...Number 7, Michael Dick

I wasn't going to write anything about Michael Vick's dog-fighting troubles because I didn't want to give him any more publicity than he already has. But since he has been officially indicted, the story has taken on new proportions. It is no longer a story about an NFL player, with a spoiled-brat mentality, being involved with the wrong group of people and embarassing the team and the game. It has gone 0-60 from that situation to a story about an NFL player, with a spoiled-brat mentality, being the alleged mastermind of a felonious activity who could possibly face multiple years in a federal prison if convicted.
In case you missed it, Michael Vick, the $100 million QB of the Atlanta Falcons, has been indicted on charges related to a large scale dog-fighting ring. The story first surfaced a couple months ago when authorities found evidence of illegal dog-fighting at an estate owned by Vick. Vick was quick to deny any involvement. In fact, his excuses ranged from the prepubescent favorite of "I wasn't there," to the slightly more sophisticated teenage response of "I didn't know it was going on." And just like the kids that frequently utilize those statements, Vick appears to have been exposed as a lying. Not only did he know what was going on, but he was present and, apparently, organized many of the fights, including those in locations around the country.
This is just another case, albeit the most extreme, of Michael Vick acting like the rules do not apply to him; that he doesn't need to, and in fact shouldn't have to, work hard for the things he thinks he deserves. Vick was blessed with talents that not many other human beings can claim to possess. And for his entire career, he squandered them. Instead of taken the criticism he received about his play, and working harder on those aspects of his game that God didn't give to him on a silver platter, he took those critics on as enemies. He refused to accept that there is more to being an NFL QB than highlight reel plays. It always seemed like when he was confronted with a poor passing performance, he wanted to counter with the fact that he ran for "x" amount of yards. And it didn't help that those surrounding him have frequently enabled this attitude by actually countering that criticism in that manner. Michael Vick, like many privileged athletes and celebrities, didn't need Yes-Men. He needed people to tell him the truth that he was an immature person who took what he had for granted. And if convicted, it will be too late. Vick will have thrown his whole career away because he believed that he was above the rules.