Mike Vick and You
The ever-marching cults of fame, wealth and entertainment often place too much importance on the personal lives of those in the spotlight.
And last week, certain segments of the news cycle are taking a keen interest in the release of one Michael Dwayne Vick, previously know for his on-field antics as an NFL quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons.
Vick is just one of many who ended their official behind-bars incarceration this week in favor of other arrangements. Mike is only different in that you might have known him prior to his indictment, trial, guilty verdict and imprisonment.
According to whichever sets of numbers you consider, there are in excess of 7 million individuals in our nation’s corrections system even as you read this copy. For the sake of comparison, the state of Virginia’s population is now right at 7.7 million, according to the U.S. Census.
How many of those prisoners are going to be released in the next 30, 60 or 90 days? Who can say …
Are any of these soon-to-released criminals as famous (infamous) as Mike Vick? Possibly …
Are you willing to categorically declare that none of these former prisoners should be allowed to return to the non-criminal careers? I hear some of you saying, “Well, maybe not all of them ...”
So what is different with Mike Vick?
Vick maintained a high-profile position within a multi-million dollar industry. He made a lot of money and, some would contend, Mike was rewarded for not working all that hard or fully utilizing his talents for the team.
But Mike also make some seriously flawed choices about how to spend money, who to consider friends, what you allow to happen around you and how you conduct your personal life. He has since recanted and “paid his debt to society,” as the old saying goes.
Now comes the true test: What is the harm in re-instating Mike Vick and allowing him to compete for a job with a squad interested in his abilities?
While there is no sane or rational way to justify the cruel and criminal acts that Vick perpetrated, there is no reason that he shouldn’t be allowed to pursue his original career path (or a variation thereof) within the NFL or similar professional sports organization.
If you committed a crime – any crime – punishable by fines and prison time, wouldn’t you want an opportunity to prove yourself again?
Your future employer should be the one to decide if they can deal with any negativity your prison time might bring to the table. If your abilities outweigh the downsides, wouldn’t you like to get back to work and get some portion of your old life back?
My point is this – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you wore an orange jumpsuit for a while, I doubt you would really want everybody to think of your only in those terms forever.
People make dumb choices … and sometimes, they pay dearly for their decisions. Mike Vick is no different. He has lost much and he has done his time. He still has much to do to help "make things right," but that shouldn’t keep him out of the game.
Mike deserves the opportunity to prove that he can earn a second chance. Likely, some team will find a way to use his speed and his adaptive nature … heck, they may even get him to cooperate fully with practice regiments and game prep procedures.
At the end of the day, the best Mike Vick can hope for is another opportunity on the gridiron. And perhaps he will finally silence many of his critics with winning performances and a winning attitude for a change.
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