: ATLANTA, United States (AFP) — Suspended quarterback Michael Vick owes 20 million dollars in bonuses to the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons, arbitrator Steven Burbank ruled on Tuesday.
The American media reported the arbitrator gave the Falcons the green light to go after 19.97 million dollars in signing bonuses from Vick, who was suspended indefinitely by the league after pleading guilty to federal dogfighting charges in August.
"We are certainly pleased with today's ruling by NFL Special Master Stephen Burbank," the Falcons said.
"It is the first step in a process that our club has undertaken in an attempt to recoup significant salary cap space that will allow us to continue to build our football team today and in future years."
Both sides had presented their case to Burbank in Philadelphia on Thursday.
According to the report, Burbank's ruling was different from a previous decision he made in a case involving the Denver Broncos and wide receiver Ashley Lelie.
Burbank said the Falcons are entitled to recoup bonuses because payments to Vick do not apply to money earned - as was the case with Lelie - but for future services, which not cannot be earned because of the suspension handed down by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
In the ruling involving Lelie, Burbank said teams could only try to recoup bonus money for players who have breached their contract.
The bonus money stems from the 10-year, 130 million dollar contract
Vick signed in December 2004.
The NFL Players Association said it is planning to appeal the ruling.
"We will now appeal his ruling to Judge (David) Doty in Minneapolis," the NFLPA said.
If Atlanta receives the bonus money from Vick, it will be applied to the team's salary cap for the 2008 season.
The Falcons will not have to pay Vick's six million dollar base salary this season.
However, he still will count nearly 8.5 million dollars against the salary cap.
I really feel sorry for this dude. Of course he is smoking weed. He needs something to keep him sane after all this. The man lost a 100 million dollar contract and is now set to lose 20 million. Damm man I wish things were different for you. You can still come back to the NFL. Just get through this bullshit with out losing it.
DAMN VICK....MAYBE U SHOULD'VE TRIED FIGHTING RABBITS OR SUMTHING..U KNOW THEY WASNT GONNA LET YOU GET AWAY WITH KILLING THEM DOGS...THEY ALREADY LET OJ GET AWAY WITH NICHOL AND RON...WHITE PPL LIKE THEY DOGS MORE THAN THEY OWN KIDS...U REALLY THOUGHT U WAS GONNA GET AWAY DIDNT U??.SOOO SAD...I'LL WRITE THO..WHATS UR CELL BLOCK NUMBER??? LOL
GOOD TOO BAD FOR HIM!! WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE ANIMALS LIVES HE TORTURED! THESE DOGS ARE FORCED TO DO THESE THAT R NOT NORMAIL FOR THEM..WHEN THEY R PUPPIES THEY WANT TO PLAY & SOCIALIZE NOT HURT EACH OTHER!! SICK KIDS WHO FORCE THESE PUPPIES & DOGS THAT HAVE NO ESCAPE HAVE NO HEART & ARE KNOWN TO RELATE THEIR SICK WAYS ONTO PEOPLE TOO. KIDS ALWAYS 1ST PARENTS R RESPONSIBLE & ITS THEIR JOB TO RAISE GOOD KIDS NOT ABUSIVE ONES!!!! WHO CARES WHAT SKIN U WERE BORN W/ TAN- PALE -DARK IM SURE EVERYONE AGREES KIDS 1ST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OR NEED TOO...NO EXCUSE ANIMALS NEED PROTECTION TOO ESPECIALLY IF U TAKE THEM INTO YOUR HOME! YOUR RESPONSIBILITY GOD WANTS PEACE NOT ABUSE!
Good, he made his bed now he has to lie in it. I don't feel sorry for this dog killer at all. Do you know how many people would have loved to have the opportunity he had and he blew it.At least Marion manned up and was sincere, unlike this jerk, who just made some lame ass statement. I have no respect for him. They should strap him to one of those rape stations and let him see how it feels. I hope he loses everything he worships. He should only worship Jesus.
It's bigger than "dogs"...
The lesson is this....Don't take millions of dollars you are paid legitimately and roll them into an illegal criminal enterprise...
He took some of that money he was paid by the Falcons and used it to fund an interstate criminal conspiracy...That breached his contract....
F*ck feeling sorry for him, if someone is going to pay me a $20 million contract, i'm not going to go out and do something stupid to breach it!
As I said from the first post MTO put up about it, he is STUPID and should have known better!
FOR ALL YALL TALKING THAT BULLSHIT ABOUT MICHAEL VICK, ESPECIALLY UMMA,AMBER85 AND BATGIRL SAYING THATS GOOD FOR HIM, YALL NEED A REALITY CHECK! FIRST OFF IM NOT SAYING WHAT HE DID WAS RIGHT BUT I BET NONE OF U MOTHER [EXPLETIVE] NEVER EVER PROTESTED ABOUT HUNDREDS OF THOSE WHITE PEOPLE WHO BE HUNTING DEERS,BEARS,BIRDS,MOUNTAIN LIONS,ETC. THOSE ANIMALS NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO SURVIVE. NONE OF YOU PEOPLE NEVER EVER COMPLAINED ABOUT [EXPLETIVE] LIKE THAT BUT YALL WANT MICHAEL VICK TO LOSE HIS NFL CONTRACT AND GO TO JAIL. [EXPLETIVE] ALL YALL HOES! THIS IS NOT A BLACK WHITE ISSUE BUT BATGIRL STANDING THERE TALKING ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE ARE TAKING UP FOR HIM, NO ITS NOT THAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE TAKING UP FOR HIM, ITS JUST THAT MOST BLACK PEOPLE KNOW THAT HIS PUNISHMENT IS OUT RIGHT CRAZY, WHEN YOUR WHITE COUNTER PARTS ARE OUT THERE HUNTING AND KILLING ANIMALS JUST FOR SPORT, NOT TO EAT OR TO SURVIVE BUT TO HANG ON THERE WALLS FOR SHOW, WHAT KIND OF [EXPLETIVE] IS THAT? SO HOW CAN U COMPARE THAT WITH MICHAEL VICK? AGAIN IM NOT SAYING WHAT HE DID WAS RIGHT BUT WHATS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER POINT BLANK!!!!! AND MY PERSONEL OPINION I THINK THE MAIN REASON WHY THEY MADE THIS A BIG THING IS BECAUSE HES A FAMOUS RICH BLACK FOOTBALL PLAYER. [EXPLETIVE] ITS PEOPLE OUT THERE HAS DONE FAR MORE WORST THINGS THAN HIM AND KEPT THERE CONTRACTS AND DIDNT GO TO JAIL, OH AND GUESS WHAT, THEY WAS WHITE!!!!! THIS IS NOT ABOUT BLACK OR WHITE, THIS IS A FACT!
I just hope this young man does not committ suicide because if he smoked the weed and knew they were going to test him he said fuk it and puffed anway reguardless of the consequences and I really feel sorry for Mike.
Fuk the Falcons they should not do this to him at this time and that's why there azz is on a loosing streak..........lmao@that
Check out the Marion Jones story and comments on MTO. The black women on there can't stop defending her but it's different with a black man. Micheal Vick certainly has to be held accountable for what his did but I doubt very seriously that a white male who did the same would have been taken down so far and so quickly by a bunch of dead dogs.
I AGREE TNT! MOST WHITE FOLKS ONLY JOINED THE DESTROY MIKE VICK BAND WAGON CAUSE THE GUY WAS BLACK! MOST OF THEM ARE THE SAME ONES WHO ARE FOR ABORTIONS. GO FIGURE! BUT THATS WHAT HAPPENS TO RICH AND FAMOUS BLACK PPL. MOST OF US DONT LEARN UNTIL ITS TOO LATE THAT NO MATTER WHAT STATUS YOU THINK YOUVE REACHED THEY WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOURE NOTHING BUT A "N" TO THEM.
This is a damned shame. I don't understand how a dog's life is more important than a human being. That's 1. #2 any time Krackers see you got any type of money, they first chance they can get to recoup, they gonna take every dime they can get away with. What about his homeboys who were originally busted in this case? They all turned against his ass for lesser sentences if they get any.
LESSON TO THE YOUNG'ENS:
When doing something illegal, DO IT BY YOUR DAMN SELF!! Your so-called "friends" will turn against your ass if it means saving their own.
But on the real... How in the world did homeboy let himself get caught up in this kind of thing? Every time I see his fine, chocolate ass, I think, "Damn, man, how did you get busted in this shyt?" To loose damn near everything for fighting dogs? ON YOUR OWN DAMN PROPERTY?!!!! Surely he must have known that SOMEBODY was going to spill the beans. You can't do nothing without them Krackers getting wind of it down south. I'll never forget how they busted Dr. York in Atlanta, GA. Ya'll remember seeing all them brothers who used to wear all white selling incense and all that on the train and he used to run the Mosque in Brooklyn? Yep, his ass got busted in GA trying to run some hoe's. Some real young hoe's at that. He ain't never leaving GA now.
@SAPHIRE
Actually, it was Vick snitching on them. Telling the cops and the world that he didn't know shyte and that he cant chose family and how could they put him in this situation, blah blah -puke!
Please, Mike! The whole football world knew the reason you weren't found hittin' the club scene much was because you were always with "them damn dogs".
And when you did hit the party scene, it was to infect innocent sistas with Herpes. Nice.
W
TNT shut the hell up! .I dont care what is being tortured .. If I know about it I will say its not right - If I see it I will do something about it...Being slammed against the floor ..being beaten so bad that the bones break, & forcing animals to do something inhumane to make $ off of is just NOT RIGHT..no matter who did it or who its being done too. Dumb ass
IF HE HAD HIRED A WHITE LAWYER TO HANDLE HIS FINANCIAL AFFIARS, HE WOULD BE OWNING A BUNCH OF MCDONALDS RESTAURANTS. INSTEAD HE PARTNERED UP WITH A BUNCH OF TURNCOAT JIGGAS THAT GOT HIM INTO THE FIGHTING DOG BUSINESS. ITS NOT TOO LATE MIKE. TAKE WHAT MONEY YOU GOT LEFT AND HIRE A SMART WHITE JEWISH LAWYER TO DEFEND THIS BULLCRAP YOU PUT YOURSELF INTO.
First of all let me state that I am a dog lover and was upset by his actions, Yet I am also a VA resident and since the charges came out Vick was in EVERY paper. He has already lost alot (can’t play in the NFL, bank wants him to repay monies lent, endorsements taken back) Surry County had 1st dibs on him to press charges and decided to wait, now they’re taking him to court it smells like a political move on their behalf… Just in time for re-elections so why not hop on the Vick bandwagon. Personally I believe this should fall under the double jeopardy clause even though it is being tried in a lower court because they are using the same stuff that was already mentioned in federal court and frankly enough is enough. It would be understandable if this was like the O.J./Goldman type trial but there could be no civil trial because these were his animals. I could also see if they were bringing forth NEW charges, things not covered in federal court at all BUT it is NOT. Warwick pulled his jersy out of the trophy case and that’s just wrong. When Vick was the hottest player on the green at warwick it wasn’t a problem, when he was the shining face of the ATL Falcon’s it was not a problem .His jersey was in the case because of how he played while at warwick not becase of how he played with the falcons or the decisions he made as an adult, but how he played as a high school teen. Come on people the man can not even go to church without the media all up in his face taking pictures and putting it in the next edition. Media was sarcastically saying that “Vick found God” in the papers and on the news! Yes Vick made some bad choices but how long must this go on and how much are you going to take from him. Before this incident he was in the news over a water bottle with a false bottom containing drugs, and before that Marcus was all in the news for dumb stuff. All of this came to light because he was “looking out” for a family member whom was doing wrong things and gave him up just to get a lighter sentence. Must we not forget Iverson made a lot of mistakes too not of the same caliber but both guys refuse to give up their ties to the “hood” and suffered greatly for it. Their names are thrown into things that have nothing to do with them maybe it’s a friend or a relative but they are quick to reference them. Vick if you’re surfing the web reading the comments Keep Your Head Up Sweetie, the public is fickle and will forget it in time. Try to go play some ball overseas and get away from this mess in the states. You’re not the only one that has been involved in dog fighting just the one they are making the fall guy/example out of. I don’t agree with the dog fighting but I can look out my back door and see my young neighbor training his pit to fight, which concerns me because I have caught him trying to sick it on my rottweiler. (and before people think it’s a VA “Deep Southern thing” ..according to Ms. Goldberg it’s not because these are a bunch of military brats that have just been here a few years) and my point would be… you are not the only one doing it you can google dog fighting online and find plenty of it. Not long ago people were stealing specific breeds and using them as bait for fighting. In closing…Just give Vick a 2nd chance, if he has not learned from his mistakes then it just was never meant to be.
I totally don't agree with dog fighting b/c unlike humans they don't have a choice. Its about being humane and Vick is a sick bastard. On top of that he has proven that he ain't the brightest light in the bunch..Why the hell would you pi$$ away your career to fight dogs. Not only is this negro gonna be broke but he will be in jail. For all you who think this is b.s., wake up. It doesn't matter how small it is, its against the law. If you are able to be that brutal to animals, what the hell do you think he would do to a person? Most sickos who committ brutal crimes, start off with animals...Good riddance!
Oh yeah, BTW I don't agree with hunting without reason such as food. Its not a black/ white thing, its a compassion thing...unfortunately, if we cared more about our surroundings and the things in it, we as black people would be able to do better for ourselves. It seems that we will defend a brotha when he is wrong but criticize if he is doing well. We fuel this ignorance by looking the other way when our people do wrong. Vick made himself a target and doesn't deserve sympathy.
I don't condone dogfighting in anyway, however I still feel bad for Mike Vick, because he's done so many good things like building a church in his native Newport News VA, and supporting numerous charities in VA and Atl such as the boys and girls club that rarely gets mentioned in the media, getting overshadowed by this one bad mistake, leaving people to think he's the most heartless person in the country right now. As crazy as it may sound, Mikes problem may be having too much heart, especially when it comes to family & friends. Former falcons receiver Terrence Mathis made a statement 2 weeks ago on espn where he mentioned that Mike had told him that when he and his boys were younger they said that "If one of us makes it, all of us make it", and that the kennel started out as a legitimate business, that was his way of giving his boys something so that he wouldn't have to pay them out of his own pocket, it just escalated into a bad situation over the years, that he had never intended. I read an article 3 years ago when Mike first started the kennel, he talked about buying, selling, & storing peoples dog, and the numerous imported pure breed dogs, and birds they carried. He expressed much excitement in this article, which is one reason I could believe the Terrence Mathis statement for Mike Vick. I just hope that Mike handled his endorsement money wisely, because us sports fans know how nfl contracts are all about the signing bonus, and that much of the yearly money worded in the contract is never seen by the player, hence the term 'funny money'.
