To the editor:

Michael Vick should be accorded all the same presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

However, if he is convicted of this charge of gross animal abuse, then he should be banned from the NFL for life.

I am a longtime NFL fan. So long, in fact, that I remember watching people like Bob Waterfield play. Who was Bob Waterfield? He was an NFL quarterback married to a movie star in 1950.

There are two crimes that I consider most telling about people’s character: No. 1 is cruelty to children, and No. 2 is cruelty to animals.

If Vick is convicted of the charges and is not barred from the NFL, I will tear up my tickets and never watch another game, even on TV.

E.G. Hickam,

Lawrence