There are reports now that the Philadelphia Eagles may slice Michael Vick from its roster. I am not sure how accurate these anonymous reports happen to be, but even Stevie Wonder can see that there are likely some Eagles execs who want Vick out of dodge. It's a sad day when arguably the greatest athlete in the NFL is backing up a guy named Kevin Kolb (my thoughts match your own), and he may still be sliced from the roster for dumb behavior.

I have defended Vick quite a bit, primarily due to the protection of his civil rights. The dogfighting trial led to the kind of media lynching that typically occurs when a black athlete makes a legal mistake. But in the case of someone being shot at Vick's birthday party, I have to seriously ask him what in the heck he was thinking.

On one hand, we know Vick can't control the actions of individuals who attend his party. You can have security and screen all day if you want, but you are never completely sure about what's going on underneath the surface. At the same time, given that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell warned Vick that his margin of error was very small, no such party should have occurred in the first place. When you've got $5.2 million in salary on the line, your "birthday bash" should consist of you and three of your favorite cousins kicking it on the couch with the PlayStation controller.

At this point, I still think that Vick's side of the story should be heard. All the while, Vick is unlike other athletes who haven't spent time in prison. He is the guy who was nearly banned for life and allowed back in the league on a hope and a prayer. If I were an executive with the Eagles, he'd be off my roster for good.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.