Yes, Michael Vick can now play for the NFL.
You can do whatever you want, so long as you can play football well.
Who would’ve thought that the real world was like high school?
Anyway, I do have a serious question. Would we be as outraged if Michael Vick had been caught cockfighting?
Probably not.
Because we eat chickens, and chickens are kept on farms in which “industry practices” are such that fighting them might seem more humane.
I should tell you that this has nothing– absolutely nothing– to do with race.
Dog-fighting is a sport for the demented. Of course, that’s very generous to even call it a sport.
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I have to disagree here… He’s spent 18 months in prison, which I believe is unusually long for animal cruelty (obviously, I think he deserved a longer sentence, but realistically that was about as much as he was going to get). He’s already filed for bankruptcy – he supposedly has $5M more in liabilities than assets. He’s 30 years old, hasn’t played a snap in two years, and his playing style was entirely about his athleticism rather than his smarts; his current value as a QB just isn’t very high.
The most likely scenario is that he signs a contract for the league minimum, lasts maybe 2-3 years, then plays in the CFL for less than I make. Admittedly, the NFL minimum is around $850k/year, but his bankruptcy case is still pending; most of that salary is likely to be garnished, and given his lack of other marketable skills, he likely has to stretch that out over the next 40 years.
He’s been incarcerated and ruined. How much more should we demand of him?
Not on TV or in the news anymore that’s what I want.
I think this is more symbolic. I don’t know what kind of example it is to reinstate someone who has done something like this.
But what bothers me is all of these self-styled animal rights organizations want him on board as a spokesperson.
With any normal citizen, having a criminal record DOES effect you for the rest of your life, including your ability to get a job. That whole long-term consequences thing.
So, no. Just because he’s done the time doesn’t mean he deserves a privilege like working in the NFL. Working at a fast food restaurant, at a box store, picking up trash by the side of the road… there are plenty of jobs for him, it’s not like us crazy animal-lovers want the poor man to STARVE or anything…
Oh wait. Deep in my black, shriveled heart I do. Hmm.
In my state, if you’re a felon, you can’t vote.
Except it already is affecting his ability to get a job now. Teams aren’t exactly lining up to sign him. If he signs anywhere, he’s not getting the same job he had before. He’s going from #1 overall pick with a $100M contract extension, to a 2nd (possibly 3rd) string QB playing for the league minimum. Heck, the 3rd string QB technically isn’t even considered an active player most weeks.
He’s got maybe five years left in an industry notorious for kicking old, serviceable, honorable players to the curb the second they slow down even the slightest bit. How many times has Jeff Garcia been cut? He’s a 30-year old QB out of the league for two years, likely in lousy shape, unfamiliar with his new offense. Heck, it’s not guaranteed that he’ll even make the final roster cuts, let alone win a starting job anywhere.
The last I heard he was applying for construction jobs, which was okay, when there were construction jobs.
I think he has a book deal in his near future in which he’ll repent of animal abuse.
And maybe he’ll find Jesus– that’s always a ticket out for a fallen celebrity or politician. Why not for an athlete?
http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=1692
What he said.
Having Vick as a spokesperson for the HSUS is a bit like having Paris Hilton as a spokesperson of abstinence only education.
He wasn’t in jail for animal cruelty. He pled innocent to that charge. He was in jail for bankrolling dogfighting.
His REAL guilt was for the vicious ways he tortured and killed his non-fighting dogs… a guilt he has never acknowledged or apologized for. He is a sociopath. I invite you to read Winograd’s latest blog, which has some quotes from the initial rescuers about what they found on his property:
http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=1692
Having Vick as a spokesperson against dogfighting is like having OJ Simpson be a spokesperson against murder.
As for dogfighting, like it or not (and as an APBT owner, I certainly DO NOT), it was once a legal and accepted sport, much like “terrier work” or indeed any form of lethal hunting with dogs is today. We regard it as a disgusting form of animal cruelty now (as it is) but in truth, the APBT was forged in that fire, and its sterling qualities of courage, strength, determination and stability.. along with its (sometimes inexplicable) devotion to people come from that “sport”. It is no accident that the few Vick dogs that were fighting dogs were the most stable and adaptable after their rescue, and the ones that have quickly become therapy dogs (OurPack’s “Leo” and “Hector” now owned by Roo Yori.)
Now, refresh my memory, did Virginia ever try him? Or were the state charges dropped in the deal?
The State charges were dropped.
I love how sports fans defend the mindless, selfish abuse of animals. Your post is perfectly executed. Football fans don’t realize how unbelievable it sounds when they defend a man who is a convicted criminal who tortured animals. Isn’t that what serial killers do? There are other quarterbacks….one’s that are working hard to be as good as Saint Vick. Give them a chance. Vick had his chance and sucked it up. The fact he’s getting a second chance makes me sick. What if he was charged with battery? Rape? Murder? Where is the FELONY line drawn?
My Blog on the topic: http://lordwhatsmymotivation.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/mans-worst-friend/