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Gonzo: Face the music on Vick

Despite the latest reports, nothing has changed regarding the Michael Vick situation. It's still a mess. The Eagles ought to think about cleaning it up by discussing it in an open forum. Disclosure is always the best disinfectant.

The police have identified the shooter in the incident outside Michael Vick's birthday party. (David Swanson / Staff Photographer)
The police have identified the shooter in the incident outside Michael Vick's birthday party. (David Swanson / Staff Photographer)Read more

Despite the latest reports, nothing has changed regarding the Michael Vick situation. It's still a mess. The Eagles ought to think about cleaning it up by discussing it in an open forum. Disclosure is always the best disinfectant.

On Tuesday, Virginia Beach police said charges won't be filed against anyone "at this time" regarding the shooting outside Vick's 30th birthday on the morning of June 25. In a statement, police said they identified the shooter but added that the case won't move forward since the victim and witnesses have been uncooperative. Police said from the beginning that Vick wasn't a suspect or person of interest. He still isn't.

That doesn't mean Vick isn't guilty of poor judgment that has caused him and his employers a great deal of negative publicity and unwanted attention. He admitted in a short interview with Fox29 that "there should never have been a party." That's a gross understatement given that the party concluded with a bullet finding its way into a human being. At least cake was served first.

That's pretty much all we know. Vick and his lawyer haven't exactly been forthcoming. Neither have the Eagles.

The team issued a statement saying the organization was "provided with very detailed information regarding what took place at the event," but the Eagles have yet to share what they know with the public or the media. The organization said it will "continue to gather information and monitor the situation and we will not have any further comment until that process is complete."

As long as that remains the company line, the Vick situation isn't going away. There are too many unanswered questions about what happened that evening - about whether Vick violated the terms of his probation, the term's of his employment with the Eagles or the terms of the NFL's conduct policy.

The Eagles need to hold a news conference. Sooner is better than later. Unanswered questions only lead to more questions - and speculation. The longer they wait, the worse the public relations hit becomes for the Eagles and Vick

We still don't know, after all, whether Vick and Quanis Phillips interacted the night of the shooting and, if they did, for how long. Phillips was a codefendant in Vick's dog-fighting trial; associating with known felons would be a violation of both their probations. Police have not identified the victim in the shooting, although Vick's attorney said it was Phillips.

We still don't know why Vick's camp said Phillips was ejected from the club or why Vick's attorney said his client was "long gone" when the shooting went down. A spokesman for the club disputed both assertions and said Phillips was never kicked out of the club. The club spokesman also claimed a surveillance video proves Vick left just three minutes before the shooting and drove off in the direction of where the shots were fired.

Just Wednesday night, the lead prosecutor in Virginia Beach told the Associated Press that Vick was involved in some kind of confrontation, but he would not elaborate.

Those are only some of the outstanding questions for Vick. There are plenty more for the Eagles. I sent several to an Eagles spokesman seeking comment. I won't outline all of them, but here are a few in no particular order:

Did Jeffrey Lurie, Joe Banner, Andy Reid, Howie Roseman or anyone in the Eagles' front office know about Vick's birthday party before it was held? If so, did anyone sign off on it or give his/her consent?

When the Eagles signed Vick, Lurie said he thought Vick could be an "agent for social change." Lurie also said if Vick was a "disruption" or failed to be a "role model" that it wouldn't take the Eagles "very long to make that change." Since questions are being asked about a shooting outside a party Vick admitted he never should have held, does Lurie or anyone in the front office think Vick has been a disruption? Does Lurie or anyone in the front office think Vick has been a role model since becoming an Eagle? And does Lurie or anyone in the front office see Vick, today, as an agent for social change?

An Eagles spokesman got back to me, though most of the conversation was off the record. On the record, I was told the organization was aware Vick was in Virginia to "participate in football camps for disadvantaged youth" but was unaware that he also intended to hold a party open to the public for $50. I'm not sure if it's better that they didn't know or worse - better because they didn't give him permission, worse because it means they don't know about some of the things their convicted felon/change agent is up to when he's not wearing shoulder pads and a helmet.

It was a cordial enough discussion and a start, but it wasn't enough. I'd still like to know where birthday party gunfire and running into an old dogfighting crew member fall on the disruption/role-model/social-change spectrum. But I guess you can't rush these things.

Page 2 programming note: Ask Gonzo returns to Philly.com on Thursday at 2 p.m. Much like the Vick saga, it's the chat with more questions than answers.