Michael Vick

[Man in Black]

I am also posting this on the sports board

There has been way too much discussion on this subject already, but I really want to weigh in on something that I feel people are missing completely as they argue whether Vick should get to play again or not.

Has he paid his debt to society? Yes, by the very definition of our justice system, he has. Is he remorseful? I believe that he is, but only Michael and God know what is in his heart. These issues don't really warrant debate because there is no where else to go with such a discussion.

What bothers me is that this whole thing has broken down into a black/white - good/bad mess. People either seem to be a Vick fan or hate him completely. That in itself causes me no concern, but an indirect result of this "tastes great/less filling" type of battle is that many people in favor of Vick are comparing him and his situation to other NFL players like Leonard Little and Donte Stallworth. These analogies are being thrown around carelessly without thought just to help win the argument.

The problem is that this is like comparing apples to a rhinoceros. Leonard Little hit a car and killed a woman while driving impaired. Stallworth, also impaired, hit and killed a man walking. True, these accidents were awful and with a little common sense could have been avoided, but the key word here is accident.

The many incidents Michael Vick was involved in were not accidents. This man took pleasure in forcing living creatures to partake in vicious and painful fights and he did so for years. When these animals did not perform Vick personally killed them, not mercifully, but in tortuous manners like drowning, strangling and electrocution.

Along with the dogfighting there was gambling and drugs and lies to his coaches, teammates and fans. Vick failed a lie detector test while incarcerated and then tested positive for drugs while out on bail.

Now, every person has the ability to change. I firmly believe this. Argue if you'd like that Michael Vick should be allowed to play NFL football once again - but stop making dangerous comparisons that have no bearing on the facts aside from distorting them.

Here's the deal - I'm OK with Vick playing again, but I'm not going to say he deserves to because it was his job. There are multitudes of professions which do not accept felons back into their ranks. School teachers, government workers etc.. Like I often say - deserves has nothing to do with it! People laid off in this economic down time don't feel like they deserve it; I don't feel like I deserved to become disabled and lose my job. But, we have to live with it and most of us smile and make the most of the situation without complaining about what we are owed.

[raindance]

being an animal and child lover I would not let him play again. I think if you are being paid that much and you are a role model you need to be a stand up citizen and make better choices. Ok, I'm not a sports fan, but I do have a little boy who has role models. I think they should have the common sense, as you said, to have a designated driver, to be good stewards of their money and not spend the money that a common man could buy a house with ~on "women", gambling, etc... a hero cares about others, many of these guys are so self absorbed it makes my skin crawl.

now, back to the dog issue... so, we don't understand animals, but they obviously communicate with eachother, have a sixth sense ~ like animals know when their owner is about to have a heart attack, or the animals that knew when the tsunami was comming... they are obviously intelligent, they protect us, help us get better faster, alert us when a fire breaks out while we're sleeping... they would give their life for us... and though man is superior to them, being cruel to an animal is sadistic to me, there is something wrong mentally and in your heart if you can do that. So he paid his debt to society, and maybe he's sorry (that he got caught), but I think it's time to find a more simple and modest lifestyle ~he does not deserve to play the role of a hero and role model until his actions and choices speak for him, that he is a changed man and has wholeheartedly repented. We all make mistakes, but, repetative mistakes are not accidents and you're not sorry the 500th time you do something deliberately. It would not bother me to see him as a grocery cashier trying to be a good man... but I don't think you should hand him a million dollars so that your team can win a bunch of games. With the spotlight on you, and billions of little boys watching your actions, you need to walk a fine line. Watch your language, your extracurricular activities, your attitude, your "sighn language", your temper, everything. It all comes out on the media and our chilren are watching.

*mom steps down from the soap box... getting ready for round 2*

[Man in Black]

My argument has little to do with whether Vick should or should not play football. Like I said, as defined by our justice system he has paid his debt. That much is a fact, you don't have to like it but it is a fact.

My beef is with all the people trying to justify Vick's actions by comparing his intentional sadism with accidental mistakes others have made through poor judgment. Most every single one of us has made at least one mistake in our lifetime that could have cost somebody their life if the circumstances had been arranged differently. I know I have made several. That doesn't put all of us in the same moral category as Michael Vick. For over six years he took pleasure from the pain of living creatures.

As for the role model thing... I don't think athletes are or should be true role models just because they play a sport. A role model should be more closely associated with the term mentor... and that is a title that is earned. To me there is a huge difference between a role model and a bad influence... unfortunately both arise from somebody being looked up to.