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.
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.