When American football star Michael Vick enters a guilty plea in a Virginia courtroom tomorrow on dog fighting charges, he will not be the only one facing judgment.
The disgrace of one of the sport's most exciting young players - who plays for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL) - has drawn attention to what critics say is a culture of criminality and cover-up in US professional sport.
For alongside the manager, coach and physio there is now also the "fixer" - whose sole role is to keep players out of trouble, or if that proves impossible, out of jail.
When Vick, 27, signed a 10-year contract in 2004 worth $130 million with another $37 million in bonuses, the world was at his feet. Now, however, he has shocked his fans by admitting to running an illegal dog-fighting ring at one of his homes, in which pit bull terriers were trained to fight for money. Last Friday, he agreed a plea bargain that is expected to see him sentenced to between a year and 18 months in prison tomorrow.
He might have been behind bars much sooner, however, had it not been for the efforts of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, a former NFL star and now an executive in charge of player development at the Atlanta Falcons.
In January 2002, Vick was threatened with jail by a judge in Georgia after he twice failed to appear in court for a parking violation. It was Mr Johnson who took him to court to pay a $260 fine and then acted as Vick's spokesman, describing the case as "bogus".
Two years later, two of Vick's travelling companions stole a watch from an airport security worker. Leaked papers from an Atlanta police report show that Mr Johnson arranged for the watch to be returned to the security scanner operator, Alvin Spencer, and then offered him a sum between $450 and $1,000 for "any inconvenience he may have encountered".
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The disgrace of one of the sport's most exciting young players - who plays for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL) - has drawn attention to what critics say is a culture of criminality and cover-up in US professional sport.
For alongside the manager, coach and physio there is now also the "fixer" - whose sole role is to keep players out of trouble, or if that proves impossible, out of jail.
When Vick, 27, signed a 10-year contract in 2004 worth $130 million with another $37 million in bonuses, the world was at his feet. Now, however, he has shocked his fans by admitting to running an illegal dog-fighting ring at one of his homes, in which pit bull terriers were trained to fight for money. Last Friday, he agreed a plea bargain that is expected to see him sentenced to between a year and 18 months in prison tomorrow.
He might have been behind bars much sooner, however, had it not been for the efforts of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, a former NFL star and now an executive in charge of player development at the Atlanta Falcons.
In January 2002, Vick was threatened with jail by a judge in Georgia after he twice failed to appear in court for a parking violation. It was Mr Johnson who took him to court to pay a $260 fine and then acted as Vick's spokesman, describing the case as "bogus".
Two years later, two of Vick's travelling companions stole a watch from an airport security worker. Leaked papers from an Atlanta police report show that Mr Johnson arranged for the watch to be returned to the security scanner operator, Alvin Spencer, and then offered him a sum between $450 and $1,000 for "any inconvenience he may have encountered".
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
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