Len And Michael Sitting In A Tree…

Fuck Len Pasquarelli. The man continues to make excuses for Michael Vick even after enough evidence was found to name him in a federal indictment. He takes several paragraphs to build Vick up and give the impression that Vick is a bystander to all this.

He was not oblivious to the fact his name was linked to a reprehensible and distasteful pastime said to take place on the property of a home he owned in Surry County, Va. But Vick was apparently impervious as federal agents dug, literally, into his past for links that might tie him to a dogfighting ring.

Still, whether it was natural arrogance or the misperception he was beyond the reach of the investigation, Vick was blindsided by Tuesday's news, as was his coterie of advisors.

Really, Len? Blindsided? This has been the most hyped NFL story of the year, going so far as to get other players who talked about it in trouble. Vick knows his involvement and wasn't shocked when the federal government figured it out. The reaction was probably more like, "Oh, shit. Now what?"

But wait, there's more.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank, still out of the country Tuesday, faces a test of loyalty.

To characterize it this way is ludicrous. It implies that if Blank cuts Vick that he is somehow being disloyal. The Atlanta Falcons are not a mob family. They are a business and Arthur Blank is the owner. Period. Blank may face an ethical question. "Do I cut a player who has been accused of a serious crime before he is convicted?" But it's not a test of loyalty. Don't lay the consequences of Vick's actions at Blank's feet.

Able to stay above the fight to this point, Vick is suddenly at the center of it, and he will be battling not only for his career but also for his reputation.

Is this a movie by-line? Seriously, imagine that guy who narrates all the action movie trailers reading that line. It sounds like Vick is a hero, doesn't it? Like he's a protagonist in a bad Rocky rip-off or something. It's horrible and Pasquerelli should be ashamed of letting his personal mancrush dictate an unforgivable slant to this story.