If he’s allowed his “second chance”, then I’m allowed my opinion..
The NFL Commissioner decided to “partially reinstate” Michael Vick today. This means he can practice and play in pre-season games, assuming he can find a team who wants him. He might be eligible to play in regular season games as early as October.
Thankfully the Atlanta Falcons dropped him so they won’t want him back. They found themselves a good QB in rookie Matt Ryan plus were probably so angry at Vick for all the bad PR, they want nothing to do with him.
And I’m sure there are plenty of teams that want nothing to do with the bad PR he will, at least initially, bring. My guess is those are the teams who already have great QBs in their line-up.
But you know there will be teams who want him (OAK comes to mind….) And this is what angers me. Hey – who cares about his character. He can throw a ball and scramble out of a collapsing pocket to score – awesome. Pfft.
Sports figures have been idols to kids for years and years now. With more and more of them becoming so. They get paid ridiculous amounts of money coming straight out of the draft (school). They walk around like kings and get treated as such by legions of screaming fans. Because they are good at a sport. But the sad thing is more and more of them are completely unworthy of it.
He didn’t commit a crime against himself (take drugs) or get caught cheating on his wife in some personal scandal. He not only broke both state and federal laws – he did it in an extremely savage and heinous way. Have you read the details about what he did to those dogs that HE killed (after he lied to prosecutors and said he didn’t)? I did. And I cried. He did not “just” bankroll this operation. He fully and completely participated in the violence. Multiple studies have shown the correlation between violent and sadistic cruelty to animals and to people. Well – he plays a violent sport as a job so I guess not so far off. And look – I love football. But I don’t want the teams I am rooting for to have violent psychos as team leaders. No thanks.
Forget the savagery of dog-fighting in itself – but what he did to those dogs that lost or under-performed? The person who does something like this by choice (no “I was trying to support my family” BS or anything in his corner) for sport – you are a broken human. Plain and simple. You should not be allowed to own animals ever again. And you are going to raise children in your image? Nice.
Sure you’re sorry. You’re sorry you were caught. You’re sorry that you lost your huge NFL contract and advertising sponsors. You’re sorry that you lost your houses and cars and everything else. That’s why your sorry.
And to those supporters who spout “he paid his dues”, “he deserves a second chance”. He got one already – he’s not dead. He is now out of jail. Go on and live your life. But no – you shouldn’t play in the NFL again where you can, in any way, be held up as a role model or on some kid’s t-shirt ever again.
The NFL is at fault too. They shouldn’t “hire” convicted felons – period. I realize half of the Bengals would be out of work but that’s too damn bad. Maybe if they actually couldn’t just go back to earning their huge paychecks, they wouldn’t be so fracking stupid and commit these crimes? Or is that too much to ask?
And if Vick does get to play in games, I am sincerely hoping he goes up against a linbacker who loves dogs. And had to explain to his kids what Vick did after they heard it on the radio and watch them cry. And hopefully he gets a painful & karmic taste of what his poor dogs did.
