Let me preface what I am about to say by stating that I live in a household with a dog in our residence, and I do not give a damn who I offend with this article. We need to come to an understanding here as football fans, and as a society overall. The justice system was implemented in America with that mindset that it would have a profound impact on our community, ultimately for the greater good. We all know of the slogan; you do the crime, you do the time.
Geno Smith (left) & Michael Vick talking this past pre-season.So let me get this straight Jet fans, football fans, and other citizens alike; you mean to tell me that if a man can serve his full sentence of 23 months for a crime in which he absolutely did partake in, come out of jail, and return to the NFL while remaining out of trouble that this man should be prohibited from working?
Of course you would because you're speaking exclusively with your emotions and not presenting any sort of objectivity.
We are all well-aware that Michael Vick was heavily involved in a large dog fighting controversy, various forms of dog executions, and high stakes gambling. We are also well-aware that District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson had sentenced Vick to 23 months in prison, but some of you seem to either forget or simply disregard that the man served 21 of those 23 months in prison, and the final two under house arrest.
Wait...come again?
District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson had sentenced Vick to 23 months in prison, but some of you seem to either forget or simply disregard that the man served 21 of those 23 months in prison, and the final two under house arrest.
Oh, so he did do his time. His full sentence...
Now I could understand you making a case suggesting that Vick should have served the proposed 57 months from representatives who were against dog fighting, and i could possibly sympathize with that. However, since you're not Henry E. Hudson, nor is the case still ongoing today, does it really matter?
Hell, here's a direct quote from Mr. Hudson himself from December of 2010, well over a year after the reinstatement of Michael Vick:
"I'm proud to see what Michael Vick has accomplished...he's an example of how the system can work."
Notice that in seemingly every radio show on ESPN; from The Herd, to the Stephen A. Smith & Ryan Ruocco Show, to the Michael Kay show, there have been callers who consciously chose to sound off on Michael Vick with all of their might.
Ever notice that they all have the exact same tone? Each of these callers sound as if they're whining about having too many onions on their damn Burger King Whopper. These are fans and people alike who you simply should not listen to. No objectivity, all emotion.
It doesn't matter whether or not you or I like Michael Vick as a player, or even as a person, but it's undeniable what he has done in an attempt to reinvent himself, and that's something that cannot be taken away. Vick has gotten out of jail and played by the rules, and whether you want to hear it or not he is seemingly a brand new man, or at the very least he has made a concerted effort to present hmself in that fashion. Quite frankly, he's done a hell of a lot better than a lot of us since he's been back. He was reinstated, has looked for and received the proper guidance, willingly sat on the bench and handled it like a consummate professional, earned a starting position, led his team to the playoffs in 2011 which capped off a career season, and has demonstrated an elevated level of class in which he had never shown to the public beforehand.
I'm sure that the man has shown more class than most of his critics, I can tell you that much.
His Team Vick Foundation is all about supporting the youth and has a slogan which reads:
"Digging Deep To Help Those In Need...Of A Second Chance."
Have you ever willingly given back to your community or done charity work?
Michael Vick goes back to prison to visit some inmates.Football people, Jet fans, PETA, and everyone else need to stop playing the holier than thou card immediately. Isn't America supposed to be the land of second chances? If the legal system upsets you than fine, but don't blame Michael Vick, and don't pretend to be a victim of it. We all know that Vick did a God awful thing, but the bottom line is that the man did his time, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, gave back a chunk of the money in which he had earned, and has done nothing short of turning his life around ever since. If you can't control your emotions here, I don't know what else to tell you.