A lot of you were on the Michael Vick-hating bandwagon two years ago. I know, because I was one of you. It was easy to despise the man for organizing the dog fighting ring, and killing the animals the way that he did. What Vick did was inexcusable, and he deserved everything that he got.
For me, it was a little bit easier to turn on Vick. I never liked him. His arrogance and brashness never came across as confidence, they came across as selfish pride to a man that believed he was entitled to everything he was given. Now that all of that has been taken away from him, it is easy for me to be on his side.
As much as I believe that athletes should be punished for their crimes the same as us normies (Plaxico, I hope you get yours), I also believe that once they have paid for their crimes, they should be given a second chance.
For everyone out there complaining about Vick’s possible reinstatement to the NFL, why shouldn’t he be allowed back? And not just back, but without any further punishment from the league. Vick paid a higher price than the one that would’ve come from the NFL. He lost two years of his prime (though if you watch the highlights, his “prime” was a bad cross between Lawrence Phillips and Trent Dilfer), lost all of his money, and more importantly, his good name.
So why after two years is he being asked to pay for something he has already served his time for? PETA still needs a target and the NFL needs a face for Roger Goodell’s no-tolerance policies. Goodell is asking for Vick to show that he is contrite, well Goody, if I lost over $100 million and went to jail, I’d be pretty contrite too.
Regardless of the amount of time, Vick has served his punishment, and should be allowed to continue to pursue his NFL dreams. Did I like him before? No. But from a writer’s perspective, nothing makes a better story than a comeback, and this one I’m pulling for.