Vick says ex-adviser bilked him out of millions
NEWPORT NEWS - Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick is suing one his former financial advisers, saying her deceit and financial mismanagement set him back at least $2 million.
The suit asserts that Mary R. Wong, of Omaha, Neb., not only took money from Vick's accounts for herself, but also failed to properly invest what was left, frittering away some of Vick's estate. She also never disclosed to Vick that she had been disbarred from trading on the New York Stock Exchange because of fraud.
The lawsuit, filed by the same attorneys handling Vick's ongoing bankruptcy case, was filed in U.S. District Court in Norfolk in late January.
"Due to the fraud committed by defendants, (Vick) has suffered monetary loss in the amount of at least $2 million, including funds due to him that were wrongfully converted by the defendants and the lost value of investments," the suit says.
Wong and her firm, Williams and Bullocks, failed to take "reasonable steps to protect Vick's assets," which instead were "used for the personal and business expenses of the defendants," and co-mingled with other accounts. If Vick had known about Wong's problems with the New York Stock Exchange, the suit says, he never would have hired her.
Williams and Bullocks, an LLC based in Nebraska, is jointly owned by Wong and three NFL football players: Demorrio Williams of the Kansas City Chiefs; Josh Bullocks of the New Orleans Saints; and Daniel Bullocks of the Detroit Lions. Wong and the three players each own a quarter of the firm.
James S. Mitchell, an Omaha attorney representing Wong and the firm, said he has yet seen Vick's suit. But he said it is without merit.
"She absolutely denies that she in any way misappropriated any money or did anything improper," Mitchell said. "She categorically denies wrongfully taking any money from Michael Vick. She can account and will account fully for all the money entrusted to her."
Mitchell said Wong does, however, owe Vick some money.
Of $500,000 that Vick invested in the firm in early 2007 - Mitchell uses the term "loaned" - she has so far paid back $103,000. But she still owes the rest - $397,000, plus interest from 2003 on - and will pay that back, Mitchell said.
"She's just about done with the accounting, and she'll send that to Vick's counsel as soon as possible," Mitchell said.
There's also another $525,000 in dispute. That money was removed for various purposes - some of it taken from Vick's retirement plan. Mitchell said it was used to pay legitimate bills, including bills Vick wanted paid.
Vick hired Wong in the summer of 2007, several months after she was investigated by the New York Stock Exchange.
Wong was accused of, among other things, having a customer send her $147,000, moving that money to her personal account and then, two days later, sending $49,000 to a friend in Texas.
During an investigation by the stock exchange, Wong told investigators the client asked her to invest the money in a chicken franchise. The client denied that.
A three-member special panel determined that Wong concocted the story, and permanently barred her from the stock exchange - the harshest penalty available. Such a penalty "is particularly warranted in this case," the panel said.
"The panel was appalled by respondent's conduct," the panel wrote. "She expressed no regret or contrition for her deceitful, fraudulent and shameful actions."
Copyright (c) 2009, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
Pittsburgh Or Arizona?
The naked model at the slamming Moves Magazine Super Bowl party Wednesday night sauntered past the sushi bar, creating a small stir with only red and white body paint covering her R-rated regions. Bearing the Arizona Cardinals logo and the familiar No. 13 jersey number of the team's evangelical Christian quarterback, the design scheme was drenched in irrefutable irony.
So take heart, Jackie Smith and Rich Gannon: When people refer to the "Biggest Busts in Super Bowl History," they are no longer talking about you.
As for everybody else? Take a chill pill. We're going through some challenging times in the U.S. and across the football-watching world, but nothing about Sunday's game between the Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers should be causing us to get our panties (sprayed-on or otherwise) in a bunch.
Look, I know the wretched excess of the two-week buildup for Super Bowl XLIII - and of the NFL in general - tends to get us worked up about everything from Ben Roethlisberger's ribs to the real Kurt Warner's glove-covered hands. I understand that money, bragging rights, and legacies are on the line, that football is not a subtle game, and that the passion of the paying and viewing customers is what drives the process in the first place.
That's all good, and I'm proud to play my part. It's just that the anger, negativity, and over-the-top intensity swirling about as we prepare to end another highly entertaining football season has me pleading for a dose of perspective.
We're getting ready to watch a football game, and a potentially thrilling one at that, in many cases with beers, chips, homemade chili, and family and friends at our disposal. It's a de-facto national holiday, and it's the only time this year that this many people around the world will be paying attention to the same thing at the same time.
As far as I can tell, that's the closest thing to a Kumbaya moment we can expect to experience in the near future.
Yet everywhere I turn, bitterness abounds. Talk to the typical Eagles fan and, rather than celebrating a highly successful season, he or she is down on quarterback Donovan McNabb and angry about the team's inability to complete an epic NFC championship game comeback in Arizona.
The day after the Eagles' divisional-round playoff upset of the defending champion Giants, my buddy Bob shared an email from a Philly fan which stated, "If we don't win it all, the only thing this will have done is screwed up our draft position." Nice.
The other day on Radio Row, I went on the air with Nestor Aparicio of WNST-AM in Baltimore, and we started discussing the Ravens. I figured he'd be thrilled about the team's surprising appearance in the AFC championship game after its 5-11 finish in '07, and psyched about its exceptionally promising future, with a young franchise quarterback in Joe Flacco, a successful first-time coach in John Harbaugh, and a revitalized future Hall of Famer in middle linebacker Ray Lewis.
"Life sucks," Nasty Nestor said, living up to his nickname. "This season was a disaster. I hate the Steelers."
Patriots loyalists are enraged that their 11-5 team, which destroyed the Cardinals by 40 points in December, didn't make the playoffs and that Spygate has come up in pre- Super Bowl conversations.
Fans of the other 27 teams not in Tampa, many of which already have new head coaches, harbor similar misgivings. Even Cardinals fans ("No one respects our team") and Steelers fans (here we go again with the Terrible towel desecration), have their moments of grumpiness.
And, of course, one of these fan bases will be collectively crushed come Super Bowl Sunday night, while the other will merrily engage in car-burning and other acts of raucous celebration.
Obviously, each team's annual goal is to win a championship (except for the Lions, who simply strive to win a game). Yet the collective goal of the NFL is to engross and amuse, and in that sense the 2008 season has delivered.
I'm picturing Russell Crowe's Maximus in "Gladiator" screaming at the riveted Romans, "Are you not entertained?" while thinking of all the cool things that have happened since last summer:
- Brett Favre and the Packers endured the end of a 17-year marriage, as the future Hall of Famer tried to spur the Jets to greatness while replacement Aaron Rodgers hung tough amid a messy unraveling in Titletown. In the end, at least for this season, everybody suffered.
- Tom Brady tore up his knee in New England's opening game, but Bill Belichick's shrewd coaching and career backup Matt Cassel's steady improvement kept the defending AFC champs in contention.
- A new wave of young quarterbacks, including Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Rodgers and Trent Edwards, pushed toward potential stardom, while four forgotten members of the old guard (Warner, Kerry Collins, Gus Frerotte and Chad Pennington), resurfaced as viable team leaders.
- The Falcons' Matt Ryan had one of the most impressive seasons by a rookie quarterback in league history, helping Atlanta and fellow rookie Mike Smith (the NFL's coach of the year) escape the stench of the Michael Vick scandal.
- The Dolphins went from 1-15 in '07 to AFC East champions, one of the great single-season turnarounds in sports history.
- The Steelers, Ravens, and Titans featured three of the most relentless, punishing defenses in recent memory.
- Warner, seven years removed from his glory days with the Rams, completed a stunning personal comeback that likely clinched his eventual Hall of Fame induction with a breathtaking game-winning drive in the NFC championship game.
I could go on and on (talk about wretched excess), but I need to get to another party, where I'm sure I'll experience scenes like the one I saw Wednesday night. McNabb, smiling as he passed through an admiring crowd of NFL peers and other party goers, trailed by the equally gregarious Lewis, mingling with members of the Giants and Chiefs and Browns and other teams, everyone enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Those guys get it. Some of the rest of you don't. And while we're on the subject of taking things too seriously, it's time to make my long-awaited prediction on who will win Sunday's game.
As some of you recall, I picked the Steelers in the immediate aftermath of their title game triumph over the Ravens, and I still perceive Pittsburgh to be the better team. Yet I've also been more bullish on the Cardinals than virtually anyone in my business, both at the start of the season and throughout the postseason, and I have a very high degree of faith in Warner's abilities.
Before officially deciding to stick with the Steelers, I called up someone whose opinion I respect immensely and asked who he thought I should pick.
"You've got to go with the Cardinals," he said. "You can't give up on them now."
He elaborated: "Look, Kurt Warner is really hot right now, and Anquan Boldin is healthy again, which can make a big difference. Pittsburgh has a great defense, but Arizona's offense is really hard to stop. And I think Arizona's defense can handle Pittsburgh's offense. Besides, the Cardinals deserve this. They've waited so long."
I was pretty much sold.
"Oh, one more thing," he said. "The Cardinals rock."
I thanked my 9-year-old son for his assistance, gave silent thanks that the Warner jersey he'll be wearing on Sunday will not be of the body-paint variety, and arrived at my final decision.
I'm picking the Cardinals. And whatever the outcome, I'm certain this Sunday will be Super.
Copyright (c) 2009 Bleacher Report, Inc
Choose the Hall of Famers (and What About Ray Guy?)
KC Joyner, a Fifth Down contributor, wrote an analysis for the Sunday paper advocating for Ray Guy's inclusion in the Hall of Fame:
Excerpts:
The voting for the 2009 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will take place Saturday, and it will once again not include a candidate for the most under-represented position in football - punter. The roster of immortals in Canton, Ohio, includes a player from each of the other 23 starting positions, offensive and defensive coaches, owners and administrators of every sort and even one supervisor of officials (Shorty Ray). But nary a pure punter graces the list.
Guy is one of only five eligible players who are not in the Hall despite having at least six consensus All-Pro nominations and nine over all. The other 45 made it. He is also one of only two players on the NFL's 75th anniversary All-Time team not in the Hall.
Guy isn't on the final list this year, but Rod Woodson, Shannon Sharpe, John Randle and Bruce Smith will be in their first year of eligibility.
Nine other modern-era players will be voted upon: Cris Carter, Dermontti Dawson, Richard Dent, Russ Grimm, Cortez Kennedy, Bob Kuechenberg, Randall McDaniel, Andre Reed and Derrick Thomas.
Also up for consideration:
1) Contributor to the game category: Paul Tagliabue, Ralph Wilson.
2) Senior committee candidates: Bob Hayes, Claude Humphrey.
Extra point: Who deserves to be voted in Saturday? (Between four and seven candidates will be elected.) And do you think Ray Guy should eventually be inducted?
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Bucs hire rookie coach
A day after abruptly firing Super Bowl winner Jon Gruden, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers introduced Raheem Morris as their new coach yesterday.
Morris takes over a team that won three division titles under his predecessor but hasn't won a playoff game since capturing its only NFL title in January 2003.
The Gruden era ended with four consecutive losses that denied the Buccaneers a post-season spot following a 9-3 start.
The 32-year-old Morris has no previous head coaching experience.
The Buccaneers promoted him to defensive co-ordinator on Christmas Day, and he recently interviewed for the Denver Broncos coaching vacancy.
Copyright 2009, APN Holdings NZ Limited
Delhomme: 'I should get the blame; it's inexcusable'
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Jake Delhomme helped the Carolina Panthers to a perfect 8-0 mark at home this season with nearly flawless play.
With the season on the line in the playoffs, he fumbled deep in Carolina territory.
Then he threw an interception on the goal line.
Then another, and another, one in the end zone, and then another.
All told, Carolina's quarterback turned the ball over six times Saturday night and Arizona converted his errors into 23 points en route to a 33-13 victory over the Panthers in the NFC divisional playoffs.
"I'm at a loss for words," Delhomme said. "Disappointed. Extremely disappointed. I don't know what else to say. My fault. I should get the blame. It's inexcusable."
Asked if it was the worst game of his career, Delhomme didn't hesitate: "It's not even close. Not even remotely close."
Not really the way Delhomme envisioned playing on his 34th birthday.
Delhomme entered as the top rated postseason quarterback in this year's playoffs, with a 95.0 passer rating and just five interceptions in seven previous games. And he was playing in the cozy confines of Bank of America Stadium, where he'd thrown just five interceptions all year as the Panthers were the only NFL team to go undefeated at home.
So facing an Arizona team with virtually no postseason success in franchise history and a penchant for falling apart in games played on the East Coast, Delhomme simply had to be average to move the Panthers into their third NFC championship game since the 2003 season.
But Delhomme was terrible instead. He overthrew his targets, found star receiver Steve Smith only twice the entire game, and tossed the ball into double coverage more times than he'll care to remember.
He finished 17-for-34 for 205 yards with five interceptions and a fumble, and buried his face in his hands in humiliation as the errors mounted up. He didn't celebrate a bit when he connected on an 8-yard TD pass to Smith with 50 seconds left in the game.
The last player to throw as many as five interceptions in the playoffs was Oakland's Rich Gannon in the 2003 Super Bowl against Tampa Bay.
Delhomme didn't wait until after the game to apologize to his teammates, telling them several times in the huddle during the fourth quarter this playoff disaster was on him.
"I told them I apologize for not giving us a chance," he said. "That's just how I felt. I'm not looking for sympathy one bit. That's the last thing I want. I just wanted to let them know, the work I put in this week, obviously it wasn't good enough."
But his teammates were fiercely defensive of their leader, refusing to let him take the blame alone.
"Jake's a big boy," left tackle Jordan Gross said. "If you're the quarterback, you take all the praise and you take all the criticism. He's our quarterback. He's our starter, our leader. We wouldn't have done anything this year as close to what we did without him."
Smith, pestered all day by Antrel Rolle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, said he'd ignore anyone who directed fault at his quarterback.
"We win as a team, we lose as a team. Most people can blame all they want. But Jake? I'd take Jake any day," he said. "I'd take him after that. I'd take him after the New Orleans game or any other game. That's my quarterback. That's the guy I stand behind."
Defensive end Julius Peppers said Delhomme was not alone in losing the game.
"Jake is not the only person who didn't play well," Peppers said. "You can't single him out. Point a finger out at every other group in here that didn't play well."
Delhomme moved the Panthers quickly downfield to a touchdown on their opening possession, he unraveled shortly after when he fumbled on a sack deep in Carolina territory.
On first-and-10 at the 20, Antonio Smith broke through the line and swatted the ball out of Delhomme's hands, then threw his body on it for the recovery. Two plays later, Edgerrin James scored his first touchdown since Oct. 5 on a 4-yard run that gave the Cardinals a 14-7 lead they never relinquished.
He moved the Panthers downfield on their next possession, but with the end zone in sight, he was intercepted by rookie Rodgers-Cromartie on the goal line on the first play of the second quarter.
That set up the first of Neil Rackers' four field goals and put the Cardinals well on their way to just their fourth playoff victory in franchise history.
Delhomme was intercepted again in the first half when Gerald Hayes picked off a pass intended for Muhsin Muhammad.
His third pick ended a scoring opportunity set up by Jon Beason interception of Kurt Warner that gave the Panthers the ball at the Arizona 31. But Delhomme tried to force the ball into Smith two plays later, and it instead bounced off Rodgers-Cromartie's fingers, through Smith's hands, and into Rolle's arms.
Interception No. 4 was another look to Smith in the end zone that was grabbed by Ralph Brown early in the fourth quarter, and pick No. 5 came on the next possession when Roderick Hood hijacked a short pass intended for Muhammad.
"I had a hand in six turnovers," Delhomme shrugged. "You're not going to beat anybody. Especially in a playoff game. It's inexcusable and disappointing."
Copyright (c) 2009 Wilmington Star-News Online
Should Herm Stay or Go?
Now that the Chiefs have let go of their GM, should they continue cleaning house and dispose of Herman Edwards as head coach? This is the question that is on every Chiefs fans mind.
In my very humble opinion (yeah right!), I think they should keep Edwards, at least one more season. I have a few reasons for having this opinion.
First, starting a rebuilding project and then axing the coach after only the first year of it makes no sense. Not only did he have to deal with the rebuilding process, but he also had a lot to deal with in terms of injuries (Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard, Branden Albert for examples), and off the field issues (Larry Johnson, Tony Gonzalez). If you think it was a trying year to be a Chiefs fan, what do you think it was like being the coach?
Secondly, and this kind of goes along with the first one, is we have a lot of young guys who are going to be coming into their second or third year in the league. Guys like Brandon Flowers, Branden Albert, Brandon Carr, Tyler Thigpen, Jamaal Charles, and Glenn Dorsey. It doesn't make sense to have that kind of nucleus of players and then change the head coach and offensive and defensive philosophies along with that.
Thirdly, we're a little late getting into the game for a coach already. By the time we hire a new GM, firing Edwards will make even less sense. Before getting rid of a coach, GM, or any other position like that, you have to ask yourself whom you can get to replace him. After the Broncos, Browns, Jets, Lions, and Ramshave all gone and snatched up the top available coaches, will there be anyone left who would be a better choice than Edwards would? Doubtful.
And lastly, the Chiefs are set up right now to take a huge step forward next year. Not only do we have the high draft pick, we are also $30 million plus under the salary cap. Now that we have stocked our team with good young players, we can supplement them with good free agent talent and really take a big step forward. Very few teams out there have the kind of cap space that Kansas City has, and therefore we will be able to offer free agents more money than anyone else will up front. We can be the Yankees of football this offseason, snatching up the top available talent anywhere we see fit.
I also think it would be a severe injustice to Herman Edwards as a football coach and a man to ask him to lead this team through the start of a rebuilding project and not let him at least attempt to see it through. I say give him at least one more season, and if he isn't able to make a huge improvement next season, then get rid of him when you'll have better options out there for a replacement.
Copyright (c) 2003-2006 Ulysses Ronquillo
Last-Second Field Goal Gives Minnesota a Playoff Berth
MINNEAPOLIS -- Throughout the Vikings' 20-19 victory over the Giants on Sunday, the Metrodome scoreboards provided plenty of information except for one critical fact.
At the request of Minnesota Coach Brad Childress, the fans and, more importantly, his players, were not informed about the progress of the game between the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans.
Either a Vikings victory here or a Chicago loss in Houston would have clinched first place in the National Football Conference North and a postseason playoff berth for Minnesota. Childress did not want his players distracted.
The Vikings won on a last-second 50-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell, a play that culminated a few minutes of confusion by the Vikings, who seemed uncertain of their strategy prior to the final play.
The Bears went on to lose in Houston, 31-24, eliminating them from wild-card contention, too.
An historic highlight for the Giants was the running of Derrick Ward, who carried 15 times for 77 yards to finish the season with 1,025 yards and join his teammate Brandon Jacobs as only the fifth tandem in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards in the same season.
Jacobs, not in uniform because of a lingering injury to his left knee, has 1,089 yards and was on the sideline in warm-up clothes. He hugged Ward when Ward came to the sideline early in the third quarter after crossing the 1,000-yard mark.
The Giants, who have two weeks off before they defend their Super Bowl title in the playoffs, sustained two more injuries to their secondary as safety Michael Johnson and cornerback Sam Madison were hurt.
The Giants rested many healthy first-stringers in the second half because the game was relatively inconsequential for them.
The Giants took their first lead with 9 minutes 29 seconds left in the third quarter when the backup quarterback David Carr connected with wide receiver Domenik Hixon for a 23-yard scoring play to put the Giants up, 16-10.
On third down and 4 from the Vikings' 23, Hixon split wide to the right against Antoine Winfield, got behind Winfield on single coverage and caught Carr's arching pass in stride about 5 yards deep in the end zone.
The Vikings threatened to score late in the quarter, but that drive ended when Giants safety James Butler intercepted a pass to the end zone by quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who was penalized for roughing Butler out of bounds after a long runback.
The Giants increased their lead to 19-10 with 11:22 left in the fourth quarter when John Carney kicked his fourth field goal of the afternoon, this one from 20 yards. But Minnesota cut the lead to 19-17 with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter on a 54-yard touchdown passing play from Jackson to Bernard Berrian.
Berrian got behind the rookie cornerback, Terrell Thomas, when Thomas fell down , and Berrian streaked by him along the left sideline.
Carney later missed a 48-yard attempt, his first miss this season other than two attempts that were blocked.
The other teammates to reach the 1,000-yard mark in the same season were Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris of the 1972 Miami Dolphins; Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier of the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers; Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack of the 1985 Cleveland Browns; and Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick of the 2006 Atlanta Falcons. All were running backs except Vick, who was a quarterback.
The Giants entered the game with the league's best rushing offense, averaging 158.9 yards a game. The Vikings had the league's best defense against the run, allowing an average of only 73 yards a game.
But the Vikings played without nose tackle Pat Williams, who is out with an injured shoulder and is important in their run defense. In Sunday's game, the Giants finished with 135 rushing yards.
Carr replaced the first-string quarterback Eli Manning at the beginning of the second half. The Giants had already clinched the NFC East and a first-round playoff bye along with home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs. They will be among the four idle contenders next week while eight other teams play in the wild-card round.
Another Giants not in uniform was defensive tackle Barry Cofield, who had a knee injury. Also out, both with concussions, were tight end Kevin Boss and cornerback Aaron Ross.
The injuries continued when the game began. Michael Johnson, the free safety who had an early sack on Jackson, left the game in the first quarter with what was announced as a contusion.
His replacement was Kenny Phillips, a rookie. Also injured early was Michael Matthews, a tight end who was the replacement for Boss. Matthews injured his ankle, but returned.
Minnesota took a 3-0 lead in the first minute of the second quarter on a 48-yard field goal by Longwell. They made it 10-0 with 11:22 left in the first half on a 67-yard run by Adrian Peterson, the league's leading rusher.
Earlier, Peterson had fumbled, but his team recovered it. On Peterson's touchdown, after the Giants jumped off side, Peterson took a handoff and broke through the left side of the defensive line, jumping into the front of the grandstand after passing through the end zone.
The Giants cut the lead to 10-3 with 9:30 left in the half when Carney kicked a 51-yard field goal, his longest of the season. Carney's second field goal, from 30 yards, cut the Vikings' lead to 10-6 with 1:03 left in the second quarter. Carney's third field goal, a 42-yarder, cut the Vikings' lead to 10-9 as the first half ended.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
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