Ten minutes after this Marcus Vick quote crossed the newswire, "I'll just move on to the next level, baby," Tardio emailed me asking, "Does he mean the next criminal level? God, I hope so." Tardio’s question was the kind of next level prescience that just doesn’t happen very often. Shortly thereafter news broke about Marcus Vick’s arrest at a Suffolk, Virginia McDonald’s for brandishing a handgun at three teenagers. College and professional coaches across the country breathed a sigh of relief because the elusive and metaphorically clichéd "next level" was actually just a small town McDonald’s. Who knew?

Shown here throwing a football for the last time.

Aside from ruining his older brother Michael’s chances at ever receiving a McDonald’s endorsement (although who wouldn’t love to see Marcus reprise the underutilized HamBurglar character in a television advertising campaign), Marcus also became the latest in a long line of younger brothers to collapse under the all-encompassing glare of their older brother’s star. We here at ClayNation are all about second, third and even fourth chances for athletes we feel certain will continue to accept opportunities for redemption and immediately blow them on more and more ludicrous ways to violate the law. For instance, what office in America doesn’t need a "What will Marcus Vick be arrested for next pool?" (My personal choice, punching a Galaga arcade machine at Dave and Buster’s when he accidentally shoots his own captured fighter before fleeing the scene while shouting, "Send the bill to my man Number Seven...baby.")

Prognosticators often point out that athletes are under a harsher level of scrutiny than other peers their own age. I don’t think this is true at all. In fact, based upon my limited experience in college, I think athletes (like other college students) get away with a lot more illegal behavior than they get caught for. I just wish we could know all the things Marcus Vick has done that he hasn’t gotten in trouble for…baby.
But, alas, the younger Vick is not the first younger brother to bring shame to his family; he is only the most recent. So in an effort to get Marcus Vick a fifth chance at redemption, I scoured the deep recesses of my mind to confirm that younger brothers have often buckled under the stress of a supremely talented older brother. Without further ado, here are seven men who could accompany Marcus Vick in his long walk of sibling overshadowing:

1. Billy Carter- Younger brother of U.S. President and Nobel prize winner Jimmy Carter. While your brother served as President you were also actively engaged in politics…losing the mayoral election of Plains, Georgia. Fresh off this defeat you endorsed your own brand of beer, Billy Beer, before becoming a lobbyist for the lovely people in Libya. Oh, and you had to sell your house to cover the debts brought on the by the failure of Billy Beer all the while being lampooned by the national media.

2. Gerald Wilkins- Your older brother Dominique went to college at Georgia before redefining offensive basketball and engaging in an epic dunking duel with Michael Jordan as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. You went to UT-Chattanooga before reaching the NBA’s Cavaliers where your role became “Jordan stopper.” Unfortunately as wikipedia states, “…however, in the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Jordan scored countless points whilst being guarded by Wilkins, making the Cavaliers' ultimate plan a failure.” After the failure of this ultimate plan you lose the ESPN Dreamjob announcing contest to Dee Brown. Yep, that Dee Brown. This is the sports announcing equivalent of being dunked on by Justin Timberlake.

Dominique Wilkins, being a good example

3. Roger Clinton- While Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton ordered the drug raid that led to his own brother’s arrest for cocaine sales in 1984. Roger then became a musician and performed several times at events which forced everyone who President Bill Clinton employed to awkwardly grin while pretending to enjoy the music. Then Roger got Bill in hot water, when his older brother pardoned his sentence just before he left office. By way of celebration, Roger was then arrested for drunken driving and disturbing the peace.

4. Ben Seaver (bottom left) - Your older brother Mike steals the show as a dreamy and loveable teen heartthrob who is also funny. You are relegated to occasionally breaking out the “Ben Seaver Scream” and are eventually replaced as the loveable younger sibling by a girl who ages from one to five during one remarkable television off-season.

As this mug shot indicates, Ben was not the only bad bad Seaver

5. Ozzie Canseco (right... or maybe left) - Admittedly he and Jose Canseco are twins and I’m not sure which was born first. But I feel like Jose has to be the oldest. I also readily admit that Jose Canseco has not exactly distinguished himself…but he did pen a best-selling book while hitting 462 home-runs. Here are Ozzie’s career highlights, a. play twenty-four major league games between the years 1990-1993 while never hitting a homerun. b get arrested for a brawl alongside Jose in Miami Beach. c. appear on an episode of VH-1’s The Surreal Life and play a Jose Canseco impersonator. This has to be an all-time low in identical twin moments.

6. Prince Harry - Ok, ok, so you got red hair and your brother got blond hair, the fawning magazine profiles, and that whole-King thing. Did you really have to dress up like a Nazi storm trooper for Halloween? Or punch a photographer for taking your picture? On the positive side of things, the Royal Family has gotten smart and allegedly Harry has his own private nightclub in his father’s house known as “Club H.” Perhaps Michael Vick could open the “Next Level” for his brother. If he does, I really want to go.

7. Ben Savage- On Wonder Years, Fred Savage gets to pine after Winnie Cooper while coming of age. On Boy Meets World you get to pine after Topanga while coming of age as she gradually increases in weight until she tops out as a light heavyweight.

As has, therefore, been clearly proven by this diligent and scholarly analysis, Marcus Vick is neither the first nor the last younger brother to wilt underneath the pressure of having a famous older brother. It’s really quite the trend…baby.

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