why t.o. needs to stop crying about vick getting a fair shake

the nfl is abuzz with rumor-esque questions these days.

will brett favre return? will michael vick join a team this season? will chad ochocinco change his name again?

okay, perhaps the third isn't so much of a mystery... and that's because 85% of the population doesn't give a crap about chad. the second of those, however, was addressed by the one and only T.O. at the bills' training camp on sunday. owens told reporters that vick should be able to sign with a team and play this season without any further suspension.

"why shouldn't he?" owens said, per espn.com. "there's a number of guys around the league that have done far more worse things than that and gotten a second chance. so i don't see why he shouldn't."

unintentionally, T.O. made the right point - nfl players are rarely punished for criminal activity. i mean, let's face it, ray lewis is scary on and off the field. anyone who's read any sort of expose on the nfl knows the amount of recreational drugs that players use. and plaxico burress shooting himself in a nightclub was as disappointing as it was ridiculous.

so much is made of performance-enhancing drugs and how they set a bad example for kids. but what about criminal activity? shouldn't nfl players and other athletes be held to a higher standard in general? and if so, what's wrong with roger goodell suspending michael vick for four games - or even for a full season - if it's going to prove a point and set the bar?

vick has done his time, the argument goes. bullshit. sure, vick spent two years in prison, but that's nothing in the grand scheme of things. given that he is still on probation and is expected to prove that he belongs in society again, it seems justified to delay his return to the nfl at least a little bit longer.

enough of the red carpet for multimillionaire criminals.