Vick Back in the NFL

Michael Vick former QB star of the Atlanta Falcons has been reinstated to the NFL at the age of 29. What you say? Wasn't he supposed to be a suspended free agent? You may recall the NFL's commissioner Goodell held Vick's conviction of cruelty to animals over his head. Goodell arbitrarily refused to reinstate Vick 'indefinitely' as the NFL had no official position on Vick's right to play.

Commissioner Goodell's position was, "He’s going to have to demonstrate to the larger community, not just to the NFL community and me, that he has remorse for what he did and he recognizes the mistakes that he made."

That position has suddenly changed in light of the fact Vick could go to the UFL. You see, Vick needs the money and is not getting any younger. Vick's sudden removal from football and incarceration left him 4 million in debt even after liquidation of all his assets.

The NFL needs Vick as he is a big draw. The reality is the NFL is driven by the almighty dollar and the only reason they did not reinstate him sooner is because the stigma of his brutal dog treatment is not yet forgotten. Public opinion of Vick is still negative among anyone outside of football. Speaking of reality, football fans want him back. The NFL knows they have to strike while the iron is hot and fearing they could lose Vick to another league, they have characterized their reinstatement of Vick as "conditional". This is to appease anyone that still feels Vick needs to pay a price to the football gods and not just the law of the land.

Here are the conditions: If a team picks him up, Vick may participate in any activities other than games. This allows him to practice and essentially join a team and be ready when football season comes around. He has to sit out until week six. The conditions in realty are a six game suspension.

Vick has humbled himself and responded to the NFL's announcement, "... I want to thank the commissioner for the chance to return to the game I love and the opportunity to become an example of positive change."

Some NFL players have already weighed in on the issue and demanding that Vick be 'unconditionally' reinstated. Players like Terrell Owens are petitioning other players to pressure the league to allow Vick to play as soon as opening day arguing that the NFL has no right to keep Vick out of Football so why arbitrarily keep him out until week six?

QUOTES FROM PLAYERS

Arizona Cardinals Defensive End Chad Ochocinco: "Six more games after two years, construction work? O etc... Enough is enough!"

Tennessee Titans Running Back Chris Johnson: (Tweet) "THE NFL TRIPPIN THEY NEED TO LET MIKE VICK PLAY HE ALREADY BEEN IN JAIL 2 YEARS DAMN WTF IM UPSET."

Meanwhile reaction from those on the animal side such as PETA released a statement: "He has served his reduced sentence, but no child should ever look up to Vick as a role model. ... We are going to watch him like a hawk. In the meantime, we'd like to see the NFL add 'cruelty to animals' to its personal-conduct policy as an offense that won't be tolerated."

It's clear Vick has some short term baggage. If he can still play and keeps his nose out of trouble, he may yet rescue his life from financial ruin and he may even win over his critics.

Brett Favre's Not Done Yet!

A few months ago, there were whispers in the sports world going around that NFL legend Brett Favre wasn't done with football yet. He announced his retirement at an emotional press conference back in March.

It's seems now that Favre may come out of retirement and wants to play again. He has stated that he wants to come back to the NFL field. He most likely will not be back playing for the Green Bay Packers, his former team.
Basically, he's un-retiring and wants out of his contract with the Packers. That will leave him free to shop around for another team.

( P.S. - He's so rugged!)

NFL's Tony Gonzalez saves man's life

Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez reportedly helped a man who was choking in a restaurant Thursday night.

"Tony saved my life. There's no doubt," Ken Hunter, a shipping company manager, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "Tony came up behind me and gave me the Heimlich maneuver. Thank God he was there."

The Kansas City Chiefs player was having dinner at Capone's restaurant in Huntington Beach with his wife, brother and newborn daughter when he noticed Hunter, 45, choking on a piece of meat.

"I tried to take a drink of water, but I couldn't swallow. Then I couldn't breathe," Hunter told The AP. "That's a terrible feeling. I couldn't breathe. Then I guess I started to panic."

After hearing the shouts of Hunter's girlfriend and dining companion, Gonzalez ran to Hunter and began performing the Heimlich maneuver.

"After just a few seconds, the piece of meat popped out," Hunter said. "I could breathe again."

Gonzalez, who said he had no intention of making his role in the incident public, had never performed the Heimlich maneuver before, nor had he received training in how to perform it.

"I had seen it done, so I just did it," he said. "When you find yourself in those situations where you have to take action in a crucial situation, you just do it."

Hunter said he had gone to the bathroom to clean up and did not realize it was Gonzalez who performed the Heimlich until afterwards.

"I'm a big NFL fan and I recognized him right away," he added. "I was still kind of dazed when I went over and thanked him and said, 'What can I do for you?' I guess I said it about 1,000 times."

The lifelong fan of the Chiefs' rivals, the San Diego Chargers, also had one last thing to say about Gonzalez: "I'm Tony's No. 1 fan now."

NFL Draft - Top 10 Picks

The Miami Dolphins selection of Jake Long as the number one draft pick came as no surprise to many NFL followers. The Dolphins had signed the offensive tackle on Tuesday. But the rest of the first round had some unexpected moments, particularly due to the numerous trades made.

One of the most interesting was the Baltimore Ravens decision to trade twice, eventually settling for University of Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco, the number 18 pick.

"We decided it was time to pull the trigger on the quarterback that we felt like was the guy to lead our team into the future," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said.

Other surprises included the New England Patriots selecting linebacker Jerod Mayo over its choice of cornerbacks and Atlanta trading back into the first round to take projected second-rounder offensive tackle Sam Baker.

The top ten is as follows. For a complete list of draft picks, visit ESPN's 2008 NFL Draft page.

1. Dolphins, Jake Long, OT, Michigan.
2. Rams, Chris Long, DE, Virginia.
3. Falcons, Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College.
4. Raiders, Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas.
5. Chiefs, Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU.
6. Jets, Vernon Gholston, LB, Ohio State.
7. Saints (from 49ers via Patriots), Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC.
8. Jaguars (from Ravens), Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida.
9. Bengals, Keith Rivers, LB, USC.
10. Patriots (from Saints), Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee.

Eli Manning marries on the beach

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning married his college sweetheart, Abby McGrew, on Saturday.

The two exchanged vows in a 15-minute sunset ceremony in front of the Sea of Cortez in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the New York Daily News reported.

Around 60 close friends and family were flown to Mexico to attend the event, and they included Mannings parents and brothers, Cooper and Peyton.

"Everything in their lives is so big, I think they wanted this wedding to be really small and elegant and intimate," said McGrew's Nashville-based wedding planner.

"Welcome to one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever presided over," the minister said at the beginning of the ceremony, according to the News. A reception followed on the beach.

The couple met while students at the University of Mississippi. Manning reportedly proposed during a trip to Hoboken, NJ last March. They selected the resort for their wedding after vacationing there several times.

Manning has played with the Giants since 2004, and this year he was named Super Bowl MVP after his team upset the New England Patriots. His new wife is an account executive for fashion designer Pamela Roland.

Brett Favre reconsiders retirement

Superstar football player Brett Favre is reportedly rethinking his retirement, which he had announced last month.

A longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback, Favre, 38, who has played 17 seasons in the NFL, is looking into signing with another team, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Favre has not yet given his official retirement notice to the league or players' union, a move the newspaper deemed not uncommon, particularly for a player like Favre who is not in immediate need of his pension money.

James "Bus" Cook, Favre's agent, told the newspaper he wasn't aware Favre was interested in returning to the game.

"That's news to me," Cook said to the Los Angeles Times. "I don't think that has anything to do with anything. He's retired, period, point blank."

Favre's rights still belong to the Packers, so they can opt to trade him. He supposedly retired partly due to his frustrations that the Packers did not try harder to sign All-Pro receiver Randy Moss. The Packers had two opportunities to do so, and Moss was eventually re-signed a three-year, $27-million deal with the New England Patriots.

Cook denied a correlation between Favre's retirement and Green Bay's failure to sign Moss.

"As far as Randy's deal with New England, there were never any negotiations with Green Bay," Cook said. "As far as I know, Brett retired because he was tired and burned out."

NFL player injured by fast food wrapper

Here's a story you don't hear everyday. Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos was injured recently... by a fast food wrapper?

According to NFL.com, the wide receiver slipped on the wrapper, causing him to reach out his arm to brace his fall. Unfortunately, his arm went through the entertainment unit, leading to an injury that required stitches and a sense of humor.

"I want to thank everybody for their concerns and let everyone know that I'm okay," Marshall wrote in a text message Sunday to NFL.com. "It's funny because I pride myself on YAC [yards after catch] and being one of the toughest players to take down once I have the ball in my hands."

"So for the next couple of days I'm going to take the time to build my confidence back up after allowing that McDonalds bag to take me down and send me through the entertainment center."

Well, perhaps some of Denver's opponents can use this to their advantage. Maybe Ronald McDonald would like an NFL contract?