Michael Vick: Can He Ever Be Forgiven?

Photo Credit: warpafx

ESPN: The Magazine took an interesting approach with its NFL preview issue this year by centering the magazine around the resurgence of Michael Vick, his impact on the NFL and our society. Several articles explored Vick's upbringing, his influence on the game of football and his involvement in dog fighting and his subsequent time in prison.

One article, "The Dog in the Room: A lot of people will never forgive Michael Vick. A lot of people wonder why, too." by David Fleming, particularly interested me as it examined our culture's view of pets, especially dogs, and why Vick is so vilified in some pockets of our society.

Fleming writes:

"In the fight for sole possession of the moral high ground, the fierceness of Vick's supporters and foes often leads to a complete dismissal of the opposition's valid points. For some African-Americans, a suspicion that somewhere along the way this increased devotion to animals directly correlates to a decreased respect for humans has hardened into excusing Vick of any wrongdoing altogether. There are cries of racism when perhaps speciesism may be more accurate. At the same time, animal rights activists can seem to be indulging their misanthropic side. Pets are easy to love -- humans, not so much.

This blurring of boundaries between the welfare of humans and animals is at the heart of Vick's pariah status. In this country, almost 40 million dog owners consider their pets to be a part of the family. A 2001 survey of pet owners revealed that 83 percent referred to themselves as their animals' "mommy" or "daddy." That's one reason that when Vick pleaded guilty to managing a dogfighting ring, people responded as if he had serially murdered children. "Vick should never ever, be publicly supported again -- ever," said Simon Cowell of American Idol fame. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a public letter to the NFL titled "Is Michael Vick a Clinically Diagnosable Psychopath?" White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle admitted in an interview with mlb.com to openly rooting for Vick to get hurt. "Some things are considered sacred in our culture, and they tend to cluster around the defense of the innocent such as animals and children," says veterinarian and USA Today columnist Patty Khuly. "There are a lot of pitfalls in directly comparing animals and babies, but the need to defend them comes from the same place."

In December of last year, just as Vick was making a run for MVP (he lost to Tom Brady), pundit Tucker Carlson appeared on Fox News and declared that the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year "should have been executed" for his crimes. The outrageous statement was denounced so quickly (even by Carlson) that it denied us the chance to examine the hypocrisy and moral paradoxes behind Carlson's -- and our own -- viewpoints on animal cruelty. For starters: Did Carlson also believe his stepmom should be put to death? She is, after all, the heir of Carl A. Swanson, founder of Swanson frozen foods -- a company that in its heyday slaughtered hundreds of millions of chickens. "People should look at what they're eating and what they're spending their dollars on and what kind of animal abuse they themselves are supporting," says Singer. "And if they haven't taken a good look at that, I don't think they have much right to criticize Vick."

The same night Carlson went after Vick, the TV was awash with Old Spice deodorant commercials starring Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. "Women want me, men want to be me," said Lewis. Surreal, considering that less than 10 years ago the pitchman stood in an Atlanta courtroom and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in a double stabbing murder following Super Bowl XXXIV. The reason Vick's crimes continue to stay in the spotlight while Lewis' history or Ben Roethlisberger's alleged acts of sexual misconduct don't is that there are at least 40 times as many animal lovers as there are NFL season-ticket holders. And their pets have become the antidotes to something Mother Teresa described as the most terrible poverty of human existence: loneliness. "I don't know if dogs are sacred. But so many people have these personal relationships with them," says Singer. "They are very loyal animals, very uncritical animals. Because of that people can't imagine doing to them the kinds of things that Vick did."

Vick's case has raised all sorts of issues about which animals should be protected and which shouldn't. For example, would we feel the same about him if he had done the things he did to chickens or cows? Some people have questioned whether a person like Vick can be truly rehabilitated. Can he?

Since I'm a firm believer that those that have done horrible things to people can be forgiven then I have to believe that Michael Vick can be forgiven. He has admitted what he did was wrong. He has done his time. He's seeking to help educate others of the horrors of animal cruelty. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that his remorse is sincere. What Vick did was inexcusable but I wonder why some of us are more troubled by what he did than the crimes that are committed towards our fellow humans that don't affect us as deeply. It's something to think about it...

To read the complete ESPN article please click here.

Does Michael Vick Deserve a Second Chance?

With the signing of Michael Vick this week by the Philadelphia Eagles, the debate of whether Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL rages on. In case you are not aware of the situation, Vick, who was a star quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons, was recently released from prison after spending nearly two years behind bars as a result of his involvement in illegal dogfighting. He has not played an NFL game since the end of the 2006 season.

In the early days of his case I wrote about Vick and the attention his situation was receiving. At that time he had yet to have been found guilty or sentenced for his crimes. But now that he was served his time and paid his debt to society it seems that the feelings for him (whether good or bad) have not changed much in the public eye.

From my perspective I feel like the acts that he was accused of (and found guilty of) were atrocious and he deserved to be punished. But now that he has done his time I think the man should be given the opportunity to return as a productive member of society. Even as I say that, I don't believe the NFL "owes" it to him to let him be a part of their league. But if a team wants to sign him (as the Eagles have done) I don't believe he should be deprived of the chance to play again.

This is different than, say, a convicted child molester who served ten years in prison and now wants to be an elementary school teacher. What Vick did was horrible but it involved animals, not human beings. With that being said, I also feel that those that are particularly offended by what he did have every right to protest the NFL and picket Philadelphia Eagles games. They should have the freedom to express their displeasure, just as Vick should have the freedom to play. However, my guess is that there are more people that want to see him play than are those that want to deprive him of that chance.

One of the things that I've found interesting with this whole ordeal is that very few of the black people that I know feel as strongly about this as the mainstream population. I don't know what to take from that but I think that it is intriguing that most of the vitriolic comments about Vick have come from those that are not from the African American community.

I also think that there is one reason (and one reason alone) that the Eagles signed him -- it is because they think it will win them more games. There were no altruistic motives about giving somebody a second chance. Vick is a talented football player and that is why he's playing in the NFL again. In fact, it's why anyone ever gets the chance to play at that level.

To be honest, there are some pretty horrible people that play professional sports. There are those that have been involved in murders, wife beaters, rapists, habitual drunk drivers, drug dealers and, yes, those involved in dogfighting. However, Vick, unlike many others, didn't get away with his crimes. He did his time and he should be allowed to play if he's capable.

But even as I say that I'm not really rooting for or against him. I really don't care how he performs on the field although seeing a redeemed Michael Vick emerge would be good to see. As a Christian I believe strongly in forgiveness and second chances. I think the NFL has made the right decision in letting him play. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.