More Double Standard in the Vick Saga

Buried in Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback is this gem of a quote from Emmit Smith on Michael Vick:

He's the biggest fish in the whole doggone pond right now, so they're putting the squeeze on him [Vick] to get to everyone else. Now, granted he might have been to a dogfight a time or two, maybe five times, maybe 20 times, may have bet some money, but he's not the one you're after. He's just the one who's going to take the fall -- publicly.

So I ask, where's the outrage? What did Smith do you ask? Well he's basically calling Vick and "innocent victim of circumstance." Sure Vick's been to a few dogfights and maybe placed some bets but he's the fall guy, he's the patsy. There are other bigger fish to fry and they'll be ignored in favor of getting Vick...

And just how is there a double standard? Well when Clinton Portis weighed in with his thoughts two months ago, people went ballistic. Portis was equivocating Vick's commission of a felony. Portis was quickly called on the carpet to apologize for his remarks and he did.

But now sure-fire Hall-of-Famer and All-Time NFL Leading Rusher, Emmit Smith, chooses better words to equivocate Michael Vick (after an indictment had been handed down) and the reaction is muted. What Portis said was stupid but rather enlightening because now, the NFL is sacred as to how far this will go and the Portis comments certainly leads you to believe that Vick isn't the only NFL player involved in dogfighting in some fashion. Furthermore, as King points out, Smith's comments adds further evidence to this and can easily lead you to believe that he knows more about dogfighting than he is letting on.

But why Smith gets a pass for his comments while Portis gets ostracized is beyond me.