This week, the NFL finally took action against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick after Vick acknowledged that he provided money for dogfighting and also helped kill some dogs that were not good fighters. However, Vick claims he never bet any of his money or received any of the winnings. 

As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter if he bet any money or won anything in return. The fact that he helped fund the dogfights and also helped kill innocent dogs because they were not good enough is despicable.

Here is a 27 year-old man, making millions of dollars, throwing his life down the drain.

Fortunately for him, he is only 27 so this can serve as a wake-up call so he begins thinking clearly before making stupid decisions in the future.

The government recommended that Vick be served with a sentence ranging from one year to 18 months -- on the low end of the federal sentencing guideline. We still need to keep in mind though that there is also a conspiracy charge that can be punished with up to five years behind bars. Vick should be punished with the maximum sentence. Either way, Vick will not learn that he can't go around breaking the law unless he is punished to the maximum. A person does not know fire burns until they touch it. Vick won't truly understand breaking the law is bad until he is punished.

Unfortunately for Vick, the legal trouble is not the only consequence of his actions. One must also consider the repercussions this will bring to his NFL career. The league already suspended Vick "indefinitely". What that means can be left open to interpretation. Most likely what will happen is he will not play this coming season. Falcons management barred him from training camp. So because of his not-so-smart decision, not only will he surely face time behind bars but it will also hurt his NFL legacy and career. 

It will hurt his legacy because things like these don't just go away. I promise you that five years from now, most football fans will never forget that Vick was involved in some dogfighting/killing controversy. It will hurt his career and the proof is already there - he was barred from training camp and it is uncertain he will even play this coming season.

But the consequences don't stop there for Vick. He was actually one of the most popular players in the NFL. When you're popular you get endorsement deals. But what company in their right mind will actually want to be associated with a dog killer?

Not one. Not a single one.

So the chances of Vick keeping his endorsement deals are very slim and the chances of him acquiring new deals in the future are even worse. It will be many many years into the future before any company even thinks of being associated with Vick - and that's if he's even still in the NFL and a great player. His endorsement problems have already started.  After animal-rights activists spoke out against Vick his sponsors dropped him.

Michael Vick is getting exactly what he deserves. Just thinking that he would either drown or hang low performing dogs is apalling. That is an awful way to die for any living creature including a dog. Now Vick has pretty much ruined what could have been a spotless run in the NFL with his cruel actions. I only have one question for Vick: Was it worth it? I would say not. He is now learning a very important life lesson: every action will eventually produce a consequence.

Please send your comments, thoughts or questions to gustavo.reynoso@yahoo.com (I will post some of your e-mails on my next column along with my reply.)

Now it is time for some lighthearted material. Don't you just wonder about some people? I mean, they will say things that make you wonder if they actually have a brain or what the deal is. I will now present you with some of the dumbest quotes by popular public figures and my comments:

"I have strong opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don't always agree with them." - George Bush
- Wow!!! That really makes you want to trust this guy huh?

"We are not without accomplishment. We have managed to distribute poverty equally." - Nguyen Co Thatch, Vietnamese Foreign Minister
- There you go Nguyen!! We should have more government leaders like you!!

"If you take out the killings, Washington actually has a very low crime rate." - Marion Barry, Mayor of Washington, D.C.
- And you're right mayor, who cares about the killings right? We mainly care about people who steal donuts!!

"Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, "Thank God, I'm still alive." But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again." - Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
- Who voted for her? I swear, with insight like this we might as well go to a pre-school and get the same results!!

"First, it was not a strip bar, it was an erotic club. And second, what can I say? I'm a night owl." - Marion Barry, Mayor of Washington, D.C.
- Oh, sorry about that mayor. Now that you cleared it up that it was just an erotic club then everything is okay. And watch out with that night owl stuff, that's what got President Bill Clinton in trouble!!

So there you go. Thanks for reading The Real Truth and don't forget to e-mail any comments and/or questions about anything sports related to gustavo.reynoso@yahoo.com  And good luck to Team USA as they compete in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas.