As former Hokie Mike Vick returns home to Hampton, VA for the final two months of a 23-month dogfighting sentence, the questions concerning his future in the National Football League are out in full force.
It is not a question of if Vick will continue his pro football career in 2009; it is when and where he will continue it.
When he does return to the field this fall, the franchise that takes that gamble on him will have to prepare for the onslaught of attention from the media, and the countless animal rights groups that will be knocking the doors of the stadium down in protest. There are many more reasons why a team should take the chance on the former all-pro quarterback than why they should not.
95% of criminals deserve a second chance, and maybe 5% of criminals deserve a third chance. When Mike Vick is released from home confinement on July 20, he will begin his second chance. He has an opportunity to repair an image that was severely damaged two years ago.
Vick has already reached out to several animal rights groups in an effort to be a spokesperson against dogfighting by urban teens. He has made numerous statements with the same message: "I can change." Most importantly, Vick must change his own image.
Legally, there are people involved in that dogfighting ring that he cannot see again. Beyond those people, he must realize which people are going to bring him down and which ones will be there to help him resurrect his once-enviable life.
Back in 2007, a federal judge ruled that fair punishment for Vick's actions was 23 months in prison. When that comes to an end in July, his punishment is over. Therefore, he should be allowed to attempt to continue his career without any further reprimand. He must cherish the opportunity he has to play football and live a normal life again. If he does not do that, and falls into many of the same lifestyle choices he made before his sentence, then he will find himself back behind bars somewhere down the road, and then he will be out of chances. Until that happens, America needs to allow him that second chance.
Many people argue that Vick's criminal status should not warrant another opportunity to play in the most recognized professional sports league in the world. They argue that if someone in an ordinary profession had committed such a crime, they would never be rehired, yet Vick will earn millions of dollars again. That argument is fundamentally wrong.
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.