Disgraced gridiron star Michael Vick, who missed two National Football League (NFL) seasons while serving a jail sentence for running a dog-fighting ring, was reinstated by the league on Monday.
But the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback will likely not be allowed to take part in regular-season games until the sixth week of the season.
“I am also encouraged by your recognition that you cannot do this yourself, and that outside mentors and continued counseling will provide you with valuable support and assistance,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to Vick.
The 29-year-old Vick’s reinstatement comes with conditions. He can’t play games right away, but he is able to sign with a new team and can practice and take part in pre-season games.
“After discussing possible mentors with you, I have asked (NFL) coach Tony Dungy to continue his work with you and to initiate a more formal mentoring relationship with you,” Goodell said.
“Earlier today, we discussed in detail with Coach Dungy the precise nature of that relationship, and I share your view that Coach Dungy can help you in many ways as you rebuild your life and resume your career,” Goodell said. “I will stay in close touch with Coach Dungy and his views will be part of my decision concerning whether and when you return to play.”
Vick, once the highest-paid player the league, also must provide Goodell with a detailed letter listing his financial affairs, accommodations, counseling and volunteer work with the animal Humane Society.
Vick was released from prison on May 20 and returned to his home in Virginia until his sentence ended last Monday.
Vick said he was looking forward to taking advantage of his second chance in life.
The NFL suspended Vick indefinitely after he pled guilty in August 2007.
“In deciding whether to reinstate a player, I have stressed my belief that playing in the NFL is a privilege,” Goodell added in the letter. “It is not an entitlement. Everyone fortunate enough to be part of the league is held to a standard of conduct higher than that generally expected in society and is correspondingly accountable when that standard of conduct is not met.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to