But you don’t have a right not to be suspended/fired for being under indictment. The government cannot imprison you for it, but I am generally entitled to fire your ass, refuse to speak to you, or ban you from dating my daughter for getting arrested/indicted, regardless of the conviction.
There is no federal or state right to play professional football.
On edit - OK, that’s not true, they can imprison you for it to the extent of remand before trial… but you know what I mean…
but these aren’t. He doesn’t have a legal 'RIGHT" to play football for the NFL.
Some things one cannot be compelled to give up under contract laws, certainly, but I can certainly think of several that can be. Many occupations require that you give up certain rights under the law. One has a “right” against unreasonable search and seizure, however, it’s pretty common that companies will demand post accident drug testing (as well as random). One has a ‘right’ to privacy, but there are occupations where you must have a phone number listed in the phone book (parole agent in my area for example). If memory serves, military personnel must answer questions put to them by their superiors, even if the answer will incriminate them (hence the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy - the ‘don’t ask’ had to be in there).
Not that they would do it, but as long they don’t discriminate based on gender, race, etc. could the NFL, if they chose to, simply say “guilty or not, we don’t want this guy in our league?”
Discrimination is not the issue. Breach of contract is the issue. And whether Vick could be banned from the league without violation of his contract depends on the wording of the relevant agreements, including the player’s contract with his team, the league’s rules of conduct (to the extent they are incorporated into the emplyment agreement) and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) (between the Union and the league), which would also be incorporated into the player’s contract.
Incidentally, the four-game suspension proposed by the Falcons today is right out of the CBA – the maximum club-imposed penalty under the CBA, in fact:
Here is the form for an NFL player’s contract (pdf) (Appendix C to the CBA).
It includes some specific language about conduct:
Now we’re getting somewhere. There’s the clause that gives the Commissioner his power.
Can he get a team full of football players to overlook this?
Paragraph 15 is what is usually cited, but many are pointing out what paragraph 11 says:
“If at any time, in the sole judgment of Club, Player’s skill or performance has been unsatisfactory as compared with that of other players competing for positions on Club’s roster, or*** if Player has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by Club to adversely affect or reflect on Club, then Club may terminate his contract.”***
Book it: Vick never plays in the NFL again.
The handful of Falcons who I have heard interveiwed all support him- I haven’t heard any current player come out and bash him yet. The easiest way for this to solve itself would be for the Falcons to release him and no other team pick him up. As long as there is no proven collusion on the part of the owners, this is not illegal and not unheard of. It can be debated, but in the NBA, Chris Jackson, Dennis Rodman, JR Rider, etc. all were able to play at the NBA level when teams just decided they weren’t worth the hassle. Plus two years from now he’ll be slower, and two years removed from the game, so its possible. Also, its not like the Falcons did anything the last two years with him as the QB anyway. You can go 7-9 with many QB’s, ones that aren’t going to have your games protested each week.
Yes, of course the club can terminate him. But I don’t think the club really wants to do that. If they did, they already would have.
If he’s convicted, I agree. If he is acquitted, he’ll be back.
Biffle on Vick: ‘I wish they’d put him in jail’
Huh. I’ve always thought Greg was a good driver, but personally never really cared for him (no particular reason, just didn’t like him that much). This makes me like him just a little bit more.
Good for you, Greg!
Deion Sanders seems to think Vick was involved in the enterprise:
Sounds like Sanders is kind of into it, too. Along with who-knows-how-many other current and former NFL players.
Vick is getting picketed at the court and the practice field is being picketed. They will have to give up on Vick. Sanders will not pay for all the empty seats.
ESPN experts are pretty much in agreement that his career is over.
What he’s obviously going to do is stand by the not guilty bit, no matter what they have on him- the witnesses are going to be either there to save their ass or to get money, any video will be faked, any phone calls will be explained away, money transfers will have an alternative explanation- anything the prosecution presents, they’ll say is fake or racially motivated or whatever, just like OJ. He will never admit culpability, and he will get mythical Mumia Jamal or OJ or Hurricane Carter status in the urban community, even if jailed. What discredits this, name one other black athlete who has been charged like this? I don’t recall anyone doing this to Jordan, or Barkley, or Deion Sanders, Barry Sanders, etc- why are they singling Vick out?
OH, I dunno – maybe none of those guys were funding and running a dog-fighting operation? None of them got nailed with enough evidence to bring indictments? Are you claiming that all the athletes you named have dog breeding, training, and fighting facilities on the scale of Vicks’ operation?
I think what Wee Bairn was saying is that the defense of “He’s being singled out because of his race!” wouldn’t hold up since other black athletes haven’t had these accusations levied against them.
Ah. Perhaps you’re right. Though the point, I have to say, was confusingly made. If that in fact was the point. Upon rereading, and then rereading again, I still couldn’t be sure.
I don’t get your meaning.
Right on- thanks- I could have definitely phrased it better 
Okay, then. Sorry I misinterpreted what you meant. 
The circle may be closing. Looks like one of Vick’s codefendants is ready to cop a plea.
Sanders claims it is no big deal. However dog lovers take this stuff on a personal level. There will be empty seats due to what Sanders thinks is no big thing.
Plus it has been argued that Vick built the house for dog fighting. Big home in country. Well fenced in. Kennels and fighting rings built. Can be seen as fishy.