The Return of Michael Vick

14 August, 2009

The situation

It has been announced that the Philadelphia Eagles have signed Michael Vick to a 2 year deal after the completion of his prison term for charges related to his participation in dog fighting. This has led to a great deal of controversy and protest centered around his not deserving to be a professional athlete after what he did.

It is important to note that I think what Michael Vick did to those innocent animals was terrible and cruel.

It was sick.

In fact it was so horrible that he should have been sent to prison for a considerable amount of time. He should have lost his job and tens of millions of dollars. He should have been ostracized from society and vilified.

And guess what?

He was.

The reality

He has paid a tremendous price to society and, while it's not enough to rectify what he's done on a moral level, on a societal and (most importantly) a legal level he has repaid society. To say that he should be punished to a greater level than anyone else is ludicrous. It also is a ludicrous idea to think that we should be able to change the penalty for this crime after the fact. Would it be nice if professional athletes lived at a higher ethical standard than average Americans? Sure, but guess what, they aren't super heroes, they're just people who are a bit bigger and faster than the rest of us. And when we're in a country where our elected representatives can't live up to the morals we'd like them to, can we expect someone who is famous for running fast to do any better?

The simple fact of the matter is that an Ex-Con needs to work. We live in a free market country. And Vick, at the top of his game, could do things that NO other human being could do, it's a simple conclusion that even if he lost some skill, speed or athleticism in his two years in prison, he still can do some of those things. Simple American economics say that he should be playing.

You don't need to be a good person to play professional football. Sorry. And you don't have to die in prison because you committed a crime (only certain crimes, or, if you're in Texas, but that's another essay). There are literally millions of "bad" people in the United States, but we don't tell them they cannot work a job, or tell them they should crawl into a hole and die. But for some reason people think it is acceptable to single out this man, be it an excuse to expound their beliefs, politics, or - and I hesitate to say this because it is only based on a single conversation I overhead... in Texas - it could be based on racism.

The reasons for the protests

What is frustrating as an observer is that the groups that want Vick to remain out of football the most are the groups that would probably benefit from his return more than anyone. Professional athletes are required to do community service - and Vick will almost certainly be expected do his with local ASPCA and USHS and similar groups. These groups could turn him into a poster boy, of someone who realized the terrible things they did and shows their remorse.

Think of the power of a presentation, perhaps showing abused dogs, with Vick there, being forced to watch. Would that not be an amazing, emotional transformational experience for everyone involved? Seeing a grown man, a hardened, ex-con, professional "gladiator" weeping at the sight of acts he himself committed and allowed to happen would be transcendent. And it would likely raise a huge amount of funds. But, seemingly that route of action hasn't occurred to these groups who have already said they don't want Vick supporting their organizations (as reported by ESPN). I cannot find the quote now, but it was something along the lines of "we don't need a football player." Of course you don't, but you couldn't use one?

Along those same lines another report by ESPN notes that

Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue in the Philadelphia suburbs, said the group will be renting three billboards near the Eagles' stadium blasting the signing of Vick.

Couldn't that money be spent, I don't know, saving animals?

The potential

Vick seems to be showing remorse for what he did. Legally he paid his dues. Let the man play football, be hated and make hundreds of appearances apologizing for what he did. Embarrass him. Make everyone know that he hates what he was. And don't let up until you feel sorry for him. Everyone will be better off.

What Michael Vick did was terrible - and everyone that is angry about what he did is fully justified in that, myself included, but why not make some good come of it, why not work to prevent another young man from getting into dogfighting, rather than just adding one more body to those poor dead animals?