Devil's Advocate: What the Duke Lacrosse Case Means for Michael Vick

Stop.

Take a deep breath.

Now repeat after me:

Innocent until proven guilty.

As in Michael Vick is innocent until proven guilty.

I know that PETA—or PETAH, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals but not Humans—would have you believe otherwise, as evidenced by their calls for Nike and the NFL to "sack" Vick.

Truth be told, if PETAH had its way, Vick would go straight to prison without any of that "due process" bunk protected by the Constitution.

If you're feeling an odd sense of d—j— vu here, it's because we just played this game with the Duke lacrosse team.

In Durham, an opportunistic prosecutor pandered to an overzealous public by playing judge, jury, and executioner without getting his facts straight.

The victims of the witch hunt saw their names dragged through the mud even as they insisted the allegations were untrue.

Of course, no one listened.

Thank goodness for that due process bunk.

In time, it became clear that the Duke case was a crock and the young defendants were fully exonerated. I for one had hoped that the experience would teach us all about the folly of rushed judgments and knee-jerk reactions.

I was wrong.

Apparently the Duke case taught us nothing, because here we are again: An athlete faces ALLEGATIONS of wrongdoing, and the public reacts as if the conviction were already on the books.

But it's not, obviously, and we won't know much more until Vick's trial begins in November. Only then will we as a public be able to reach an educated conclusion on the matter—instead of treating our assumptions like truth.

A great man once said, "Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."

Until the trial starts, do yourself a favor and don't jump to conclusions one way or the other.

In other words, don't be the fool.

As for PETAH—I have their new slogan:

"Cry 'Havoc' and Let Slip The Dogs of War"