Click here to visit the new home of Blackvoices!

HOT ON HUFFPOST BLACKVOICES:

 

Categories

Contributors

Other BV Blogs

Prosecutor: Michael Vick Involved in Altercation Before Shooting

By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jul 8th 2010 9:36AM
Filed under: Football

Comments (6)

Prosecutor: Michael Vick Involved in Altercation Before Shooting

Michael Vick has been cleared of any significant wrongdoing in the shooting that occurred near the location of his birthday party this past weekend, but the prosecutor is now saying that he was not a completely innocent bystander. According to attorney Harvey L. Bryant, Vick was in a confrontation that "involved shouting, words passing, some bumping." But he added that investigators did not find that Vick had participated in "anything that would amount to aggressive or assaultive conduct."

The prosecutor also said this of Vick:

"He's an athlete and an entertainer, but he's also a human being, and things that would tick you and I off would tick him off. But he extricated himself from those things and left with the help and encouragement of some of his friends and supporters."

The prosecutor did say that there is no evidence that Vick played a role in the planning of the shooting. He did, however, say that Vick jumped out of his limousine to confront someone at the party.

"In terms of just using good judgment, at one point, he got in the limousine, and should have left at that point. He got out of the limousine, and with the help of several friends, he was returned to to the limousine and left."

I can imagine that Vick may be able to use the Jamie Foxx defense: "Blame it on the alcohol." Many athletes, full of testosterone with egos to the ceiling, catch themselves in the middle of serious, career-ending confrontations at parties, strip clubs and bars across America. For some reason, they never got the memo that putting yourself under the influence of drugs or alcohol on a regular basis will make you vulnerable to those who are attempting to destroy everything you've worked for. While I can't say if Vick drinks or not, the truth is that he should never have been in this situation in the first place.

We can give Vick credit for one thing: He walked away. He could have escalated the situation or punched someone out, but at least he was smart enough to leave. Thankfully, for the first time in three years, I can point to a smart personal decision on the part of Michael Vick. The lesson for all of us? When violence starts to occur around you, whether it's in the street or in your home, get out of the situation immediately.


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's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.

Comments: (5)

Add a comment

Page 1 of 1

Add a Comment

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed but they are required to confirm your comments. When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password."

Most Commented Articles

Daily Drama

The Best Clips From TV's Hottest Shows

More Daily Drama >>

Find a Message Board

Discover conversations on everyone from Barack to Beyonce. There are nearly 50 forums, so click on a category below and find the right one for you.