Vick was once the face of the NFL and arguably one of the most recognizable sports figures in America. Now, Vick is a man trying to get his life back on track, and our society should give him that opportunity.
Recently Vick filed for bankruptcy to a Virginia court only to be rejected because of the fact that his plan to repay creditors was not feasible since there is no assurance that Vick can return to the NFL and reclaim a lucrative contract.
The only income Vick can count on now is a $10 an hour construction job where he'll be working 40 hours a week.
According to Judge Frank Santoro, who heard Vick's appeal for bankruptcy, Vick would have to earn somewhere around $7.5 million to $8 million dollars annually to just break even over the course of the next three years.
The man is doing everything he can to try and restore the life he once had. How can a person not feel remorse for his actions after what it ended up costing him in the end?
"I can't live like the old Mike Vick; I was very immature," Vick said to a courtroom in front of his closest friends and family. "I did a lot of things I wasn't supposed to do being a role model."
Once Vick is finally reinstated, teams have to wonder whether the athlete can revive his career once again as an elite NFL quarterback or whether he should switch positions to receiver.
Looking around the NFL you can name several franchises that are in dire need of a quarterback who can put their team over the hump and into the playoffs. Teams such as the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and the Detroit Lions are all teams with huge question marks at the position.
The Lions will most likely come off that list of teams in need of Vick's services if they decide to draft Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick in this month's NFL draft, but the remaining three teams cannot argue the fact that they would be much more improved teams if they had Vick under center.
Fans need to forgive, but not forget what he has done. It's easy to jump on the band-wagon and say Vick should never play quarterback in the NFL again.
But when you truly assess how much the former Hokie star has been through, fans should recognize he has served his punishment for his crime.
I, as many NFL fans, am excited to see Vick return to the game as the exciting player he once was and a new man who has learned a lifelong, damaging lesson.
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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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