As the NFL draft approaches, a football fanatic's desire for the season to return cannot outweigh the longing Michael Vick feels to step back onto the gridiron.
Vick has been out of football since 2007 when he was indicted on dog fighting conspiracy charges that ultimately gave the former superstar a 23-month sentence. The previous Hokie quarterback hopes to be back in the NFL by September, barring any additional suspensions handed out by league commissioner Roger Goodell.
Goodell has said that he will review Vick's case after he is released from prison and will largely base his decision on the amount of remorse the former Atlanta Falcons signal caller has for his past actions.
Fans of the NFL need to ask themselves whether they are ready to forgive Michael Vick for what he did. Some people are going to think that what Vick did is unforgivable, but people with that thought process need to sit back and take notice of some of the players still playing in the NFL today who have committed or had suspicions of committing far worse crimes.
First let's have a look at St. Louis Rams' defensive end Leonard Little, who is still actively playing in the NFL. Little had a three-year stint from 2001 to 2003 seasons as one of the top sack artists in the game, averaging more than 12 per year in that span. What the average fan probably does not know about are his past legal issues.
Back in 1998, Little left a party after drinking during the night and ended up crashing his vehicle into another car, resulting in the death of Susan Gutweiler of St. Louis, Mo. After the accident, it was revealed that Little's blood alcohol level measured at 0.19, a level that is twice the legal limit in the state of Missouri.
Little was charged with involuntary manslaughter, and the punishment he received for the crime was 90 days in jail followed by four years of probation and 1,000 hours community service.
Little served just 90 days in jail for driving while intoxicated and killing another human being. To make matters ever worse, six years later Little was arrested again for drunk driving while speeding. After a horrific moment that occurred in 1998 in Little's life, one would believe the thought of drinking and driving could never again cross his mind, but through his actions he showed zero remorse or change in character.
The next case to look at, which has been completely brainwashed from all the minds of football fans across the country, is that of superstar linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis.
Back in 2000 following a Super Bowl party, Lewis was involved in a fight that resulted in the death of two people by stab wounds. Eleven days after the incident, Lewis was indicted for murder and aggravated assault.
Yes, Lewis was acquitted of the murder charges in the end of the case, but do people really remember how that came about? During the trial, several eye witnesses were supposedly the key for the prosecution to prove Lewis's guilt. The witnesses before the trial claimed they had seen Lewis stab one of the victims and even heard Lewis admit to the murder days after the crime occurred.
When it came time to testify, the eyewitnesses changed their stories almost completely, claiming Lewis was the peacemaker throughout the altercation or claiming they could not correctly identify who had stabbed the victims.
Lewis' attorney wound up arranging for the prosecution to drop the murder charges if he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of obstruction of justice. When Lewis returned to the NFL the following season, he was not suspended any games but fined a league record $250,000.
These two stories are just a fraction of what some of the players have done or been accused of in the NFL. It's wrong to say that fans should sweep Vick's dog fighting scandal under the rug and root for him on the field, but do not say that the man does not have a right to return to the gridiron in a speedy process following his release.
As mentioned earlier, Vick has served 23 months for his crime. And as an owner of three dogs myself, I feel - like most feel - that what he did is horrific and inhumane. I also believe that if our society can quickly forgive and forget the transgressions of a Leonard Little or Ray Lewis, the same should be applied to Vick.
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michael vick peta=people (b)eat tasty animal
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Dude, what are you like 12? Justifying and mitigating one crime by comparing it to others and saying "Well if they can get away with it, then so should vick" is asinine. Grow up, learn what it means to be an adult and then try writing another article.
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What sense does it make to say "Hey, this guy got way too light a sentence, so Vick should get one too!" It's true that Little killed a person, that Lewis may or may not have killed a person, that Vick killed dogs, and that killing a person is more serious. But did Little and Lewis do it deliberately, over and over again, for years? Did they buy a house so their friends could come over to watch? Little killed someone by accident. We don't know what Lewis did. We know what Vick did, though. He mutilated dogs and tortured them to death, laughing and betting, deliberately and in secret, with all of his friends, again and again for years. He intended to keep doing it as long and as often as possible. Unlike Little and Lewis, he LOVED it.
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Vick claims that he was "immature", meaning that he did things that are appropriate for children. What kind of kids does Vick know? He claims that he did a lot of things that he shouldn't have done "because he was a role model". I'm sorry -- this means only one thing: he thinks that it's OK for people who aren't role models to torture dogs to death. And guess what: this means he doesn't think it's wrong. No, no: it's "immature" to do this if you are a "role model", because then you might get caught. Sure -- he's doing everything he can "to try and restore the life he once had". In what way does this excuse anything? He wants his millions back. He wants his houses. He wants to be a big shot. Is this true only for nice people, or do a lot of sadists and torturers want exactly those things when they get out of prison? Actually, it frightens me that he's trying "to restore the life he once had". I'm hoping he will NOT restore that life. Don't you remember what he did in that life?
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No fan's comments above nail my position exactly. For Vick and his handlers/supporters to now write this off and expect us to accept this as a "mistake" is an insult to all of us NFL fans with young kids to whom we have had to explain all this. The only mistake Vick made was that he got caught. Other than that he and his dispicable friends carried out each detail to the exact science that they intended. It’s certainly not a mistake when you execute your plans perfectly. Donte Stallworth made a mistake. Vick accomplished his goals.
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You people are idiots. They were f ucking dogs. Get over it.
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Oh, man, what a great comment! Persuasive, literate, courteous, well-supported, well-reasoned. This will persuade people who value dogs to re-think -- to choose Michael Vick's welfare over the dogs he tortured. And anyone who hasn't decided? Well! They're toast, buddy. They're sure to be persuaded by the statement: "You people are idiots. They were f ucking dogs. Get over it." Good job! Watch out -- there's a great future ahead for this guy!
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