Please Do Not Support Your Dog Fighting Brethern

When the Falcons faced the Saints on Monday Night Football, after Michael Vick had been sentenced to 23 months in prison, a buddy and I noticed some of the Atlanta players sporting signs and messages supporting their incarcerated teammate. My friend asked me if I thought they would get fined, and I told him that, "yeah, their paychecks are probably going to be a bit lighter in the coming weeks". Well, today we found out that five players were collectively fined $47,500.

Roddy White and four other Atlanta Falcons were fined by the NFL for violating uniform regulations with tributes to Michael Vick during last week's Monday night game.

Vick, Atlanta's suspended Pro Bowl quarterback, was sentenced to 23 months in prison on federal dogfighting charges the morning of Dec. 10. The Falcons played at home against New Orleans that night.

After scoring a touchdown, White displayed a "Free Mike Vick" T-shirt under his jersey.

He, along with tight end Alge Crumpler and cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Chris Houston, were fined $10,000 each. Crumpler, Hall and Houston all wore black eye strips with written tributes to Vick, which the league called "displaying an unauthorized personal message."

Wide receiver Joe Horn was fined $7,500 for pulling up White's jersey to show the black T-shirt with handwritten white lettering. The fines were confirmed Tuesday by NFL spokesman Randall Liu.

I understand that these guys make a good amount of money, but it seems to be an awfully high price to pay just to voice your opinion. Obviously they're trying to show support for their teammate, but they have to understand that he's in his current situation because of his own actions. He hasn't been framed for anything, and their messages of support could be construed by some(not me, by the way) as supporting the illegal activities that have put Vick behind bars.

The University of South Carolina Pays Remembrance To Tragedy

Roughly two weeks ago, a horrible beach house fire in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. killed seven college students, six from South Carolina and one from Clemson. Due to the severity of the tragedy, and its occurence so close to the Clemson vs. South Carolina game on November 24, the Gamecocks have canceled their annual "Tigerburn" rally.

It's a tradition that's been ongoing since 1909, and was started as a way to quell a "disagreement" after the 1902 game.

In the 1902 game, Carolina defeated Clemson 12-8, marking Carolina's first victory against Clemson since the teams' inaugural game in 1896.

The same day of the win, a local Columbia tobacco merchant displayed a transparency illustrating a crowing gamecock over a battered tiger in front of his store. Elated Carolina students marched the banner up and down Main Street, gloating over their triumph as a way to retaliate against Clemson students, who marched through Columbia with garnet and black cloth around their shoes after their previous wins against Carolina.

Carolina students planned to carry the banner in the Elks parade the next day. Clemson students swore they would steal the banner if it were part of the parade. Following this threat, Columbia authorities requested that the Carolina students not parade the banner, but the students refused.

Carolina students carried the banner in the parade, and about 400 Clemson students advanced on the Horseshoe armed with sabers and bayonets on a mission to seize the banner. But 30 Carolina students were armed with pistols and rifles and were ready to defend the banner.

But before gunshots could be fired, police arrived and a joint committee of faculty members and students from both colleges was created for peaceful negotiations.

The committee decided to burn the banner, which was responsible for provoking the hostility.

Ironically, Clemson and Carolina students stood together, side by side, during the first Tigerburn as they watched the banner turn to ashes.

It is sad that such a storied tradition won't be carried out for the game, but cancelling it shows USC's commitment to remembering the students that perished in the tragic fire. Hopefully both sides can use it as a healing mechanism, and it turns out to be a good, clean game.