Forgive and Forget?

Incase you have been under a rock the past few days, Michael Vick was released from his studio jail cell in Kansas and is back at his home in Virginia (which he can no longer afford). I'm sure he will miss his neighbors and all the fun times he enjoyed while vacationing. To me it seems time flew by and that it was just a few months ago when we were hearing of the cruel and inhumane things he was doing while bankrolling a dogfighting ring.

Rumor has it Vick has lined up a gig doing construction but the talk of the town is whether he will be reinstated back into the NFL and who will pick him up. Vick will know sooner or later whether the NFL has forgiven him for the heinous crime he committed and whether or not he will be allowed to play professional football again.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell has quite the decision on his hands. He has publically stated that he will need to see signs of remorse from Vick regarding his actions in dogfighting and the killing of underpeforming canines or dogs that were unwilling to engage in battle. Goddell feels that he has paid his debt to society for his actions, but unless he truely believes that he is sorry he won't sniff a football field again.

If I'm Roger Goddell, I have every right to make his suspension a life-sentence from the game, and this is the course of action I would take even if I felt there was remorse and a guilty feeling coming from Michael Vick. For anything else, I would do it to protect any franchise that would have taken a chance on bringing Vick to their roster.

For every Zigy Wilf (Vikings Owner) or Arthur Blank (Falcons owner) who would never let a figure like Vick play on his team after what the world knows, there is an owner like Jerry Jones (Cowboys) or Al Davis (Raiders) who will do anything to win. They would pay him millions to come join the roster and try to make them a better team.

They would be getting a few things for their money. First of all they would be getting a guy who wasn't a good QB when he was playing full-time 3 years ago and was too fragile to play any other position on the field. Did I mention he fumbled all the time as well? Vick is now 2 full years away from anything having to do with football. His strength and conditioning will be a joke and being away from the game doesn't make you any smarter. Aside from him potentially losing his skill, the biggest thing they would get with him would be the media circus that would follow game to game. Their teams would be under constant scrutiny and everyone would just be waiting for Vick to screw up. I also feel the team would lose fans and attendance would suffer. PETA would be all over every stadium Vick walked into and the opposing teams fans (on the road) would rip him and the team that signed him apart weekly. If Terrell Owens complaining every fourth week was enough to get him kicked off the last 3 teams he has been on, I can't imagine what comes with Michael Vick would be much better for team chemistry. I think the owner that signed him would quickly regret the decision and that is why Goddell has to step in and not let it happen.

I assume 100% of people who are over the age of 3 know what a dog is. You have to figure 80% of those people like dogs. What Michael Vick did was something that touched the heart of many. We seem to be the type that can forgive and forget a man who hits or cheats on his wife, but will people be so forgiving and forgetful when it comes to a guy who so savagely killed or had to do with the killing of so many defenseless dogs? I know I won't. It makes me sick to think about what he did.

Another question came to me as I was writing this. Does Vick deserve to make millions again and go back to his former job? If I were to go out and commit a felony and spend two years of my life in prison there is no way I would get my same job back and would never make the money I was making again. No, Vick does not deserve to go back to making millions of dollars. There cannot be a double standard for athletes, but unfortunately we seem to see signs of it daily with all these guys getting off the hook for things the average Joe would be spending time/more time or paying stiffer fines for committing.