NFL: Michael Vick Using Race to Explain Injuries?

Yesterday, Michael Vick suffered a broken right hand in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles loss to the New York Giants.

Last Sunday, Vick was knocked out of the game in the loss to the Atlanta Falcons due to sustaining a concussion.

Now back to yesterday.  During the post-game press conference, Vick started to point fingers at the officiating, citing poor protection for the quarterback.  He would go on to start pointing out how the officials go out of their way to protect every other quarterback in the league except for him.

Two injuries in two weeks is a cause for concern for the franchise gun-slinger for Philly, as they just gave him a massive contract extension; one that resembled the lucrative deal he gained as a member of the Falcons before being caught up in the dog fighting ring. 

One could easily point to the Eagles' abysmal offensive line for the problems regarding Vick's health issues over the past two weeks.  Yes, Vick is prone to injuries with the style of play he uses, but that's mostly when he's out of the pocket, scrambling for those extra few yards.  The injuries he has suffered this year have come while he's standing in the pocket, taking the hits he isn't normally accustomed to accepting. 

Except Vick refused to blame his offensive line for failing to protect him.  Instead he started pointing fingers at the referees.  He claims that he isn't being as protected as some of the other big-name quarterbacks in the league, such as Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Phillip Rivers.

Have the injuries come to him as a result of plays that should have been penalized late, or overly aggressive hits?  Yes, but part of me couldn't help but think that wasn't Vick's only grievance towards the referees this season. 

His entire post-game press conference screamed at me that he was calling racial foul when it comes to protecting him. 

Vick could possibly have a point in all of this if he is saying he is a victim of discrimination.  We've all heard about the controversial picture on ESPN.com's article entitled "What If Michael Vick Were White?" That questionable article in question sparked a conversation among sports fans alike asking themselves, "Do black athletes sometimes get a raw deal?"

Who's to say that Vick hasn't been asking himself that same exact question.  Maybe that thought process is lodged in the back of his mind, and in light of the injuries and late hits he has taken so far this year, those thoughts are starting to boil up to the surface.

Of course, Vick never really went into extreme detail about his reasoning behind why he's not getting calls from officials, but one can easily speculate as to what he really meant. 

If Vick is feeling like a victim of discrimination, he has the right to think that way.  Even if somebody lands in front of Brady's feet without actually touching him, they call a penalty for an illegal hit on a quarterback.

Michael Vick is a prolific player in the NFL today, and has amassed a great deal of respect since returning from his jail sentence.  Nobody has the right to question this guy's desire and drive when it comes to getting his life back together both on and off the field. 

Until more comes of his words yesterday, Vick's thoughts may be just that: thoughts.  However, one can speculate if he's coming from a place of genuine feeling he is being targeted because he is black, and white quarterbacks are favored over him in the eyes of the league. 

Michael Vick could soon have more to say about how officials treat him on the field.  Until then, we can only think about where he was going with his post-game press conference.