Let's Go Pro and Just Get it Over With!

I don't really think anyone in the criminal justice system has gotten a fair shake since President Bush granted a commutation to Scooter Libby. So, Dwight Lewis is willing to go ahead and make the comparison that everyone else is bound to make, sooner or later. It is only a matter of time. You know who I am talking about: the Atlanta Falcon's pro football quarterback Michael Vick!

But before anyone else can start the whole "unprecedented" thing, let's just be mean-spirited and steal all of the thunder. What role has professional sports played in the world of federal executive clemency? Let's see ... there is:

Former University of Oklahoma standout and colorful professional football player Joe Don Looney (pardoned by George H.W. Bush). Then there would be race car legends Rick Hendrick (pardoned by Bill Clinton) and Junior Johnson (pardoned by Ronald Reagan). No reason to ignore George Steinbrenner, the ever-lovable owner of baseball's New York Yankees (also pardoned by Ronald Reagan). Charles "Tex" Harrison was a standout college basketball player in Carolina, but went on to play for, and eventually coach for, the Harlem Globetrotters. Theodore Roosevelt pardoned a boxer, but I can't recall the fellow's name right now. Boxing legend John L. Sullivan (a.k.a. "John L.") was able to secure a pardon for his nephew by walking right in the White House and asking. James George Synodios (a.k.a. "Jimmy the Greek") made himself famous by betting on everything, including professional sports. He was pardoned by Gerald Ford.

So, bring on Michael Vick!