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Time for Vick to Face Pressure Head-On

By SEAN JENSEN,

AOL

Posted: 2007-08-23 10:41:24

Filed Under: NFL

Sports Commentary

Throughout his life, with a Houdini-like flair, Michael Vick has crafted a reputation as an elite escape artist. With an unrivaled combination of speed and shiftiness, Vick ducked and dodged, slipped and slivered away from foes on football fields.

Photo Gallery: Trudging Ahead

Haraz N. Ghanbari, Pool/AP

After Michael Vick meets the legal and league stipulations related to his guilty plea in the dogfighting case he could possibly get a second chance at his NFL career.

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So as soon as news broke in April about his role in a potential dogfighting operation based at one of his homes, Vick did what was natural to him.

On Monday, after four months of indirect denials and misdirected blame, the fleet-footed Vick finally stopped scrambling.

Through one of his attorneys, Vick entered a guilty plea to federal conspiracy charges and accepted “full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made.”

"Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter," attorney Billy Martin said in a statement.

Those words ring hollow. Those words would ring hollow, even if a skilled orator such Maya Angelou delivered them.

Vick and his army of attorneys has fumbled yet another opportunity to at least quell the national uproar over this hot-button issue, and Vick needs to call an immediate audible if he ever wants to return to his high-paying occupation.

He must shed his arrogance, his sense of entitlement, and his penchant to deceive. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who handed Vick an NFL-record, 10-year, $130 million contract in December 2004 based mostly on potential, was blindsided by his franchise player’s link to dogfighting. The NFL, who didn’t derail Vick’s ascension into one of the league’s most marketable players, was misled by the quarterback months ago about his role in the dogfighting ring. In May, Vick told a television reporter, "Everywhere I go, all around the world, people still support Mike Vick.

"So regardless of what I go through, people are going to love me, man. So it’s all good.” That is perhaps the most sincere and telling comment Vick has made in a while, especially given his fondness for empty apologies (think middle-finger and water-bottle incidents) and empty promises (dogfighting role).

"There’s a lot of things that need to change," Vick said around the NFL draft, "and I mean that from the heart.”

The man born to run needs to stand still for a while.

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Stand before the federal prosecutors and candidly admit exactly what he did. Stop being coy and sly. Stop paying your army of attorneys to search for technicalities. Preempt his three associates by outlining his transgressions and humbly asking for the court’s mercy in doling out his prison sentence.

Stand before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and apologize for lying to him. Disclose to what extent he gambled on dogfighting, and, after asking for the commissioner’s mercy in dishing out a suspension, requesting a list of measures he must meet in order to be in reinstated. Stand before his family and friends and ask for help. Say goodbye to the "yes" men, and draw nearer to those who’ll be blunt with him. Be more mindful of where and to whom his money is going.

Then, stand before the nation and champion the destruction of dogfighting. Be the voice of the dogs that cannot speak for themselves. Develop a P.S.A. for P.E.T.A. And, without selling anyone out, provide federal authorities information that may help them take down this lucrative and popular underground sport.

A P.E.T.A. spokesman said the organization is open to working with Vick, as long as his intentions were genuine.

“Nothing can make up for the damage that was caused,” said Dan Shannon, a P.E.T.A. spokesman. “But we would never turn away from an opportunity to raise awareness about these issues.”

Shannon, though, insisted that P.E.T.A. would only work with Vick on their terms, not his. "We’re certainly open to that,” Shannon said. “But we also don’t want to be a part of a half-hearted attempt by him to just repair his image. We’re not a naïve organization."

Added John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States: “An attempt at redemption has to be sincere and more than lip service.”

Vick was a part of the problem, now he can be a part of the solution.

Many are insisting that Vick doesn’t deserve to play football again.

But our country is founded on second -- and, sometimes, third or fourth -- chances. How can anyone doom the career of someone who is 27 years old?

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Shannon, a Virginia resident and former Vick fan, added that Vick deserves a chance to redeem himself.

"People can change, and people can realize they’ve made mistakes," Shannon said. "Michael Vick is a person like anyone else, and he might have it in him to do that."

So far, though, Shannon hasn’t seen that contrition. And as long as he remains hardheaded, Vick won’t be working a helmet into his wardrobe anytime soon.

“If his attitude doesn’t change,” Shannon said, “we don’t think it would be good for the NFL to take him back.”

This isn’t about what he’s done; as a former dog owner, I personally find the allegations against Vick and his associates abhorrent. But this is instead about what he may do. If he serves his jail time; if he fulfills a lengthy suspension from the NFL; and if he is repentant, then why wouldn’t he deserve another chance? The worldwide population would be significantly smaller, if everyone who made a huge mistake didn’t have a chance to rebound. If he can overcome this major setback in his life, Vick could serve as an inspiration to others. Despite their best marketing efforts, the NFL is not holier than thou. The league has and continues to employ players convicted of a wide-range of alarming crimes.

In 1997, five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Cornelius Bennett was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Buffalo hotel room. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sex abuse, and he was sentenced to 60 days in jail. Bennett served 36 days, and he retired after the 2000 season. In 1998, St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little crashed into and killed another motorist. His blood alcohol level was measured at 0.19 percent, well above the legal limit. But Little received a 90-day jail sentence, four years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. In 2004, Little was arrested for drunken driving and speeding, although he was acquitted of the DWI charge. One of the top pass rushers in the NFL, Little has collected a paycheck in every season since 1998, and he was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003.

There are countless examples in other sports of athletes granted second chances:

-- NBA forward Anthony Mason, who was arrested on two counts of third-degree rape of two teenage girls in 1998. He pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of children and sentenced to 200 hours of community service. He retired from the NBA in 2003, after 13 seasons.

-- Boxer Mike Tyson fought 16 more times after serving a three-year sentence for a 1992 rape conviction.

-- Craig MacTavish missed the entire 1984-85 season, after he killed a young woman while driving under the influence of alcohol. MacTavish was convicted of vehicular homicide, and he spent a year in jail. The Boston Bruins let him out of his contract, and the Edmonton Oilers quickly signed him.

He was named a captain for three seasons, and he was an important part of the Oilers winning three Stanley Cups. He has been the Oilers head coach since the 2000-01 season.

This isn’t about comparing the repugnance of assorted criminal offenses.

This is about a young man, who, at the least, should not be condemned the rest of his life. If he pays his debt to society and the NFL, then who has the right to stop him from making a living?

That is once Vick recognizes that he can’t outrun and outsmart everyone.

Two agents with prominent NFL clients emphasized that Goodell ultimately controls Vick’s NFL future. One pointed out that Goodell suspended Pacman Jones and Odell Thurman for one year apiece, for their various offenses and issues.

"I think his career is over with," the agent said of Vick. "It’s going to be hard, because (Goodell) is much tougher than (Paul) Tagliabue. What’s going on right now is, he wants to send a message to all these guys, who are "thugging up the league."

Given more autonomy, Goodell has become one of the most powerful men in sports, another agent said.

"It’s tough because this commissioner can do whatever he wants," the agent said. "It’s like communism (in the NFL), and we have to wait until the dictator decides what he wants to do." Two league executives said there are too many variables to guess whether Vick would ever play in the NFL again. But both said Vick has to proactively revamp his image to compel a team to take the risk of signing him.

"Does he get another chance? Probably," one NFC executive said. "It only takes one team… But only if he fulfills all the things required of him."

Added the other executive, "It all depends on how he handles the whole situation and whether or not he’s truly remorseful."

Sean Jensen can be reached at nothinbutlovefor@aol.com.

2007-08-21 12:51:15

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stonemill10 08:08:19 AM Aug 29 2007

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He can'tredeem himself because he can't bring those dogs back. He needs to lose the most important thing in his life and never play football again. You cannot fix this kind of sick. Mr. Jenson I guess youi can retionalize anything.

stonemill10 07:59:21 AM Aug 29 2007

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Mr. Jenson seems to miss the point. Michael Vick ENJOYED what he did. There are much quicker ways to kill a dog than hanging and drowning. He ENJOYED watching those dogs die. You notice Mr. jenson does not actually refer to what he actually did. Michael Vick CANNOT redeem himself because he can't bring those dogs back. Those pit bulls were ripping each other to shreds because that is what he wanted them to do. Pit bulls LOVE their owners. What do you think those dogs were thinking when the ropes were tied around there necks ? The sportwriters are now writing antiseptic articles
about Vick doing his time and getting a second chance. Well 66 dogs will not get a second chance nor the others we don't know about. Some people have said that Vick should be attacked by pit bulls but that only brings society down to his level. The only real justice is that Michael Vick never play football again. He took the lives of those dogs in a grisly, brutal way and had been doing it for many years. H

ladymagnoliamanr 09:20:43 PM Aug 28 2007

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All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

budandjoie 08:36:23 PM Aug 28 2007

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I think many of you are missing a very large point. I feel like it is time we quit codelling
these high paid sports figures and treat them like every day individuals who don't get these big breaks lkie they do. We baby these people till they are not worried about breaking the rules, they feel they have the right, and nothing major is going to happen to them because of who they are.
We have babied atheletes too long now and it's time they receive the same penalties the average person does, and that is not a slap on the wrist and tell them they are a naughty boy.

bevrfletch 07:13:00 PM Aug 28 2007

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Mr Vick. Made a mistake with the animals...people we better learn to forgive people if they are sincere in there effort, and I believe he was sincere in his statement.... so let the man judge him.... because the bottom line is God is the judge of us all.. and he is the One Judge that matters....

bevrfletch 07:13:00 PM Aug 28 2007

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hesleychicago 09:30:50 PM Aug 27 2007

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I DON'T CARE
THIS IS NOT MY INTEREST
THIS IS TOO MUCH NEWS ABOUT MICHAE VICKS
GIVE ME MONEY AND I GET INTEREST................

tunes341 08:28:21 PM Aug 27 2007

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Ok, the headlines have been going on and on about Vick's crime. We now know that he has accepted his actions. So we must move on to different news in sports. This is getting annoying. Football is not about one player, it's about all players.

srapln13 08:19:15 PM Aug 27 2007

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Something else bothers me--it seems that the powers that be are swayed by public pressure more than they are by an objective evaluation of the situation. I think animal rights demonstrators need to be rational and not fanatical. As Mr. Jensen points out, many players who have been responsible for the death and injury of human beings are allowed to resume their careers. I used to be a great fan of boxing until it dawned on me that the purpose of the sport is for two human beings to really hurt each other. I know that, unlike the poor dogs, the fighters have a choice, but the whole sport of boxing does not focus on the well being of the boxers--just the money to be made by others.

srapln13 08:13:17 PM Aug 27 2007

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I agree with Mr. Jensen--I am an animal lover and pet owner, and know that what Michael Vick did was reprehensible--it makes me physically ill even to think of it. I cannot even watch the TV accounts of it--even talk about it. However, I have no idea where his thoughts on dogfighting were formed. It is possible that, coming from his background, he truly did not think of dogfighting as the horrible, sickening thing that it is. Let him take his legal punishment, let him be suitably punished by the NFL, let him learn to respect and love animals, but do not take away his livelihood for the rest of his life.

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