In 2003, Atlanta Magazine ran a profile of Falcons quarterback Michael Vick that made him out to be a great quarterback, a huge star and a good guy. In a rather extraordinary move -- something I've never seen any magazine do -- the magazine has re-printed the article, only this time with notes in the margins that acknowledge they were wrong on all counts the first time around. (You can see a PDF of the revised article here.)
It's an interesting idea, but I'm not wild about the execution. It comes across as a little juvenile, and I think another, much better, approach would be to run a second article about Vick, but this time focusing on what it was about him that made Atlanta Magazine and other media outlets fall in love with him without digging deep into the other life he was leading, the life where he was the ringleader of a major criminal enterprise.
And, of course, the best approach is for all of us to remember that while we cheer these guys on Sundays, we don't know much of anything about them as people.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. I think Michael Vick should be hung with a rope around his neck then I think we should put him in a bucket of water to drown!!!!!
Posted at 8:27PM on Nov 4th 2007 by karen
2. i think wat m.vick is wrong but damn since he famous ppl go and make a big deal thur is pplz killin other ppl. and they aint doin anything bout it!!!ppl do make mistakes!aint nobody perfect!to me i noe dog fightin is wrong but damn its really nothin to make a big deal about!right now we should worry bout the war and ppl dying not some Q.B. and some dogs..to me all this talking about him is stupid!making dumb asss chew toys and shirtz!come on now..m.vick is one of my favorite playerz and still is..so i gives a .... wat anyone says. he gettin his punishment and aint scared to say he did do it!!!!
Posted at 1:16PM on Nov 5th 2007 by Shy
3. It is a big deal, against the law and even if it was legal anyone involved in dog fighting is nothing but a piece of trash, sadistic cowardly scum. Bad Newz Kennelz was owned by Sick Vick who was deeply involved in forcing dogs to rip each other apart until death since 2001. He also took part in drowning, strangling & electrocuting the dogs that were too weak to fight or didn't perform well. So these dogs had no chance, they were dead whether they wanted to fight or not. And he's such a lowlife because if he really had to kill some of the animals that didn't fight well, he could have done it in a much quicker way than the painful methods he chose like forcing their heads into a five gallon buckets & holding it until they stopped struggling, then put them in trash bags & dumped them in a fresh dug hole in the back yard like they were garbage. If you that say it's no big deal really believe it's OK, then you are all sad worthless pieces of crap too. I hope you never own a pet.
Posted at 8:51PM on Nov 5th 2007 by Jazmin
4. #2 Said get a life, in response to that you & anyone else who makes light of what was done to the innocent victims Vick tortured & killed for at least 7 years are the ones that need to get a DIFFERENT perspective on life. Vick couldn't find anything better to do in his free time than participate in a bloody to the death sport of dogfights? He chose to do evil & to harm voiceless animals when his celebrity & money could have helped homeless animals in shelters or many other things to better this world. He chose an illegal activity that caused nothing but suffering & pain on creatures who had no choice but to live a miserable life & horrible death. You need to reevaluate yourself by choosing to defend this mental case, but you are probably not much better.
Posted at 9:01PM on Nov 5th 2007 by Gina
5. this is why you cant trust the media
wheres the journalistic intergrity?
so they apparently did NO investigation when the printed the 1st puff piece just to sell mags so now they print a dirt piece to try to sell mags. Whatever moves copy not whatever is true, its garbage, they piled on the love when it was profitable and now pile on dirt to make a quick buck and get there said excuse for a publication some publicity.
Posted at 8:53AM on Nov 6th 2007 by Horatio
6. whats the matter with deer hunting??
rather shoot a deer than run it over with a car full of kids to see
Posted at 2:09PM on Nov 6th 2007 by ed
7. Mike Vic needs to have glass placed into his skin, have weaker people become strong and beat the living day lights out of him! If the NFL takes him back, shame on them.
Or should we go back to slavery and whip him ? Yes, he needs to be whipped along with anyone else that was or is involved with any unjust acts....
Posted at 2:22PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Vivian
8. I could care less if MV is white, black, yellow or red. Illegal is illegal. I wouldn't care if it was a pissing contest if the law says it's illegal then it shouldn't be done by anyone. Why don't people understand what he did was wrong. Athletes are put upon a pedalstal by fans and the players know this when they chose their profession, so they should understand that professional and personal can not be seperated so they should act accordingly. And with all the millons the players have I would think they could find something more entertaining than dog fighting... Let the courts do with him as they may. Then let the chips fall.
Posted at 2:29PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Pamela
9. I think someone should do to Vick what he did to those dogs! Anyone who thinks different should get a life & never, never own a pet. Anyone who thinks different has no compassion for innocent animals. There is NO EXCUSE for what Vick did, whether he admits it or not -- HE DID WHAT HE DID & IT WAS SICK!
Posted at 2:34PM on Nov 6th 2007 by J
10. MICHAEL VICK IS A SPINELESS DICKLESS COWARD
Posted at 2:39PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Sara
11. what does slavery have to do with this? Why should he be hung or tortured or whatever? What makes you closet racists any better than vick? It is not about black and white, its wrong and right. Vick broke the law, he should and will be punished severely and accordingly, but ask yourself...what makes you any better than him if you are promoting the same things in retaliation? You people that post these indirect/direct racist comments think you are better than him....really? God Bless you all, including you Mr. Vick. I am not sure what the verse in the Bible is but it goes something like..."We have ALL sinned and come short of his glory..." think about it.
Posted at 2:43PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Ant
12. What, no OJ comments? You guys are slipping
Posted at 2:43PM on Nov 6th 2007 by pat mckenna
13. How true, for the most part the "heroes" we so love to adore on Sundays are unworthy of our adoration monday thru saturday. Overpaid, overinflated egos. Firefighters, policemen, teachers, and military are the true, UNDERPAID HEROES
Posted at 2:51PM on Nov 6th 2007 by claudette aurie
14. M.Vick was a good Q.B. what did was wrong. I am tried to see these sports and Celebrity think, because they have money they can do anything they want even if breaks the law. So what if he admits he did was wrong if I did I would throwed in Jail and fined big time and no would care.
Posted at 2:56PM on Nov 6th 2007 by katez
15. Vick is definitely a peice of shit and while serving jail time should be forced to eat dog shit
Posted at 3:18PM on Nov 6th 2007 by mdembree
16. neuter michael vick ASAP.
Posted at 3:25PM on Nov 6th 2007 by jeff
17. Shy...It is PAINFULLY apparent why Michael Vick is your hero.
Posted at 4:37PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Don
18. This is unfortunately a horrible "considered sport" within our football and gangster rappers
Their excess money that should go to good causes or back into improving their communities- they have been given a gift - a talent other's don't have - Why don't they try to help - people out of the world they grew up in.
There is supposed to someone in every Team that does this and/or bets on it - What about the rappers involved in this horror - that one in AZ that was found doing the same thing - he must of had a good press agent or piece of crap lawyer - to keep him out of the news.
I know Michael contributed to many GOOD causes - this was very much the way part of his family he gave the home to live in - paid him back.
How do you really know when the people that got paid for their dogs winning these horrible acts and his cousin that got caught with drugs that participated in these horrible acts - were the ones that got off easy.
Don't dump on my opinion - my father who helped a woman in his senior citizen group the walked the malls in humid VA near Richmond - was trying to help her because suppositely her son was abusing her - was murdered by her - shot 5 times in the back first, then head, leg artery- so he bleed out competely. Hard time for me and I shouldn't be on here but need to learn more about courts.
Michael at least admitted to the public - and is paying the heavy price. And no -that part of VA isn't backward any different than any place in any other state. It's the county next to CIA - William & Mary and the founding of English America - I'm of Powhatan, English, Irish, French, Italian, and Spanish hertitage through the ages. 160 IQ - only know that because I taught the lobes of the Brain at the Education dept of several colleges. not spell checking so 2 days without sleep I hope some makes sense.
I would like to PET scan criminals -showing scenes of what they did - so we can better understand the elements involved - no other country - has the murder rate we do in the US. Why? Is it crimes that they commit that satisflies the need without going to murder or guns - don't knows -
Posted at 5:01PM on Nov 6th 2007 by CARLYgraphics
19. #19 said I would like to PET scan criminals -showing scenes of what they did - so we can better understand the elements involved - no other country - has the murder rate we do in the US. Why?
You know, I'm tired of people analyzing the why of why sick twists like Vick enjoy torturing & killing innocent voiceless animals. He's a sadistic bastard who broke the law & as an animal lover & owner of several dogs and cats he's no better than someone who murdered humans to me. He's the Hitler to probably hundreds of dogs that suffered at his hands or someone connected to his illegal dogfighting ring Bad Newz Kennelz.
It's irrelevant that he abuses animals because his Father yelled at him or that he was poor or whatever. Frankly I don't care because he was given talent & the opportunity to do good with his life & chose to harm God's creatures and watch them slowly suffer & die for sport & pure enjoyment.
I hope he gets a taste of what it's like to be preyed upon and attacked against his will in prison. What goes around has come back to him. No one can choose to inflict cruelty and death on the defenseless as a hobby for 7 years & get away with it. I hope everyone inviolved in this disgusting bloodsport gets at least the same punishment as Vick, or better yet even worse.
And whatever good you claim he did doesn't matter, the harm he's done far outweighs it. As far as family his Father says he asked Vick to stop dogfighting before Vick even played in the NFL. So it's an abvious addiction & obsession with him to have done it for so long & risk losing everything.
Posted at 10:25PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Gina
20. karen, he didn't admit to it. his partners in this horrible crime did him in.he lied.there is no healing process due to this monster.he did it. he torturd over and over again man's best friend.have you ever seen a dog fight.i haven't.i never will.a couple of times i have seen dogs get into a fight and it's so scary and brutal.i can only imagine how bad staged dog fights can be.no, i don't want to imagine it.i don't even want to think about it. this is what i have read since he was arrested.the dog owners file the dogs teeth into very sharp points.they put ground glass in their dogs fur.i can't imagine a man being this evil and sadistic.if he would do this to an animal he would also do it to a child or a woman.do you want to be that woman.you are defending this monster. maybe if he were mad at you he might put you in with the dogs.how long do you think you would last.i think you would probably have your face ripped off in about 2 seconds.i am sorry to say that but people have to realize their is no healing or understanding this man.he is evil pure and simple.he's crossed over.anyone who does this much evil is beyond saving or ever, ever coming back on the football field.there is no way he can ever play again and the team he plays for should realize this NOW...only GOD can deal with him now.
Posted at 12:25AM on Nov 7th 2007 by connie jo