Vick's future in football

NOW THAT the Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has decided to plead guilty to federal charges, he can be called what he is: a sadist and a criminal. Yet when he gets out of prison, he'll be an ex-convict without much of a future. To make clear that it won't tolerate such odious behavior, the NFL should bar Vick from returning to professional football for a longer time than he'll probably spend in jail. But if he behaves himself, his exile shouldn't be a life sentence.

Vick has yet to be sentenced in federal court for conspiracy to transport dogs across state lines for fights to the death, though he is expected to get a year to 18 months. That's quite a light sentence for someone who led the dogfighting ring, who gambled on the outcome of fights, and who electrocuted or drowned dogs that he deemed inferior fighters. He still could face charges from the state of Virginia, which may get him more time in prison. Now 27 years old, Vick could be out of action during the prime of his NFL career.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has acted judiciously so far, not condemning Vick at first, but ordering him to stay away from the Falcons training camp while his accomplices turned against him. Vick's lawyer said Monday that he pleaded guilty so that he could "put all of this behind him." Disposition of the case in court is not enough. Vick lied to Goodell in April when the commissioner asked him about the allegations. The league needs to apply its own penalties so that players get the message that crimes or coverups will not be tolerated in the NFL.

Vick's transgression wasn't merely a young man's lark, but a six-year criminal enterprise that he led while starring for the Atlanta Falcons. He signed a $130 million contract with the team in 2004, and while the Falcons should, of course, void the remainder, the NFL needs to help the team recover as much as possible of the $37 million that Vick has received in bonuses. He got the money to keep his mind focused on football, not to help subsidize off-season animal cruelty.

That said, Vick's crime does not threaten the integrity of professional football, unlike the fixing of the 1919 World Series by eight Chicago White Sox players. Dogfighting does not warrant lifetime exclusion from the game -- the penalty imposed on the "Black Sox" by the baseball commissioner of the time.

It would be reasonable for Goodell to impose a lengthy but limited suspension -- three years or four years, perhaps -- long enough to put Vick on the downside of his career. Assuming he stays in shape, he'll still have a few football years left, if any NFL team is willing to accept the notoriety.

Vick dropped out of college to sign with the Falcons. He's doesn't appear to have any marketable skills beyond dogfighting and football. The prospect of returning to the game could be what prompts his rehabilitation.