Michael Vick

I'm having a hard time seeing this man's face everywhere I turn.

In case you haven't been following his story, Michael Vick, former powerhouse quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, was convicted in 2007 of running a dog-fighting ring at his mansion in Virginia, and then lying about his involvement in an attempted cover-up. He not only ran the ring, he was directly involved in the torture. He electrocuted dogs with jumper cables. He hanged dogs from trees. He drowned dogs in his pool. He promoted it. He funded it. He profited from the torture and death of these dogs. He's now out of jail and has been given the opportunity to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, who just signed him to a one-year deal worth $1.6 million. If he stays into the 2010 season, he'll make millions more.

As an animal-lover, I find what this man did to innocent animals unconscionable.

What message does his reinstatement into the NFL send to the children who idolize football players? If you torture and kill hundreds of dogs, that's okay, kid. You can still play in the NFL and be filthy rich.

Yes, other current football players have also been convicted of heinous felonies and are back collecting their inflated paychecks and fan worship every Sunday. But as far as I'm concerned, the depraved indifference to the lives of animals present in someone who abuses and kills them makes that person a special kind of monster, deserving of the harshest sentence and the cold shoulder from his extremely lucrative profession once he's out of jail.

Does Michael Vick deserve a second chance? Sure. He deserves a second chance to leave jail and make a living for himself cleaning toilets, driving a cab, or bussing tables - out of the public eye and away from the limelight, fame, and million dollar contracts of his former profession while contemplating the horror of his past actions. Does he deserve a second chance to receive a golden ticket to play in the NFL, make millions, and be the subject of fan adulation? Absolutely not. After what this man did to those dogs, he should not be allowed to pick up his glamorous life exactly where he left it off.

I'm frankly disappointed with The Humane Society, who is now using his image and fame to shed light on the horrors of dog-fighting.

They contend he's sorry.

I contend he's sorry he was caught.

What do you think?

8 Responses to “Michael Vick”

  1. # Blogger Portlairge

    Sorry he was caught, all the way! The prick!  

  2. # Blogger MsGraysea

    Completely agree with you. He is a despicable excuse for a human being. If he would treat innocent defenseless dogs this way, imagine being in a relationship with him, or even worse, being a child of his. Very frightening that our society sees fit to "accept" him back into an arena where heros used to be made.
    Also, congratulations on the new house. Wishing you smooth sailing from here to your new home.  

  3. # Anonymous Lis Garrett

    I'm not sure how I feel. I don't think anyone will dispute how absolutely awful his crimes were. And yes, I was surprised he signed with a team and that he's now working with the Humane Society to speak out against animal cruelty.

    I don't know . . . while a part of me thinks he should make a living, like you said, cleaning toilets, a part of me hopes that he can change the way he thinks about and sees dogs, that he can understand the wrongness of his actions, and that he can be rehabilitated and actually make a small difference. His crime will always overshadow any good that he does, I think. But I guess I'd just like to believe that people can change.

    My husband just told me about another football player who killed a person while driving DUI. Evidently he served one month in jail and is suspended from playing for a year. To me, driving DUI and killing a person is just as bad as what Michael Vick did. And yet where's the media sensation surrounding that?

    Like I said, I have mixed emotions about it.  

  4. # Blogger Mom24

    He truly is an awful human being. I am so tired of athletes that are terrible people in general. I wish that universities and professional teams would take a stand and not tolerate it any more. Surely it would be worth any potential loss in revenue?

    But, then, I'm not the one buying the tickets anyway.  

  5. # Blogger Shannon

    Jeremy is beyond pissed with this... he is an eagle fan... and he knows it is all about getting them to the super bowl... but he is so ticked... he said he might cheer for the colts or the cowboys (who i cheer for) since they got rid of TO and don't have vick the prick... I'm just upset because I just bought the baby an eagles outfit for this fall and now she might never get to wear it lol...  

  6. # Blogger Veronica

    You know, the thing that I don't know -- and I don't know who does either -- is whether or not he has learned the other side of the equation.

    And I say that because I think that's an important piece of the puzzle in order to understand the context of what's going on now.

    If he didn't know that animals shouldn't be treated that way -- and before anyone jumps on me, we have religions that say animals are not the same as human and thus people look at PETA and other animal rights organizations with disbelief because animals should be under human control -- and he now has learned that animals have rights and should be treated humanely and he spent his time in jail considering his actions and genuinely came out a different man, then I think it's fine that he's playing.

    He's still going to be suspended until October, when a judge will finally rule whether he can play or not. The Eagles are apparently known for taking in "reformed" cases like Vick, so he's landed in the right team.

    However, if he hasn't learned and he hasn't changed, then the issue is a far greater one.

    But like I said, finding out where he lands on the spectrum is a hard one. I suppose he knows. Maybe his family and friends know. But the rest of us don't.

    Either way, he has a reputation now. He will ALWAYS be known as the guy who abused animals. Even when he passes away, I'm sure the article on his career will include the abuse.  

  7. # Blogger My Wombinations

    I will comment only to say I am far more upset about the Lockerbie bomber's release than Michael Vick....  

  8. # Blogger kenju

    I completely agree with you! I am incensed at the whole affair.  

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