This is how Vick makes it back to the NFL

A team that hasn't been able to find a QB for decades, and local media willing to forgive.

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January 6, 2009
BY CAROL SLEZAK cslezak@suntimes.com
Now that general manager Jerry Angelo has established quarterback as the Bears' highest priority, I'm thinking about Michael Vick. He's scheduled to be released from prison July 20, and he has made it clear he wants to resume his football career. He's an intriguing possibility for a team in search of quarterback help. I wonder if this town could forgive his crimes.

Before his hidden life became public knowledge, Vick was the most exciting player in the NFL and one of its most popular players, as well. The former No. 1 overall pick is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and took the Falcons to the playoffs twice. And while he wasn't a great passer, his running ability made him a constant threat. Defenses had to respect him, and they did.

Let's assume he will leave federal prison rehabilitated in every way. Let's assume he has learned the serious nature of his crimes and is repentant. Let's assume he is drug-free. Let's assume that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates him. Under these circumstances, is there any reason why the Bears shouldn't be interested in him?

No, we don't know what kind of shape he'll be in after nearly two years in prison. But Vick always has been a remarkable athlete, and he's only 28. Good quarterbacks are tough to develop and tough to find on the open market. The position has been a particular challenge for the Bears throughout franchise history. Not that I'm ruling Kyle Orton out of the picture, mind you. But Angelo has made his priorities clear. If nothing else, he wants to see competition at the position. Vick would do the trick.

Vick needs to apologize first
But I wonder if people can get past the dogfighting. Can they get past the fact that Vick tortured and killed helpless animals? His crimes seemed particularly heinous to most of us. The public outcry was enormous. Americans love dogs. Our vilification of Vick was immediate and complete. When he's released, one of the first things he must do is make a sincere public apology. To convince people that he understands the cruelty of his actions, he'll have to team up with animal-rights organizations. That's his best hope to keep the animal brigades off his back. But sports fans have a long history of forgiving. If Vick still can play, and play well, we'll forgive him, too.

The Associated Press recently spoke to PETA spokesman Dan Shannon, who said PETA will reconsider its position regarding Vick if he gets ''as active fighting against dogfighting as he was participating in it. ... That will determine not just how PETA reacts, but also how the public and the NFL and individual teams react.'' Fair enough, considering Vick's crimes. Sometimes jail time isn't enough. Sometimes society demands more.

When considering Vick's future, let's not pretend the NFL is filled with perfect citizens. For every all-around good guy like Mike Brown, there's another Plaxico Burress or Pacman Jones or Tank Johnson waiting to be found out. Vick deserves a chance to resume his career. There will be strings attached, of course. Morals clauses and counseling sessions and whatever else the league or a team might ask for to cover its risk. But in all likelihood, Vick will get another chance somewhere. Why not here?

Let's not forget that he already has paid a huge price for his crimes. In addition to his loss of freedom, he has lost all his money. He was once the most popular athlete in Atlanta, but the Falcons have made it clear they want nothing to do with him. He was the kind of guy kids emulated. No longer. He has a lot of work ahead of him to rebuild his reputation in the community. But when it comes to the league, all that matters is whether he still can play. He deserves a chance to put his mistakes behind him.

Better option than McNabb
If Angelo isn't convinced that Orton is the guy, and Vick is available, is there any reason why the Bears shouldn't consider him? A lot of fans would like to see Donovan McNabb return home to Chicago, but McNabb is still the Eagles' property, and he's also 32 and pretty beat up. Matt Cassel? The Patriots reportedly will put the franchise tag on him, which would make him an expensive acquisition if they decide to make him available.

If Angelo goes the free-agent route, he'll have to settle for an older player such as Kerry Collins or Jeff Garcia to fill the gap or go with a comparatively inexperienced, unaccomplished younger player such as the Bills' J.P. Losman, whose one promising season came in 2006. None of the available options is a sure thing.

Not that Vick is a sure thing. There are plenty of hurdles ahead for him. But when the time comes, any team in search of a quarterback should at least give him a look.

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Here is the link to the article...http://www.suntimes.com/sports/sleza...arol06.article


Well BP.net your thoughts?

As a die-hard Atlanta Falcons fan, I felt very betrayed by Vick last year.

He's paid his debt to society, and I wish him well, but we'll keep Matt Ryan as QB - IMHO a much better QB than Vick was. Sure, Vick is flashy - and I first took notice of him when he was playing for VT. I remember saying to Karl - "Wow! What a lethal combo! A QB that can run like that!" And when Atlanta recruited him, I was very excited.

However, I'd have to say that overall, to ME, his performances fell short. He was not consistently good, and his passing game left something to be desired.

If another team wants him, great. I just hope he doesn't break the hearts of their fans - and that he's truly changed.

With Matt Ryan, now we really DO have the complete package QB!

He has turned a new leaf in life, I think he should have every chance to succeed again. He has had everything taken away from him, Had been to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I think he should have his chance to prove himself again. Plus HE IS A KICK BUT QB :gj::salute:

Sorry, I wouldn't support any team that hired him. Just because he's a quarterback, he should have the "Aww he's real sorry" card played?
If he had been a reptile seller, who was caught stomping snakes to death when they didn't sell at a show, and was put in prison for 2 years.. would you then say "Well, he's better now! Of course he should attend herp shows again!"
Why should he have any opportunity to rise up in the public eye? To tell folks that as long as you have a good PR team you can do whatever you like? To tell kids that if you have a stupid talant to play a game, you can get away with immoral acts?
I'd be terribly disappointed if the Bears did hire him, or the Falcons took him back. Let him go drag around in the indoor football arenas or better yet.. go get a JOB and work at a regular real life job.
He paid his debt by the penal code, but I don't think anything he does would erase the moral debt he's incurred by glorifying dog fighting. Tons of kids that idolized Vick now will boldly state that dog fighting isn't that bad. IF he manages to leap into animal causes with both feet, and not behave like a spoiled prima donna when he gets out, then eventually maybe... but right out of prison? No way, IMHO.

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I wonder if this town could forgive his crimes.

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In what some have called the most corrupt city in America? Sure they could.
(no offense to anyone who lives there. Ive got some good friends there)

I think what he did is horrid. But once a his sentence is satisfied, he is a free man.

Coming from a Bears fan, I hope they don't scout him. It would be a media nightmare for the Bears and I think would be more detrimental than good. Vick would spend more time interviewing than practicing.

Yes, they need an accomplished QB to help out the team, but I say look somewhere else.

And personally, I don't think he's repented for his crimes. All his punishments were court ordered...yes he may have realized after a bit of jail time what he did wasn't exactly right, but I don't believe he thinks what he did was entirely wrong. Inexcusable.

The point of prison is you go do it, do your time to be punished, and that's it.

This guy is going to get "punished" after prison way more than the average joe who participated in dog fighting simply because he is a celebrity. I don't care one bit about what happens with football, and my opinion is that he should have as much of a chance at getting a job he is qualified for as anyone else. However, I think the public memories of something as horrible as dog fighting will taint him the rest of his life and prevent him from ever playing in the NFL again. But I guess he should have thought of that before being such a.. well I'm not going to use that language here.

He'd make a killing writing a book though.

I don't think he should ever be allowed to play again and I don't think his punishment was enough.

I totally agree with wolfy and catawhat. He needs to be shunned, a chance to be given back the golden life is beyond belief.

Would you think that a normal person had been punished enough for receiving the same punishment?

Here is my thing. He received punishment within the law. If we do not like the punishment the law dishes out, then we are the ones that are responsible for getting the punishment for that crime changed.

Calling for a punishment that is more strict for one person, but not another who committed the same crime would be akin to violating his eighth amendment rights.

He is not going to be given anything back. I believe that he is going to have to work twice as hard as before to get the "golden life" back.

It is incredible to me how animal abuse seems to be less important to some than football. Until the media (& many in society) start to recognize animals as beings with rights that must be respected (the right to not be tortured for one), animal abuse will continue. &, in many cases, animal abuse is just a step away from child abuse, etc.

We do as a society recognize that animals have rights, and I agree that some of the punishments do not fit the crimes. However, right now, the letter of the law states.

(2) Any person found guilty of a violation of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a felony and punished by incarceration not exceeding two (2) years or a fine of not more than fifteen thousand dollars (15,000), or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Statistically, those convicted of a felony serve about 45% of the max, and a majority of people convicted of the same crime Vick was, end up having time served and the maximum fine. So he was in fact punished more harshly than a majority of those others that have been convicted of the same crime.

He will be getting out, will be a felon for life, and numerous other repercussions.

Mike Vick who???? As a diehard falcons fan, formally a diehard mike vick fan, and former pit bull owner. I hope no one signs vick, i hope he gets stuck flippin burgers at the varsity. His jail time will never justify what he did to those dogs so i say dont let him play the sport he loves...

For the falcons its Matt Ryan time, who has the most completions in a playoff game by a rookie! Matt Ryan is a super bowl winning QB.

Pro football is not a sport.

It's a business.

It's sole purpose is to generate income for the owners.

Silly people who think they play for the fans.

Someone will pick him up. He's got talent. Talent sells tickets. He's got notoriety, which also sells tickets.

Pro football is NOT about sportsmanship and setting good role models for our youths, it's about making just as much as you can just as fast as you can for as long as you can.

He'll play somewhere.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

We do as a society recognize that animals have rights, and I agree that some of the punishments do not fit the crimes. However, right now, the letter of the law states.

(2) Any person found guilty of a violation of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a felony and punished by incarceration not exceeding two (2) years or a fine of not more than fifteen thousand dollars (15,000), or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Statistically, those convicted of a felony serve about 45% of the max, and a majority of people convicted of the same crime Vick was, end up having time served and the maximum fine. So he was in fact punished more harshly than a majority of those others that have been convicted of the same crime.

He will be getting out, will be a felon for life, and numerous other repercussions.

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The problem here is that, while if you or I would have committed this crime, we would probably find it difficult to get a job anywhere, etc., This guy will jump right back into the limelight with an exorbitant salary. The fact that he is a convicted felon will probably not cause him any hardship. & the reason being that many do not seem to think that what he did should keep him from helping his team win. IMHO, this is ridiculous.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

He paid his debt by the penal code, but I don't think anything he does would erase the moral debt he's incurred by glorifying dog fighting. Tons of kids that idolized Vick now will boldly state that dog fighting isn't that bad.

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Exactly

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Originally Posted by Drew87

He has turned a new leaf in life, I think he should have every chance to succeed again. He has had everything taken away from him

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Perhaps IF he has turned a new leaf in life would be a better way of phrasing it. As far as i know, and i may be very wrong, the only apology he's made about slaughtering and torturing animals is that circus style press-coference in which he read a letter that contained the words "im sorry." I'm not sure if that qualifies as "turning over a new leaf in life" in my opinion. But that's why we're talking about it.


"Let's assume he will leave federal prison rehabilitated in every way."
I graduated a couple years ago with a Criminal Justice Administration degree....definitely a "BS" degree in many ways (bachelor of science...and).
Anyhow, I can tell you that I had several professors, and several text books flat out stating that the current goal of our prison systems has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH REHABILITATION. I believe there's evidence to support just the opposite as a matter of fact, people come out even worse than when they went in!
All im trying to say is that this quote - the first sentence in the paragraph of assumptions - is asking us to "suspend all disbelieve" and swallow a huge assumption in order to follow the rest of the author's logic about how Vick should be re-instated in the NFL.

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Originally Posted by Drew87

Plus HE IS A KICK BUT QB

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I agree that he was pretty good a few years ago. However, in my opion, he wasn't such a great FOOTBALL PLAYER that the fact that he's a dispicable human being should be overlooked.

Just my thoughts on the matter. :D

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Pro football is not a sport.

It's a business.

It's sole purpose is to generate income for the owners.

Silly people who think they play for the fans.

Someone will pick him up. He's got talent. Talent sells tickets. He's got notoriety, which also sells tickets.

Pro football is NOT about sportsmanship and setting good role models for our youths, it's about making just as much as you can just as fast as you can for as long as you can.

He'll play somewhere.

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Absolutely true. After all, some of them have raped, abused their spouses, etc., and they to go right back and play. I should not expect any different in this case.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

Would you think that a normal person had been punished enough for receiving the same punishment?

Here is my thing. He received punishment within the law. If we do not like the punishment the law dishes out, then we are the ones that are responsible for getting the punishment for that crime changed.

Calling for a punishment that is more strict for one person, but not another who committed the same crime would be akin to violating his eighth amendment rights.

He is not going to be given anything back. I believe that he is going to have to work twice as hard as before to get the "golden life" back.

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I like the idea of second chances, benefit of the doubt and understanding, forgiveness, so on and so forth and I like the idea that they should be earned even more.

When Vick was being accused of his crimes, and even after he was indicted, he kept claiming he was innocent. It was only when it became clear he would never win a trial and that he would serve less time in jail did he finally say he was guilty. I never got the impression that he was actually sorry or even understood how bad his crimes really were.

None the less I'm sure he'll get his chance to play.

Well he was always very injury prone when he was playing, so lets hope karma comes around and give a career ending injury.

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

The problem here is that, while if you or I would have committed this crime, we would probably find it difficult to get a job anywhere, etc., This guy will jump right back into the limelight with an exorbitant salary. The fact that he is a convicted felon will probably not cause him any hardship. & the reason being that many do not seem to think that what he did should keep him from helping his team win. IMHO, this is ridiculous.

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I agree that he will likely find it easier to find work in the now. But later on down the line he will not. But that is beside the point, in the now he will suffer less of the after effects in terms of employment. But by the law, you can not take that into account with terms of punishment. And we would be opening up a can of worms if we required certain individuals be punished more harshly than the law allows for the common person.

Now, while he was sentenced to 23 months. The recommended sentencing was 12. I would like to see him do all 23 months. But even if that does not happen, he was punished in accordance with current laws, and has already received a harsher punishment than many others that have done the same exact thing.

He will still have lost his right to vote, the right to keep and bear arms, and several other things. This may not sound like much, but to a person like me, that is worse than under two years in prison, or loosing a multi million dollar contract. But that is probably not the case for him.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

He will still have lost his right to vote, the right to keep and bear arms, and several other things. This may not sound like much, but to a person like me, that is worse than under two years in prison, or loosing a multi million dollar contract. But that is probably not the case for him.

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100% agreed.

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Originally Posted by DSGB

Well he was always very injury prone when he was playing, so lets hope karma comes around and give a career ending injury.

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Nah I don't want to wish that on anybody. I would just like to walk my Pitbull without people hating on me and my dog because of her breed or for my neighbors to stop accusing me of putting their lives in danger because I adopted a demon spawn from the 7th ring of hell, according to them.

That would be nice. :8:

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

The problem here is that, while if you or I would have committed this crime, we would probably find it difficult to get a job anywhere, etc., This guy will jump right back into the limelight with an exorbitant salary. The fact that he is a convicted felon will probably not cause him any hardship. & the reason being that many do not seem to think that what he did should keep him from helping his team win. IMHO, this is ridiculous.

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Lately I've been thinking that the uproar from fans, residents of whatever city he'd go to, and the country in general will likely stop anyone from wanting to sign him.. Only time will tell.

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Originally Posted by Earl

Nah I don't want to wish that on anybody. I would just like to walk my Pitbull without people hating on me and my dog because of her breed or for my neighbors to stop accusing me of putting their lives in danger because I adopted a demon spawn from the 7th ring of hell, according to them.

That would be nice. :8:

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I hear ya. I have had pits in the past, and have dealt with that too. To fight this we do not need to focus all our attention on those who give our pups a bad name, we need to be good owners and also good neighbors and educate those who are fearful.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

I hear ya. I have had pits in the past, and have dealt with that too. To fight this we do not need to focus all our attention on those who give our pups a bad name, we need to be good owners and also good neighbors and educate those who are fearful.

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Damn straight Skippy.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

I hear ya. I have had pits in the past, and have dealt with that too. To fight this we do not need to focus all our attention on those who give our pups a bad name, we need to be good owners and also good neighbors and educate those who are fearful.

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Sure I agree with you 100%, I really do. :)

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Lately I've been thinking that the uproar from fans, residents of whatever city he'd go to, and the country in general will likely stop anyone from wanting to sign him.. Only time will tell.

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That could very well turn out to be the case. & I really hope to see people feel passionately about what happened to those dogs in his care. I am not referring to the legal repercussions that he suffered (or did not). I understand and respect the law. I believe some punishments are too severe for the crimes and vice-versa, but that would be a different discussion.

I am only concerned for the purpose of this thread with the media, and some fans not giving his crime sufficient importance because he was such a great (or not) player.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Pro football is not a sport.

It's a business.

It's sole purpose is to generate income for the owners.

Silly people who think they play for the fans.

Someone will pick him up. He's got talent. Talent sells tickets. He's got notoriety, which also sells tickets.

Pro football is NOT about sportsmanship and setting good role models for our youths, it's about making just as much as you can just as fast as you can for as long as you can.

He'll play somewhere.

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This is the most accurate analysis of the NFL I've ever read. As a society, we need to change the way we regard professional athletes. They are not divine, nor are they 'better' than anyone else because of physical ability. Reinstating Vick anywhere will send the wrong message and further reinforce the idolization of these players.

I still believe that his punishment was not as severe as it would have been had he not been a professional athlete. Sure, he is serving his time, but I'd bet its pretty cushy compared to most other prisoners.

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Originally Posted by snakewrangler

I still believe that his punishment was not as severe as it would have been had he not been a professional athlete. Sure, he is serving his time, but I'd bet its pretty cushy compared to most other prisoners.

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As has already been explained, he recieved a harsher punishment than a majority of others that have committed the same crime.

His punishment was most definitely harsher than usual.

For the longest time it seemed a sure thing that his gambling was going to get him into more trouble than the dog fighting.

I did a quick image search because I feel that the dogs should continue to tell the story. He will have done his time, but regular people who do crimes and go to prison face censure and a rough battle getting any kind of life back. Why should Vicks be any different? And-- have the dogs recovered their lives?

I'm not going to post all of the images. Some are really graphic. The faces of the crime:
http://www.usanimalprotection.org/gypsy100.jpg

http://bp1.blogger.com/_pJPIi_RqTcs/...ck_Dogs_10.jpg

http://bp0.blogger.com/_pJPIi_RqTcs/...ck_Dogs_03.jpg

Link to more photos and rehab stories:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/feat...s_where_are_t/

47 dogs were rehabbed and have gone on to quiet homes. I hope Vicks doesn't get to play any more football. I hope he has to face this every day. Prison is only one consequence. I want him to face the consequences of this for a long long time.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

As has already been explained, he recieved a harsher punishment than a majority of others that have committed the same crime.

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To clarify, I meant the prison conditions. I would doubt that he is in general population with murderers and hardened criminals.

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Originally Posted by snakewrangler

To clarify, I meant the prison conditions. I would doubt that he is in general population with murderers and hardened criminals.

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You do not go to a white collar prison for an felony like this. And he did not go to some cushy state pen. he went to Leavenworth.

And I beleive he did in fact go to general pop (least that is what I have read). In addition to the prison. He paid an easy million to care for the pups that he hurt, he was then sued for 2.3 million by the Royal Bank of Canada because as he lost his job, and had to give a mill for the pups he had to sell his home (etc), The courts then said that instead of 2.3 mil, he had to give them 2.5 mil. And then 1st source bank sued him for two mil because he had to go back on renting cars from them because he was in jail. They were awarded 400k.

Vick then defaulted on a loan from Wachovia because he was in prison and was sued for around 1.1 mil, then there is having to pay back a sign-on bounus, and a ton of other stuff.

He went to prison worth about 50 mil. Because of other creditors and what not he will come out with,,,, nothing. Yeah he got off easy.

Do I feel sorry for him? Not one tiny little bit. But please do not even attempt to say he got off easy. I would challange you to show me one common person that has lost so much for this crime.

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Originally Posted by snakewrangler

To clarify, I meant the prison conditions. I would doubt that he is in general population with murderers and hardened criminals.

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According to the law, and society in general, dog fighting is much much less of a crime than murder, or even selling drugs. It's understandable because of that, he is not equatable to murderers and hardened criminals. That's just how it is in the books, and how most people view it. Animal lovers are a special breed who give more care to furry, scaly, and slimy friends. However, they are a minority of the population.. Take this as you will.

Can't wait to see him play again.

He did his time.

Apologies, he went to the medium security facility at Leavenworth.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

According to the law, and society in general, dog fighting is much much less of a crime than murder, or even selling drugs. It's understandable because of that, he is not equatable to murderers and hardened criminals. That's just how it is in the books, and how most people view it. Animal lovers are a special breed who give more care to furry, scaly, and slimy friends. However, they are a minority of the population.. Take this as you will.

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And this is exactly what I would like to see change.

The Lion's need him more than the Bear's do. And a dog fighter would have many fans in Detroit. :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

And this is exactly what I would like to see change.

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So you think that crimes against animals should be more harshly punished that murdering a human?

Malicious crimes against animals should be punished as hard as crimes against children, which should both be as hard as (in the event of premeditated), or harder than (in the event of lower degrees), crimes against adult humans.

The reason for this philosophy, in my mind, is that while you can have a legitimate beef with an adult - someone who has wronged you and given you reason to be angry, there is no justification for violence against animals and children, who are innocent. It takes actual cruelty - a special sort of person - to harm the innocent, and if they are verifiably sane, it should be considered a capital sin.

Animals in society are a product of human intervention. Since it was our collective choice to include them in our homes and on our farms, it is our collective responsibility to take care of them and offer them protection from cruelty. Obviously we take more liberties with animal lives than we do with human lives, but intentional, conscientious malicious acts against them (with only the intent to hurt the animal behind it) should carry the same weight of responsibility as it does against the innocents of our own species. The reason for this is simple; the people who are able to hurt innocents of any species are able to do it to our own - and it's best that they be removed from our society as there is no room for them within it.

I am not an advocate of cruel or unusual punishment, but those who prove that they are incapable of acting civilly and participating like well-adjusted adults in society, unless they're mentally incapable of doing so, should not remain among those who can. It would be ideal to be able to send these people to another planet permanently and let them sort themselves out. Yes, that would be a pretty harsh punishment, but the prospect of having it happen to you would probably get a lot of people to think twice and behave themselves.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

So you think that crimes against animals should be more harshly punished that murdering a human?

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& how did you arrive at that conclusion? That was absolutely not what I wrote. I would like crimes against animals to be recognized with more importance than they are now (which is with very little importance). I'm not sure how this thread became an argument about how the punishment does/does not fit the crime when the OP posted about how Vick is able to make it back into the NFL after what he did. It has nothing to do with the law. It has to do with how some members of society seem to think it is so important for this man to play football that they can forget how he made these animals suffer.

I will repeat this again, I am not arguing about the law. But about society's perception of animal abuse.

For myself, I think Vick might now realize that it's LEGALLY wrong to murder and torture dogs, but he will most likely never think it's MORALLY wrong to do so. He argued he was innocent, until he realized they had enough proof against him.
I don't think he should still be punished per se.. but I would want to think that the NFL and teams would not want such a scumbag as a star in their organization. There will probably be a team that takes him on, and in a few years no one will remember his atrocious actions.
That's the truely sad part. Other than a few dead dogs, and a few people who had to deal with the aftermath first-hand.. no one will think about it after a while.
Still means he's a scumbag.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

For myself, I think Vick might now realize that it's LEGALLY wrong to murder and torture dogs, but he will most likely never think it's MORALLY wrong to do so. He argued he was innocent, until he realized they had enough proof against him.
I don't think he should still be punished per se.. but I would want to think that the NFL and teams would not want such a scumbag as a star in their organization. There will probably be a team that takes him on, and in a few years no one will remember his atrocious actions.
That's the truely sad part. Other than a few dead dogs, and a few people who had to deal with the aftermath first-hand.. no one will think about it after a while.
Still means he's a scumbag.

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Thank you so much for saying what I've been trying to say so clearly. It is not whether or not the man should continue to be punished, but how he might still be revered as a football hero by some. I honestly think that many members of society are so desensitized to others pain and suffering (whether animal or human) that they might not look at this man and be totally disgusted at what he did.

Sorry to any Vick fans in advance being that I used to think he was 1/2 decent but playing the wrong position. Here's 3 reasons he shouldn't be allowed to play again IMO.

1. I don't think he should be allowed back in the league to make MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of dollars every year when he already had the chance and pissed it away.

2. Vick was a crap quarterback. He'd be a better back or a receiver.

3. Apologize all you want and yeah I think he deserves a second chance and now he's getting that second chance which I call "Getting out of Prison" on a 3 year sentence or whatever it was when most people would do 5 minimum.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

Sorry, I wouldn't support any team that hired him. Just because he's a quarterback, he should have the "Aww he's real sorry" card played?
If he had been a reptile seller, who was caught stomping snakes to death when they didn't sell at a show, and was put in prison for 2 years.. would you then say "Well, he's better now! Of course he should attend herp shows again!"
Why should he have any opportunity to rise up in the public eye? To tell folks that as long as you have a good PR team you can do whatever you like? To tell kids that if you have a stupid talant to play a game, you can get away with immoral acts?
I'd be terribly disappointed if the Bears did hire him, or the Falcons took him back. Let him go drag around in the indoor football arenas or better yet.. go get a JOB and work at a regular real life job.
He paid his debt by the penal code, but I don't think anything he does would erase the moral debt he's incurred by glorifying dog fighting. Tons of kids that idolized Vick now will boldly state that dog fighting isn't that bad. IF he manages to leap into animal causes with both feet, and not behave like a spoiled prima donna when he gets out, then eventually maybe... but right out of prison? No way, IMHO.

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I think he is a sleaze ball. He is arrogant and I think he has not changed.

So what you went to prison boo hoo cry me a friggen river. He was an idol to many children. When you have status like that you should do what is morally and legally right. Even if at one time he thought dog fighting was right or OK society obviously taught him it was not acceptable, or he would have talked about it publicly at some point or another.

He knew it was wrong and he should not be let off the hook because he did some time.

To heck with him.

I think he did his time and should be given one more chance, the bears would be a great fit the guy is amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing him play again. Let me make one thing clear I was disgusted with what he was doing, but if you objectively look at his punishment and everything he lost he paid big time.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

We do as a society recognize that animals have rights, and I agree that some of the punishments do not fit the crimes. However, right now, the letter of the law states.

(2) Any person found guilty of a violation of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a felony and punished by incarceration not exceeding two (2) years or a fine of not more than fifteen thousand dollars (15,000), or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Statistically, those convicted of a felony serve about 45% of the max, and a majority of people convicted of the same crime Vick was, end up having time served and the maximum fine. So he was in fact punished more harshly than a majority of those others that have been convicted of the same crime.

He will be getting out, will be a felon for life, and numerous other repercussions.

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These so called 'animal rights' also vary from state to state as well. I'm ashamed to say it, but we still have puppy mills, and Oklahoma statistically has the highest amount of puppy mills in the united states. It is my opinion that we have THE WORST animal rights laws in the States. I know of an exotic zoo here that houses tropical birds and reptiles in an indoor barn that has no heat or air conditioning. This is a HUGE building, so these tropical birds are all but freezing to death. But the owner is not punished because he provides food, water, and shelter (the barn) from the elements. No where in our state laws state that he has to provide additional heating... The same thing goes with his reptiles. Apparently some animals have more rights than others in the good ol U.S. of A.

Sorry, I'm a life long bears fan and i will stop watching if they make a stupid move like that. McNabb is available and rumor has it he is thinking that the bears would be a good fit. Yea maybe he doesnt know the overtime rules but at least he hasnt been playing for the California penal(SP?) league.

Im not a football fan so i could care less if he ever played again, but i still think what he was a part of was horrible. I doubt he has turned a new leaf, or really feels any remorse for what he's done, so i dont think he should get what he wants.

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Originally Posted by jknudson

Coming from a Bears fan, I hope they don't scout him. It would be a media nightmare for the Bears and I think would be more detrimental than good. Vick would spend more time interviewing than practicing.

Yes, they need an accomplished QB to help out the team, but I say look somewhere else.

And personally, I don't think he's repented for his crimes. All his punishments were court ordered...yes he may have realized after a bit of jail time what he did wasn't exactly right, but I don't believe he thinks what he did was entirely wrong. Inexcusable.

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I can agree..I am a huge bears fan, and I am not liking this one bit! He is a great QB though.