See 'Ya in '08, #7 (maybe)

So news across the wire that Roger Goodell ordered Michael Vick to stay away from Falcons Training Camp and not to participate in any team activities until the NFL investigation can be completed.

Goodell took one for the team here, quite literally. He saved the Falcons the P.R. nightmare of having to make a choice that would have alienated any one of their large groups of fans. The primary choices the Falcons had were:

a) Do the same thing Goodell did, alienating a black community in Atlanta (and nationwide) who looks at this situation as having the same possibility as the Duke lacrosse scandal had for somebody to be adjudged guilty before due process plays out, or;

b) Give Vick a paid leave of absence which would've allowed the Falcons to say that they wanted to compensate Vick until he was found guilty but that they didn't want him to do the impossible of splitting time between court and the practice field but that would have been totally transparent to white and black fans alike, or;

c) Let Vick play and risk P.E.T.A. picketing every practice, game, and appearance by a Falcons official.

Now, the Falcons don't have to make that choice. The Falcons can say that the NFL made their decision and that it was out of their hands.

Was Goodell correct in his decision? Time will tell. Certainly these allegations against Vick are egregious and disgusting. Unlike Keystone cops in Eagle County, CO and Durham County, NC, these charges are being prosecuted by federal officials who very seldomly screw up and who very seldomly throw charges out. Unlike those other cases where it was a he said/she said, here there's a pile of dead dog carcasses as evidence (and who knows what else that may directly link Vick to the action). Do I agree with Goodell's decision? Absolutely.

Nevertheless, after Thursday, this story will quiet down for a few months, likely until October when the real legal process begins. I see Barry Bonds, the NBA Ref Issues, the start of NFL and college football, and the baseball playoffs dominating the headlines from now through the end of October. However, come October 26, the ink will be spilled.