Imagine if Bill Gates commits a crime, completely unrelated to his profession (i.e. dogfighting). If I am starting a new computer company, and I can hire Bill Gates to run that business while paying him minimum wage, I hire him on the spot. That is what will happen with Vick. He cannot help that the minimum veteran's salary in the NFL is upwards of $600,000 annually. At one point in time, he was the highest paid player in the NFL, and arguably the single best game-changer in the history of the sport. If a team believes he can contribute on the field again, and can grab him up for what is chump change in the NFL, it makes perfect sense to do so.
It is too early to speculate which teams are going to show interest in signing Vick in late July, or even whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is going to reinstate Vick to the league (all signs point towards that happening). Most likely, the team that takes a chance on him will be a bottom-of-the-pack franchise in need of a spark.
Above all, the thing that is helping Vick's prospects is the sexy new trend in the NFL: the "Wildcat" formation. This style of offense typically utilizes a running back behind center in shotgun formation, along with motion handoffs to slot receivers, to create deception within the defense. Vick is the ultimate wildcat back.
The offense is designed to have an extremely fast player with the ball in his hands and, occasionally, be able to make a throw to keep the defense off-balance, as many running backs are not the most adept passers. However, with Vick's howitzer-like arm strength and lightning-fast foot speed, he is equally dangerous running or passing in this formation, where players of lesser abilities in both aspects have recently had great success running those type of plays.
For a team like St. Louis, San Francisco, Oakland, or Cincinnati-some of the worst teams in the NFL-having Vick operate that offense could improve their team drastically.
When July 20 rolls around, and every news outlet in the country is watching his every move, Mike Vick will become a free man. After that, the world will watch as he repairs one of the most epic career free-falls in the history of sports. The critics will be many, and the naysayers will be everywhere. But we all should just sit back, and give Vick his second chance because you never know, he just might become "Mr. Electric" once again.
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I agree that anyone can change, and hopefully Michael Vick has. I do not agree that his second chance should include a return to the NFL. Using your analogy, Bill Gates would have to commit a crime (unrelated to his profession, but violating his contract), attempt to cover it up, lie about it when caught, finally admit guilt in a bargain for the mildest punishment, then later plead to get that reduced. I wouldn’t hire a man (or woman) like that to clean a stadium, let alone play in it. Take a look back: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/24/AR2007082401044.html. This was not a single incident of lapsed judgment. This was not a man alone in the world-he chose to reject the guidance he was offered. He chose to throw away his privileged (not “normalâ€Â) lifestyle. My part of America does not “need†to allow him back on the field. Luckily, Mr. Vick does get another chance. He leaves jail a healthy young man, having been incarcerated for less than two years. Completing his education would be a great way to take advantage of this fresh start. Returning him to a celebrity position should be out of the question. Doing so makes the statement that breaking the law, lying to your teammates, coaches and the public, violating your contract are all ok--if you have the potential to make some franchise a ton of money. It's a sell-out and a bad example.
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