Don’t know if you guys even check here for comments on these podcasts, but here it goes anyway…
One of the speakers (don’t know who was who) opined that the NFL code of conduct suspensions were for meant for bad behavior not handled by the legal system, thus adding a suspension for someone who already served 2-years in prison is unnecessary. I agree with this sentiment.
Another speaker responded that this take was “interesting” (as if he’d never heard it argued before), but worried this stance would lead to inconsistent punishments, e.g. if Vick got 0 games & someone got 2 for a minor infraction, the minor infraction would technically be more severe from a league perspective.
I believe this response used an irrelevant argument.
It’s all about the total punishment. Vick gets 2 years out of the NFL, the minor violator gets 2 games. The fact that Vick got 0 league-driven suspended games vs. the guy’s 2 is irrelevant. Vick’s total punishment is more severe.
If it’s the league-driven aspect that bothers you, think of the following. Was Vick perfectly eligible to play in the NFL whilst in prison? No. He effectively had a 32 game suspension. Make it a league rule that any games missed due to prison sentences are considered suspended games. Thus, if the league keeps Vick out for say 5 games, he will have had a 37 game suspension.
Going back to the comparison vs. the minor violator: 32 games vs. 2 games seems fair now, right?
