On Thursday, Michael Vick returned to an NFL field.
After spending 18 months in a federal prison, two months under house confinement, losing all of the record $130 million contract he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, and experiencing a free fall from grace, Vick resumed a career that at one point held so much promise.
A career he deserves to continue.
Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in 2001 by the Atlanta Falcons, had a highlight reel every time he stepped on the field. A quarterback with lightning-quick agility and uncanny speed, he dazzled fans and befuddled defenses. The tremendous athletic ability Vick possessed led toward the 10-year, $130 million contract he signed in 2004 with the Falcons, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Vick appeared untouchable, seemingly on the cusp of achieving greatness.
But that all came crashing down faster than a Vick end-around to the corner of the end zone.
On April 25, 2007, police raided a farm owned by Vick in Virginia that contained evidence of dogfighting and the bodies of dead dogs.
On July 17, 2007, Vick was charged with engaging in competitive dogfighting, buying and training dogs for dogfighting, and conducting a dogfighting ring across state lines.
After repeated professions of his innocence and denial of any involvement in dogfighting, Vick finally pleaded guilty in front of a U.S. district judge on Aug. 27, 2007.
On Dec. 10 of the same year, Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison, a sentence that ended after 18 months when he was released on May 20, 2009.
After two months under home confinement, a declaration of bankruptcy and a job as a construction worker, Vick signed a one-year deal, with an option for a second year, with the Philadelphia Eagles, a deal that could pay Vick up to $9 million.
The signing was met with stiff criticism from organizations such as PETA and animal rights activists who believe that Vick should not be allowed to play again.
I disagree.
Vick has done his time. He spent 18 months in federal prison, away from his family and the game he loved, left alone to contemplate the magnitude of his error in judgment. He deserves a second chance.
The question I ask is, why is dogfighting the one crime you seemingly can never be forgiven for?
Now in no way am I condoning dogfighting. It is a heinous act that should not be allowed, and Vick deserved all the time he spent in jail.
But it’s not an unforgivable crime. With the vehemence that people are protesting Vick, it would seem that dogs hold a greater importance than human life. The simple fact is that they don’t.
Where is the public outrage over athletes who have endangered, or even taken, the lives of humans? Just staying in the NFL, I can name two players who have and one who was accused of doing so.
Donte Stallworth, wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns, killed Mario Reyes on March 14, 2009, while driving drunk. Stallworth’s blood alcohol level was .126, well over the legal limit of .08. Stallworth spent all of 24 days in prison before being released to serve a house-arrest sentence, and then was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the 2009 season. He is open for reinstatement after the Super Bowl this season.
Where is the public outcry over Stallworth?
That’s right, there isn’t any. A man kills someone when he clearly should not have been driving ““ a human, not a dog ““ and only gets 24 days and does not have to deal with the public calling for his head.
Do you see the justice in this? I certainly don’t.
Speaking of DUIs, let’s look at Leonard Little, a defensive end with the St. Louis Rams. In 1998, Little pleaded guilty of involuntary manslaughter after he killed a woman while driving. He had a BAC of .19, according to police, which is again well over the legal limit of .08. Little spent 90 days in jail, was placed under four years of probation, had to complete 1,000 hours of community service, and was suspended for the first eight games of the 1999 season.
As if that were not enough, Little was charged in 2004 with yet another DUI.
Here is an example of someone who was responsible for the death of one woman and yet continued to make poor decisions that put the lives of humans at risk, without an ounce of the criticism and protest Vick has endured for dogfighting.
And finally we have Ray Lewis, linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, and considered by many to be the best linebacker in the game. Lewis is respected by his fellow players and adored by his fans. But what people tend to forget is that Lewis was accused of being at the center of a multiple murder.
Two people died at a party after the Super Bowl in 2000. Lewis was charged by Atlanta authorities with two counts of murder and four other felony counts, charges that were eventually dropped.
What makes this situation intriguing is that in the next year’s Super Bowl in which Lewis was awarded the MVP, he was not awarded the trip to Disney World that almost every Super Bowl MVP gets. Also, in 2004, Lewis reached a financial settlement with the daughter of one of the men who was killed in the incident.
With all of these cases, you do not find any semblance of the amount of public outcry and disgust that Vick has received.
Vick has since expressed his immense remorse for his actions. His interview with James Brown on “60 Minutes” was poignant and insightful, with Vick revealing that he cried many nights in prison about “what I did, being away from my family, letting so many people down, let myself down.”
Vick also said that he had the power to put an end to it but did not because of his inability to tell those around him to stop.
Vick has agreed to work with animal rights groups in combating dogfighting and cruelty to animals. He has already worked with the Humane Society to make speeches to kids, something Vick said was never given to him as a child.
One aspect of Vick’s comeback that cannot be overlooked is the involvement of former coach Tony Dungy. Dungy is one of the most respected men in football, a man who is strong in his faith and has worked with rehabilitating people back into society. Dungy vouches for Vick, and there is no one better or more respected to have in your corner than Dungy. It’s like having John Wooden as a reference when applying for a basketball coaching job.
As far as animal rights activists go, I’m sorry, but I can’t take some of them seriously while they act in contradiction.
In April of this year, the Los Angeles Times reported that UCLA neuroscientist J. David Jentsch’s car had been set on fire by animal rights activists who disagreed with his use of animals in research.
So, in the eyes of these activists, it’s not OK to perform important research on animals, but it is OK to vandalize and cause harm to people?
Until these activists deal with the contradictions in their ideals, I can’t fully support what they do.
Now if Vick relapses and falls back into dogfighting, then all of this is moot. If he fails to deliver on his promises to fight against dogfighting and animal cruelty in the community, and to become a better person, then he should not come back.
But right now, he deserves to be given that second chance. He committed a violent crime, an act that should not be permitted in any way, and the 18 months he spent in federal prison were warranted.
Vick is not, and should not be, exempt from forgiveness. This is someone’s son, as one Eagle player said. If Vick were your son or brother or friend, wouldn’t you wish to see him able to live his life normally? More so, wouldn’t you forgive him?
So put down the signs, stop the protests, and accept that Vick has spent more anguish, guilt and public humiliation than you might ever experience.
Welcome back, Michael Vick.
E-mail Howard at ahoward@media.ucla.edu.