On Michael Vick joining the Philly Eagles

[grayhawkfh]

I’ll say the same thing here I’ve said elsewhere:

As much as I despise what Vick did, I would encourage everyone to remember that he, like the rest of us, is human. As such, we occasionally foul up. And yes, he fouled up in a much larger fashion than most of us ever will. That said, we all deserve the chance to atone for our misdeeds, learn from them, and hopefully become a better person.

Just sayin’, is all…

Comments

[xvmorganalefayv.livejournal.com]

I think he should be banned from the NFL. He's setting a horrible example for all of the fans who look up to him as their hero. On top of that, he should get a lifetime ban on owning animals (he only got 5 years, I think) and he should have to volunteer 500 hours at a no-kill shelter for abused dogs--under close supervision.

Yeah, he fucked up--but he did it SPECTACULARLY, and as such, should have SPECTACULARLY HUGE consequences. Instead he got a virtual slap on the wrist (considering that the fines he paid were like a third of his monthly salary, yeah, big punishment :/) and is allowed to go back to being a role model. Not cool man, not cool at all.

[stoooooooo.livejournal.com]

I see no real good reason to be banned from the NFL or any job that he is allowed to get. Right now I seriously doubt that anyone sees him as a hero because of what he's done. His fines were small, but he lost 10's of millions and went through bankruptcy when the Falcons cut him. I do think the sentence should have been tougher - much tougher.

[blackpaladin.livejournal.com]

We'll see what happens. While I deplore what he did, the fact that Tony Dungy (who recently retired as coach of the Colts, to spend more time with his family and his faith) has volunteered to basically be Vick's life coach until he can get everything back on track is a very good sign.

I'm cautiously optimistic on this one. :-)

[stormyheart]

I've already posted my thoughts on the matter in my LJ. I'm sorry, I have little sympathy for animal cruelty. While he deserves a chance to turn his life around, it shouldn't be in a paid public position that comes with fame and glory.

[rileybear67.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's kinda my take on it.

It also kinda urks me that he's getting paid that much money to sit on the bench as a 2nd stringer! But that is another issue.

[psywildfire.livejournal.com]

Let's not even look at this from a moral standpoint, because I am not in the mood to make those kind of arguments right now.

Let's look at this from a purely football standpoint.

And the question on my mind is... WHY?

You have a Pro Bowl starter (Donovan McNabb), a man supposedly drafted a couple years ago to be THE future of the franchise (Kevin Kolb) and a perfectly competent backup (AJ Feeley), and you bring in a former starter WHY?

Of course, the Eagles could be looking to occiasionally run some variation of the Wildcat, which is right up Vick's alley... that's the only thing I can figure.

-WF

[jvowles.livejournal.com]

I'm with you, Frank.

Nobody with a brain and an ounce of compassion condones what he did.

However, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced, and has served his time for the crime. As a consequence, his career was derailed, he lost his endorsements, and he went through bankruptcy.

By any measure, he has been punished for his crime, both in accordance with the law and in the court of public opinion. He lost the respect and good will of fans everywhere.

And now that he's paid for this crime, which he's unlikely to ever repeat (especially given that animal rights folks will hound him till he dies over this thing), why should he NOT be given the chance to pursue his chosen career?

Because some people are still angry about what he did? That's a poor reason, and a poor excuse to stay mad.

The proper response to criminals who've served their time is to be vigilant and cautious, because many never learn their lessons. Punishing them beyond what the law allows is the equivalent of lynching.

[mamcdowell.livejournal.com]

I'm just saying that if Professional Sports could ban Pete Rose PERMANENTLY for gambling, how could they let this guy back in after this.