Murder is a "great choice!" Herpes and dog killing is not.

Came across this article by ESPN writer Gregg Easterbrook (TMQ), offering a rare "defense" of Michael Vick. Defense is probably a stretch, though he does express some sentiment for the situation Vick finds himself in, by his own choices, decisions and actions, as Easterbrook points out.

The item in the article that came screaming off the screen to me was this:

You cannot order a customized Falcons jersey from NFL.com with the "Vick" or "7" on it. (Nor can you order one with "Mexico.")

However, you CAN order a Panthers jersey with "Carruth" and "89." Rae Carruth, as you may recall, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for shooting his 8-month pregnant girlfriend 4 times (she died). He was found hiding in a trunk with his own piss.

Another customizable gem you can pick up is a Bills jersey adorned with "32" and "Simpson." The Juice, as we all know, murdered Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman, skated on criminal charges but was later found responsible in civil court. Personally, I would never have anything with "Simpson" on it (that didn't feature 3 fingers and yellow skin) and have long maintained that the wrong Nicole Simpson was beheaded.

"Great Choice!" says the site!

But what does it say that you can still order these two jerseys and NOT anything to do with Vick? I thought that might be some writer's creative license, but damned if I didn't go to the NFL shopping site and try it out it for myself.

I also tried and could order a Cardinals jersey for "Rozier." A Rams jersey for "Phillips." And because of where I now live, I won't even editorialize on how many purple 52 "Lewis" jerseys I see every single day.

Wow. Obviously, I have zero sympathy or compassion for Vick. Not only did he (alledgedly) commit inhumane and despicable acts, he tarnished my hometown franchise, made us feel comfortable dealing away Matt Schaub (9-12, 102 passer rating today for the Texans) and saddled us with British Open winner Padraig Harrington's less accomplished cousin. Plus, he fucked my fantasy team, and panicked me into trading for a Vanderbilt Commodore. The only good that can possibly come of this is if JD Stokely (er, sorry, Lou Holtz moment there) DJ Shockley wins the Falcons job and opens a center for abused animals and wayward STD victims.

But it seems that for all his welcome tough guy crackdown on crime and bad behavior, NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell should close this little web shopping loophole.