Learning from Vick’s mistake

    For one man, he sure knows how to draw a crowd.  He’s done so in sellouts for the Atlanta Falcons for  seven years at the Georgia Dome and then again  Monday downtown in a media circus.

    Michael Dwayne Vick is now a convicted felon in one  of the most bizarre sports stories in recent memory, as  he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to operate  an interstate dogfi ghting ring in U.S. District Court  in Richmond.

    I had the opportunity to gain a unique perspective  of Vick’s plea hearing working behind the scenes with  NFL Network in an on-the-job learning experience.

    To avoid allocating valuable preparation time to  standing in line outside the courthouse before sunrise, some networks instead choose to have a stand-in team  hold the places in line. I, along with Alex Dynan and Joey Buzby, also of VCU, was part of that team.

    We arrived on the scene shortly after 5 a.m., well  before the break of dawn; at that point, neither Vick  protestors nor supporters had made their presence  known. The mood was relaxed and initially very  mellow. We were surprisingly beaten to the spot by  roughly 10 others, mostly members of the press and fellow stand-ins.

    The first couple of hours passed uneventfully. The  magnitude of what would occur later that morning,  contrasted with the sleepy atmosphere of the intersection of East Main Street and South 10 th Street, helped  to make time pass even slower.

    As the sun’s path in the sky grew longer, so did the  line to enter the courthouse. Through either intelligent  coordination or dumb luck, the line was formed on the  west side of the courthouse, and the building served to  shield the crowd from direct sunlight. Members of  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also began to fi le in behind the police barricades and let  their signs do the talking until Vick arrived.

    One of the most spectacular sights was the line of  television satellite trucks that occupied more than a full city block north of the courthouse. Seemingly every  outlet was represented: from NFL Network, CNN,  Court TV and ESPN, to WAVY 10 in Hampton Roads  and Comcast SportsNet in Washington, D.C. Every network wanted its sliver of Bank Street to capture  a live shot reporting from the biggest media event in  the country that day.

    Although the outcome was predictable, the moment of truth was drawing nearer. The line to enter  the courthouse now curled around the back of the  building, not to mention the stray reporters who were  wandering the area gathering information. By that  point, many more non-PETA individuals had joined  the not-yet-angry mob. They were becoming restless  but no less determined. One man’s dog was quite  noisy, possibly expressing displeasure. His owner’s  shirt said, “My dog hates Vick.”

    At approximately 10 a.m., the court marshals began  screening everyone who entered the building. The sketch artists were allowed in first, followed by sets of  eight people at a time. Alex remained outside with the  cameras to witness Vick’s arrival, while Joey and I stayed in place. Naturally, we weren’t  permitted to bring cell phones or cameras into the hearing. The line moved  quickly through the metal detectors and  the process was far more efficient than a  trip through airport security. We made  our way from outside the building to  the third-floor courtroom in a matter of  minutes. At 10 minutes after the hour  we were seated in the third row on the  defendant’s side of the room.

    The moment was surreal. Anxious  to witness such a historic moment, we  had to remind ourselves that our seats  were to be relinquished. At about 10:20  a.m. NFL Network legal analyst Michael  Huyghue and reporter Scott Hanson, the  last to make it inside the courtroom,  relieved us of our spots. We were,  though, able to view the entire hearing  from a second floor overflow room on  closed circuit television.

    Vick arrived moments before his  10:30 a.m. hearing was to be underway.  The hearing started on time and had just  a 15-minute duration, during which time  Vick hardly responded with more than  a “Yes, sir,” or “No, sir.” Vick answered  that he understood the charges to which  he was pleading guilty, was competent  enough to make his own decision and  that he will be unable to appeal Judge  Henry Hudson’s ruling that will be  handed down Dec. 10.

    As Vick left the courthouse, hundreds  gathered to get a glimpse of the Madden  ’04 cover athlete. The chant of “We love  Mike” overwhelmed the faint booing as  Vick descended the ramp emotionless  and climbed into his Range Rover.

    Following the hearing, defense attorney Billy Martin gave a brief statement  at the foot of the courthouse steps and  announced that Vick, who had yet to  speak publicly since his indictment  on July 26, was to give a statement 30  minutes later at the Omni Hotel two blocks away.

    That created a logistical nightmare for  all media present. No one outside Vick’s  inner circle knew that Vick was going  to be speaking. There had been rumors  and speculation but no details.

    The entire operation had to be moved  to the Omni with no time to spare. I  raced on the sidewalks of South 12 th  Street downhill with Hanson and Huyghue, as we were unsure how the rest  of the day would unfold. Hanson was  frustrated with the lack of coordination  between the Vick camp and the media  and thought it might have cost NFL  Network live coverage.

    Producer Steve Dresner was already  on the scene with his crew. The transmission of Vick’s remorseful statement was  clear over the air. Hanson and Huyghue  were able to recap and analyze Vick’s  language live on NFL Network. Meanwhile, I was frantically running back and  forth to the courthouse to collect videos  from the cameras and other trucks to  bring to Bill in our production truck – a  little first-hand insight to see what goes  into making a remote broadcast.

    The tempo of the afternoon then  slowed.  The  crew  had  lunch  and  determined what would be included in  the segment for NFL Total Access at 7  p.m. I was fortunate enough to watch  the professionals at work and see how  the segment was taped and produced.

    When  the  camera  wasn’t  rolling,  Hanson and Huyghue were frantically  gathering information and rehearsing  segments while the crew made phone  calls, ran countless yards of cables and  set up equipment. When the camera  turned on, everything was smooth with  no rushed appearance whatsoever.

    Therein lies the magic and fascination  of television. A day with no shortage of  crowds, hype and chaos came over the  airwaves as if it were just another day  at the office.