Keep Michael Vick off the cover of Madden '12

[mainbutter]

Like it or not, the best thing to happen to help prevent dog-fighting was for Vick to get into it and get caught. Practically no one talked about dog fighting on the national stage before then, no attention was ever brought to it on the national stage.

I don't give two poops about football or the man, but football is no different than any other job out there.. except that it is less respectable than just about anything you need a degree for.

So what if he committed crimes? Who in football these days hasn't committed felonies? (seriously, the whole sport is made up of corrupt bad-guys) He plead guilty to state AND federal charges, and served his time. He shouldn't have to pay for it MORE simply because he is well-known.

[SnakesNStangss22]

I'm not asking for him to lead a perfect life. I'm asking him not to brutally kill innocent animals...Thats not hard! Really not lying way harder. It's very easy not to throw a dog in a bath tub full of car batteries! Super easy!

2 years? thats a joke, and he didn't spend the entire time in jail either. he does 10? Okay I'll hear the forgiveness arguments. for 2? No he can get mauled by dogs and burn in hell.

You should be glad he got 2 years... Look at OJ, he got away with killing a person, and a friend of mine, ran a stop sign and a semi driver avoided killing him, running into a tree and died. He got no jail time at all for killing a dad with three kids behind. How is that fair for the family. Their dad gets killed, and the driver continues on with life?! Our court system is completely messed up and that is terrible.

Vick has made some f-ed up choices thats a fact... but does that mean he has the rest of his life to pay for it?

i know its not the same, but i got a aggravated assault charge on me when i was 18, ... long story short some guy kept flirting/touching my fiancée... after a while i took my bowling ball and hit the guy, im saying i did my time, and served my punishment, its over with and done... people should not keep dwelling on the past.

I'm done with this thread, but once again, go Hillis.

[stratus_020202]

Like it or not, the best thing to happen to help prevent dog-fighting was for Vick to get into it and get caught. Practically no one talked about dog fighting on the national stage before then, no attention was ever brought to it on the national stage.

I don't give two poops about football or the man, but football is no different than any other job out there.. except that it is less respectable than just about anything you need a degree for.

So what if he committed crimes? Who in football these days hasn't committed felonies? (seriously, the whole sport is made up of corrupt bad-guys) He plead guilty to state AND federal charges, and served his time. He shouldn't have to pay for it MORE simply because he is well-known.

So, we should like everyone who comes out of prison because they "served their time"? Great thinking. Or, just the extraordinary football players. I really don't know why its so wrong to not support the guy.

I think their are some crimes that are just unforgivable. What he did is one of them. He did give a lot of national attention to dog fighting. Whether it was good or bad we will see. I bet we see more of it happening. It's only two years, and obviously not a serious crime. As long as we serve our time, we can do it, and nobody will really care.

To me - pathetic.

[jcotharn]

I gotta say, the guy paid his dues. He lost everything from this, houses, fans, his reputation the list goes on. Everybody has painted a target on this guys back since then and rightfully so. But he did his time and is trying to make things better, I think boycotting him being on a freaking video game is a little petty. If it was for times person of the year or a nobel prize i could see it, but its just a video game. Everybody deserves a second chance and I think its time we start to give him one.

[Exotic Ectotherms]

Priorities people..

Our world is falling apart... Seriously. And we are concerned about who's on the cover of Madden '12. Awesome.

We wonder whats wrong with the world..............

If we are gonna complain about something... lets at least complain about something worth complaining about.... like the ridiculous gas prices, or grocery prices, or the bill that could end our hobby.. c'mon. Power with numbers.... to bad we wanna use our numbers to complain about video games.

What's so wrong with people debating whether or not Mike Vick should be on the cover of a video game? Last I checked, this is a discussion forum where people discuss and debate a multitude of issues. I'm sure if I looked hard enough I could find many threads in the "Off-Topic Cafe" that have to do with gas prices, grocery prices or any other important social issue facing us today. And I darn well know there are MANY threads about the bills that are threatening our hobby. The bottom line is that this issue is MUCH more than a debate on whether he should be on the cover of a video game. This topic brings to light many important social issues such as the public acceptance/unacceptance of dog fighting, the effectiveness of our criminal justice system, and the collective value system of a small slice of the general public.

As far as the priorities of the members of BP.net.....I hardly think that anyone who voiced their opinion on this issue woke up this morning with whether or not Mike Vick belongs on the cover of Madden weighing heavily on their conscience. What makes freedom great is the fact that every single one of us can log onto this forum and voice our opinion, no matter what the subject is and no matter how asinine the issue is. If you don't care about the content of a particular thread, click the little X in the top right corner of the screen and move on with your life.

That being said....I love dogs as much as any other person. I find it despicable that any human being can torture and kill ANY animal in the way that he did. I do not like him as a person, but he is an excellent football player. Bottom line is that I really don't care if he is on the cover of Madden or not. I am a Philadelphia Eagles fan, but I find it very difficult to root for them with him as the QB as I find it difficult to see beyond his past transgressions.

[mainbutter]

I really don't know why its so wrong to not support the guy.

There's a difference between passively not supporting and actively working against.

Taking time out of your day to actively work against someone's career because of an offense that has already gone through the extent of the justice system is what I am asking people to avoid.

As to the original point of this thread, if you want to vote for the other dude because you're a fan, do it. If you want to vote for vick because you like how he played last year, do it. If you don't give two craps about football, but vote for the other dude because of some desire to exact personal vengeance on a criminal.. well that's just not fine.

Personal vengeance, vigilantism, and the like are not ok, especially if your only motivation is the fact that this particular individual is well-known and in the public eye. I don't see any of these die-hard anti-Vick persons researching records of convicted animal abusers and actively working against the careers of animal rights abusers who aren't celebrities.

[wilomn]

I don't follow the careers of athletes. Has vick been in any other trouble?

[stratus_020202]

I don't follow the careers of athletes. Has vick been in any other trouble?

Minor drug charges, theft here and there, steroid charges.....on and on. But, i believe this is his first felony. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael...minal_troubles

[PitOnTheProwl]

i know its not the same, but i got a aggravated assault charge on me when i was 18, ... long story short some guy kept flirting/touching my fiancée... after a while i took my bowling ball and hit the guy, im saying i did my time, and served my punishment, its over with and done... people should not keep dwelling on the past.

Everybody deserves a second chance and I think its time we start to give him one.

Two answer both comments at once: When your own father has been 3 times and spent most of my 35 years there, HOW MANY CHANCES SHOULD SOMEONE GET? first time was murder, then federal drug charges/parole violation, now both with parole vilation. It breaks my heart to see my grandmother grieve over his "mistakes" and IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. Take it for what you want but when he gets paroled again I'm the one picking him up.

Personal vengeance, vigilantism, and the like are not ok, especially if your only motivation is the fact that this particular individual is well-known and in the public eye. I don't see any of these die-hard anti-Vick persons researching records of convicted animal abusers and actively working against the careers of animal rights abusers who aren't celebrities.

I dont go out of my way to look BUT if its in my sight it doesnt happen for long.

So, Should vick have to pay for the rest of his life? No, he should be treated like he treated his dogs. They have more heart and passion to live life, he wouldnt make it.

Her story

She lost her teeth because she killed every Grand Champ male they tried to breed her with! She has to spend the rest of her life with no teeth, I think he should too.

[PweEzy]

Wow really the guy served his time did whatever the courts wanted him to tell me you have never made a mistake in your life are people out to get you still... Now im not saying what he did was right in anyway shape or form nor do I condone what he did. Further more the cover of madden is based on you proformance not necessarily personal issues.. Madden 10 had a rapist on it but nobody cares about keeping him off the cover and in my book rape or any sex crime is worse than dog fighting so give it a rest let EA games put whomever they want on thier cover as long as the game is good

O and im a viking fan so no loyalties to the guy

I agree with you as well. Whats done is done, he appologized and isn't doing it anymore. Get over it. He is a badass athlete, put him on the cover.