Michael Ventre

Roger Goodell probably thinks he threw Michael Vick for a loss. Instead, he simply held him to no gain.

It’s too bad, because the new sheriff in town has done an admirable job so far with repeat offenders like Chris Henry, Tank Johnson and the granddaddy of all NFL miscreants, Pacman Jones. Someday he may even ride into Cincinnati and try to tame the rest of the Bengals.

But the NFL commissioner blew an opportunity. Instead of handing down a suspension to Vick because of his alleged dogfighting activities, he told Vick to stay out of training camp until the league can review his case. It was one of those temporary compromise solutions that certain leaders settle on when they’re flummoxed by a particular situation and  thus decide to take cover on middle ground.

Believe me, I understand that this Vick thing is complicated and fraught with peril not only for the commissioner, but for Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, general manager Rich McKay, and just about anyone else who had a stake in the league or the team as it involved the star quarterback. There are so many angles to this story, and every option has its downside.

Thank Vick for that.

But Vick deserves nothing less than an indefinite suspension. In fact, call it a lifetime suspension if you’d rather. And here’s why.

Yes, a man is innocent until proven guilty, and the league probably is reluctant to suspend Vick because it doesn’t want to prejudice a judge or jury against him when he comes to trial.

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Yet Goodell should have suspended Vick based on what the public already knows.

There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that a dogfighting operation took place on the property that Vick owns. Police found dozens of dogs at the property, many of which were injured, emaciated and malnourished. They also found training and breeding equipment, a “rape stand” used in dog breeding, an electric treadmill modified for dogs, dog pens, dogs that were tethered to car axles so they could get close to each other but not touch, and later they uncovered the carcasses of several dead dogs buried on the property.

Considering that the operation brazenly referred to itself as “Bad Newz Kennels,” it’s rather safe to assume what went on there.

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Are we actually supposed to believe that Vick was oblivious, that whenever he visited the property the other three defendants in the case said, “Hurry! Hide the dogs before Mike sees them!”

Vick deserve a suspension if for no other reason than a criminal operation was taking place on his property, on his watch, and he allowed it to happen.

Dogfighting is a felony in Virginia, as it is in most states. Goodell and Blank can wait until the outcome of a federal trial, or to see if a plea bargain is struck, if they want to find out if charges that Vick was actively involved in dogfighting — including taking part in the grisly execution of animals that didn’t perform up to standards, as has been alleged — are proved.

But it’s extremely unlikely that these nefarious deeds happened without Vick’s knowledge, as he claimed when the allegations first broke.

Goodell and Blank had been trying to get Vick to take a voluntary leave of absence in order to take some of the heat off the league and the club. Reportedly, Vick resisted. He wanted to play football. Vick supposedly was “devastated” by news of the indictment, but that was probably because he got caught. He apologized to Blank for the “distraction” he has caused, but hasn’t apologized for the innocent animals that are dead because they were subjected to cruelty on property he owned, at the hands of his friends — and possibly even by his own hands.

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