Welcome Home Michael Vick – Don’t be Like Mike This Time
May 20th, 2009
Michael Vick snuck out of prison (legally) today and is driving 18 hours back to Virginia from Kansas. Once home he will put a ankle monitoring unit on and stay home for 2 months approximately. He will only be allowed to go to church, work or to visit his probation offer. In the grand scheme of things, it is a slow news day and no one really cares.
Michael Vick is 28 years old and many people feel that he could still be fit enough (physically) to play in the NFL for at least a couple if not a dozen years to come. After protecting his wealth with a penthouse in Florida and vast cash withdrawals of a couple million dollars by analyst estimates, Vick filed bankruptcy. He apparently needs the money and the biggest ticket out there for an ex-con that likes to kill dogs for sport is the NFL.
It is true that the NFL and each of the team franchises around the country are businesses. A business owner can really do what ever they like within the law. That said the service these ‘businesses’ provide is the service of entertainment for football fans around the country. Those fans come in all shapes and sizes, in all three sexes (male, female, & mixed), they come in all ages from babies to the elderly.
They come to watch the game, they come to watch the players, and many come dreaming of what they could do themselves or in some cases could have done themselves if they had been gifted with the skills, ability, and opportunity to play in the NFL. Many of those fans idolize players, just like many people idolized Michael Vick. They spend millions if not billions of dollars on everything from tickets to food to clothes and shoes to jerseys and wide screen TVs. All that money flows into the NFL and to sponsors and the NFL and sponsors pay some of that money to players to keep it coming in and build on the idolization of fans.
Michael Vick was not only a star player, but a star attractor of sponsored money. In fact he might have been better at attracting big dollar sponsors than he was at attaining actual results on the field. He WAS definitely a very good player, but he was never much of a team player nor much of a leader. He was too caught up in his own bad boy image and persona most of the time, too much a lone wolf, and the Falcons suffered due to his inability to rise up to his potential not only as a person that was good at taking money from companies but as a football player that was good at delivering wins.
Michael Vick squandered his opportunities over and over and over again during his years in the NFL. His own actions have proven that he is a very troubled individual. Maybe growing up poor in a difficult neighborhood was too much for him. Maybe the fame and fortune were too big a burden for him to handle. Maybe the women and drugs and gangster lifestyle were just to appealing for a young guy in his early twenties with more money than good sense. It would not surprise me to learn someday that he is a gambling or drug addict.
Gambling and drugs can be objects of what is known as a victimless crime. A society holds something up on a pedestal and states it is immoral to engage in this thing. If you do partake or engage, then you are committing a crime. But these crimes when committed often do not have a victim that suffers.
When Michael Vick sneaks pot through an airport so that he can get high at home or on the road, no one suffers at his hands. When Michael Vick places a bet through a bookie, no one suffers at his hands. But when Michael Vick gets high and then goes out and beats his dog, that’s a little different. When he takes a couple million dollars and finances a dog fighting club, pulling in kids, teenagers, and young men off the street and introducing them to celebrity and money and criminal elements that is different. When he applies his celebrity to what amounted to a traveling animal cruelty freak show on the road that is different. When the people in his entourage start getting assaulted or threatened or in Bud Melton’s case murdered, that is different. These two things of drugs and gambling when grown into a racket move past the victimless crime of individual consumption, and they start hurting real people, not to mention the dogs.
There were two key ingredients that made Michael Vick’s dog fighting escapades possible. NFL money and NFL celebrity. The NFL money kept the wheels and gears moving and the NFL celebrity gave dog fighting some sick sense so legitimacy for the teenagers and twenty somethings around the country that got sucked in. It wasn’t just a notion, ‘lets go fight our dog to the death today’, it was a celebrity appeal, ‘My dog is tough, wouldn’t it be cool if my dog could beat Michael Vick’s dog?’
Michael Vick’s presence gave people in these dog fighting rings more drive to push their own dogs to the limits, to seek out a victory over Michael Vick with their dog as surrogate that they could not achieve physically playing football.
Of course when their dog died, when they lost thousands of dollars gambling, turning to drugs would be a natural outlet, especially for those players that financed their own dogs with drug money.
Michael Vick seriously damaged the NFL. I’m not trying to say that we should hold football players on a pedestal, but too many people do and the NFL not only encourages this, it is part of their business model. Michael Vick essentially leveled the NFL field down to the level of drug dealers and animal abusers. He showed teenagers, well you might not be like Mike when it comes to playing football, but if you have a pet dog, teach that dog to fight to the death some day and you might end up being like Mike then.
Instead of the message of work hard at football, work hard in school and one way or the other you’ll do well in life, he conveyed the message of work hard at football but if that doesn’t pan out, deal drugs a bit, raise some dogs as killers and you can hang with me.
So as I have stated before, I do not want to see Michael Vick return to the NFL. From my perspective that makes about as much sense as giving Osama Bin Laden a free ticket on an airplane to NYC. Michael Vick is out of prison, he is not reformed (hence the house arrest and probation). Hopefully, he will reform some day, but the NFL should not give him a ticket back into the situation that helped corrupt him and that he used to corrupt so many others. Let him have a second or third or fourth chance, let him seek help, and let him heal himself but lets not let history repeat itself.
EDIT
After writing this article I came across this video of Mike Tyson. Consider the problems that Tyson faced whenever he tried to repeat his own history. Definitely seems to be on a better track now that he is doing something new and different.
More on similar topics:
- NFL & Goodell Could Let Vick Back into the NFL Week After Prison Release According to ESPN sources close to Roger Goodell, Michael Vick will likely be let back into the NFL on a conditional basis just a week...
- Fans Start Saying their Goodbyes to the NFL as Michael Vick Reinstatement Boycott Begins The NFL presented the final straw today as it reinstated Michael Vick. Throughout the Michael Vick controversy, the league did absolutely nothing to prevent...
14 Responses to “Welcome Home Michael Vick – Don’t be Like Mike This Time”
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To say that Michael Vick is human garbage would be a vast understatement! He should be thrown in a cage with hungry lions. He should definitely not be allowed to come back to the NFL, I don’t care how good of a football player he is. What kind of message is the NFL sending? All the NFL fans that spend money on anything relating to football are just going to be putting money into the pocket of Michael Vick, funding his mansions, cars and dogfighting.
Also, why is a man with 2 mansions, a penthouse in South Beach and 3 cars filing for bankruptcy? I mean hello…. what is wrong with this picture?
He is trash!!!!
Michael is sick and should not play nfl ever again.This is another reason not to got to ball games.
Wake up HSUS. Michael Vick couldn’t more relieved to have the HSUS accepted him and definately one he couldn’t avoid. His motif to try to regain respect and regain fans- it’s as though he is signing another Nike endorsement only for personal acceptance to right his wrong (please -really?) I think he should have been prosecuted for murdering the dogs he tortured by throwing them to the grown until they died and electrocuting them. How about showing that documentation and footage to every child and fan that he goes before. As for the paragraph about if something would have been done with dog fighting when Vick was a child maybe he wouldn’t have done these awful things to dogs- His father came forth and said he tried to stop him when he was a youth but he just kept on doing it. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2989202
Congratulations The HSUS now has a “role model” for trying to stop dog fighting. It’s a sad realization that we need a killer to look at to try to end dog fighting. I believe it’s a huge mistake and a letdown on the HSUS part,only time will tell. The positive-reaching out to the urban society to stop the dog fighting. The fact Vick murdered dogs and HSUS embracing him with out even blinking an eye is cold hearted and unacceptable. If the NFL considers letting him play football again is setting a bad example.The NFL prides their organizations with community outreach and setting good role models for kids. Allowing Michael Vick to play football is like sending a message to young people saying it’s ok to do terrible bad things- even killing is ok. Michael Vick can kill and get away with it and be accepted “So can I” Maybe they should give Gary Ridgeway -The Green River Killer another chance also. Maybe he could go around the country speaking to prostitutes on how he is a reformed killer. But wait he’s on deathrow.
Michael Vick will someday meet his maker and share his conversation of what he did to his poor dogs. I am disappointed and conflicted with the outcome of the “wait and see” acceptance of the HSUS.
Who do think Vick should play for?
The sad reality is Michael Vick is just one of many cold hearted bastards out there, who have no problem profiting of the misery of others. Those dogs were just a means to him. He is the epitome of sociopath. Thinking only of himself. I heard someone say that Michael Vick is just a hick that didn’t know any better. As a hick, I’m terribly offended that someone would lump that monster into a category with me. I love football, however, I will never watch another NFL game as long that bastard is in the league. I will not put my hard earned dollar bills into the hands of a sociopathic killer.
If you hate Vick like I hate Vick,please sign and pass this petition.It it doing well.almost 31,000 signatures
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-NFL-from-reinstating-michaelvick
Also, anyone wanting a good fight with Vick supporters go to
Vick Forum Topix. If you hate him now, just wait!
michael vick deserves absloutely 0. He is a 0.michael vick and oj same thing they both need to bleed out like their actions have been……………
Not much left to say here! Everyone has pretty much summed it up. “Michael Vick is trash” I just recently (minutes ago) ran across this great website. I’m glad to see others dedicated to the cause. Who would dare let Vick back into the league? This whole ordeal turns my stomach. This man killed dogs and that is inexcusable. This is not the type of person you let back in to the professional football league. You would let a Ray Lewis back into the league…who was involved in someone being murdered. Or Leonard Little who killed an innocent woman, Susan Gutweiler, while drunk driving. But those were ONLY PEOPLE! Vick killed ANIMALS (dogs) and there is no forgiveness for that. I’m perfectly fine with someone being let back into the league if they only killed a person, but you have to draw the line when they begin killing dogs. Susan Gutweiler was killed by Leonard Little and left behind a husband and teenage son…of course this is nothing in comparison to what Vick’s dogs left behind.
Others have posted saying they ‘hate’ Vick. And I’m glad I finally found you wonderful people. Its impossible for this Vick guy to do right. I mean…there’s no way on Earth he could have learned from his mistakes. So we must condemn him! Let’s show no signs of forgiveness or mercy and show our children (as well as leave an impression for generations to come) that hating and not forgiving is what you do. Especially to someone who killed ANIMALS. And let’s be sure that they know we didn’t (nor should they) make a big deal out of HUMANS being killed. Because that is fine for an athlete to do! We will accept that, not make a big fuss of it and move on with our lives. But for all the Vicks (aka ANIMAL/DOG killers)…they are to feel the WRATH. Vengeance is not the Lord’s in this case…it is OURS!!
I’m so excited about the cause here. Finally! The state of our union is at an all-time high…and we owe it to ourselves for coming down on this Vick guy like we have to help reach this high. I mean…we have really put the focus and condemnation where it belongs. Human compassion, forgiveness and the need to help one another (especially helping each other through our transgressions so we can become better people) has almost completely went up in smoke. Let’s rescue more animals and continue to show them more compassion and assign more value to their lives than we would to an actual human life. Perhaps we have finally realized that it’s more important to rescue say..a dog from a shelter or a stray dog on the street…than helping a poor, helpless, or homeless hungry human being. People have choices! Animals don’t! And we were put here on Earth to focus more on animal kindness than humanity. Let’s continue this trend my PEOPLE and we will advance right into the kingdom of…of what? Oops! I’m not going there (let’s leave religion out of it – not everyone believes). But we will do so much better to promote mankind in this manner. Vick is just the beginning. Let’s focus on other issues. Begin writing your local legislators! We have to take up arms against all those (ABSOLUTELY ALL) who would harm ANIMALS. In your correspondence propose that we drop ‘nukes’ on all those countries who harm dogs (like South Korea). Maybe this Vick incident has given them an unfair advantage…you know, they see how we feel about the harming of dogs. And maybe that’s why they are building nuclear weapons. Maybe they’re worried about our union’s wrath upon them for cruelty to animals. And don’t leave out other countries as well. Some people around the world actually eat dogs (those sick b#stards). We all know you should only eat a cow or a chicken and fish… (maybe a little ostrich, turtle, deer and the list goes on).
Well anyways…I’m as busy as a BEE so I have to go, but good work my PEOPLE. Let’s SACK VICK and take on the world…I’m so proud of you all. Such delightful people you are!
All you guys are a bunch of politically correct backbone-less hypocrites. I am not an ardent Vick supporter, but realize hypocrisy and over-reaction when I see it. Vick has served too much time and has been punished enough; in fact, he has been punished more for his dog fighting than many people get for assault, battery, manslaughter and such. Give me a break and get on with your worthless lives and worry about your own hypocritical selves. There – it’s off my chest – now I can move on and hopefully Vick moves on and stars for some NFL team in the future (so long as they lose to the Patriots).
@Brandon Glad we were able to help you take a break and get on with your worthy life. I do not want to see him in the NFL again, but if he does go into the NFL, I hope he lands with the Patriots and you can root for him all you like.
Thank you, DogLover332! Perfectly stated!
I cant believe the overreaction of Michael Vick’s return to the NFL. I think has served his sentence and he should be reinstated. People have committed murder, served time in prison, and are reintroduced back to society to start over. He deserves a second chance. Granted, what he did was morally wrong, but does he have to suffer for the rest of his life? What if he was your son, brother, etc.? I’m sure he has thought about the reprecussions of his actions everyday and probably from now on with the constant booing and negative reactions from animal lovers everywhere! Everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. He has to answer one day to a higher power and then he will be judged. To err is human, to forgive….divine.
Hi Toni,
Why does he deserve a second chance in the NFL???
I agree, he deserves a second chance in society, fine no problem, go live his life, learn a trade, get a job. But not the NFL.
If you are an CPA and cook the books, go to jail and get out, you are not allowed to work as a CPA again. Often times same thing for cops, lawyers, judges, CEO’s . . .
Get the point. He abused his position in the NFL, that was part of the problem, he DOES not deserve a second chance there, but elsewhere, sure no problem.