Dave Zirin: The Reality of Vick's Return

from The Nation:



The Reality of Vick's Return
By Dave Zirin

July 28, 2009


Michael Vick has been reinstated by the National Football League. But there's no guarantee that he will ever see the field.

"I urge you to take full advantage of the resources available to support you and to dedicate yourself to rebuilding your life and your career. If you do this, the NFL will support you," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"Opportunities for redemption are rare--but that is exactly the opportunity that awaits Mr. Vick," chimed in Ed Sayres, president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Both men, in their way, were attempting to put the best possible spin on Vick's return to the NFL. After serving twenty-three months in federal prison at Leavenworth for running a dogfighting ring--an ironic sentence considering the fact that a warmonger like Dick Cheney still roams free--Vick can now sign with an NFL team after a suspension that can last as long as six games. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090803/zirin2

I'm of the mindset that if you do the crime and pay the time and you should be able to try to rebuild a life. Nothing will make this stain on Vick go away...he angered too many people and people will always remember what he did and he'll carry the lable of "ex-con". I've known several who have gone to jail and did their time but continue to pay for their crimes by not being able to get a steady job or try to truly rehabilitate. Being totally locked out, making them a social outcast only helps to reignite hatred within...a reason, IMHO, why so many return to crime as there's nowhere else to turn.

Any team that hires Vick knows its in for a PR black-eye. He better be damn good...cause every time he takes the field he'll be identified for his crimes and if he fails to win, the fans will turn on him faster than you can say Monday Night Football.

The NFL is a private business and if they choose to reinstate them...so be it. People can show their disgust by staying away from games, not buy the overpriced T-shirts and other garbage and even avoid doing business with companies that identify with the team or the league.

The pressure on Vick will be tremendous...both physically and mentally. But he's served his time...and now the burden is on him to prove he's truly rehabilitated.

He's a great athlete but he leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to his quarterbacking. Most teams want their QB to throw the ball not run with it. His big knock is that he's too quick to give up on a pass play and will pull the ball down and run before he goes through his reads. That and the fact that he's not all that accurate a passer either is going to make it much harder to come back than if he were a more pure passer type QB.