convenient that Reggie Bush has been given a pass with what he did USC because he plays for the Saints.
“They seem to think the 21 hours each day that I am not working out would be better spent in nobler pursuits than writing. Like fathering illegitimate children or shooting at my illegally-procured pit bulls.”
Laugh or cry... I’m still deciding.
“I find it difficult to believe that all of this went on without the league knowing this.”
Uh, ok.
Reggie Bush stole the Heisman, the popular vote was actually for Reggie Gore.
speaking of cover ups, why did the reporter not mention mlb and its steroid controversy?
Teams could practice in the prison yards.
Stadiums could be financed by organized crime rather than shaken down citizens.
Taxpayers would save a bundle not having to keep these guys out of jail or prison - because they'd already be there. Court costs add up.
And as an extra bonus for those who like to pit large animals against each other - these "animals" would be more brutal than the run of the mill college grad.
What does this mean, that a little celebrity and $1,000 can get contriband through TSA at Atlanta? How can TSA be tough-as-nails with the rest of us when they're willing to take a bribe for an NFL player?
-PJ
As we say down here “money talks, Cajun walks”. Don’t ask me what I’d do if they caught on fire.
Good one!
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