Right, because the four of those are the same. Dogs get extra rights and respect only because we give those rights and respect to them, not because they asked for them. We domesticated them, and suddenly people place them on par with people in many situations. Fuck that. I'd rather he beat a hundred dogs to death than kill a human being, and I freaking love dogs. So, he shouldn't have been allowed back into the NFL because of what he did off the field? The man went to prison. He lost more money than most of us will ever see in our lives. He has a stigma attached to him forever. Now he's supposed to be kept out of the league in perpetuity because of it? Unbelievable. What does a person have to do before they deserve your forgiveness?
I don't feel bad for Vick at all. I don't know why anyone does. Even going to jail and losing more money than we'll ever make, he also will STILL net more money than we'll ever make, and gets to be blessed with a career that 99.9% of us can only dream about... so excuse me if I don't shed a tear for him, or for any NFL player who ruins their lives via crime for that matter... and that includes Marshall too. I'm solely concerned with what Marshall can do for the Jets.
Since you addressed this to me, please point out where I said I feel bad for the guy. I took issue with the idea that the NFL never should have allowed him back into the league. He deserved to go to jail and lose two years of his life and the money that entailed. Now, he's served his time and deserves to be allowed back into the league. What's the point of a justice system handing out sentences if we don't allow them to continue their lives afterward? I don't feel bad for the guy, I just think it's ridiculous to continue to punish him.
You misunderstand me... if the justice system has let him out, and the NFL feels he's ready to be reinstated, that's fine... there's no reason he shouldn't play. I just don't feel bad for anything he's suffered. He made a terrible choice and paid the consequences. Honestly, I hope he does get punished more... by dog-loving linebackers... not an official punishment per se... but perhaps the random late hit here and there.
Profound post! But for many people, certain segments of society never deserve a second chance or an opportunity for redemption.
Beat it! Beat It!!!! I love America, isn't this great? Yeah, he went to prison, but I don't care because that's not enough. He should be run through town squares and made to apologize to all dogs. Why have a judicial system and punishment if it's not enough? Oh right because he's a role model. I forget we hold football players up to high standards because they are athletic, I forgot. My son constantly asks dad why did Mike Vick beat those dogs, you taught me to look up to semi-educated over paid people. Then I remember that doesn't happen, because I don't teach my son to idolize athletes. As you were.
Feely has nice things to say: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2009/09/02/2009-09-02_jets_kicker_jay_feely.html Jets Kicker Jay Feely To Show Support For Eagles QB Michael Vick BY Matt Gagne DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER When Jay Feely crosses paths with Michael Vick at the Meadowlands Thursday night, the Jets' placekicker will open his arms and embrace the Eagles' embattled quarterback - a public display of support that only scratches the surface of Feely's hope and concern for his former teammate. Having played with Vick for four seasons in Atlanta, Feely has been working for months behind the scenes to help the disgraced quarterback. Feely became involved when former Colts coach Tony Dungy, who counseled Vick in prison and has since helped him find his way back to the NFL, reached out wanting to know what kind of person Vick was. Feely encouraged Dungy to help him out, then continually sent his own words of encouragement through Dungy. "Tony Dungy and I have spoken many times, for months, both before and after he went to visit Mike in jail. Tony and I are close friends, and I was just giving him some background on Mike," Feely said yesterday at the Jets' practice site in Florham Park, N.J. "Then it was me reaching out, just expressing my hopefulness for Mike through Tony. I definitely want to see him and give him a big hug." Feely still cringes at what Vick did to end up in federal prison, but hopes fans will be able to give him a second chance. "If you take out your personal feelings, and you look at it from the standpoint that each of us have made mistakes, and if each of your mistakes were laid bare for all to see, most of us would be embarrassed by things we have done in our past," Feely said. "He's definitely made great mistakes and paid for those mistakes....I'm hopeful that he will take this second chance - not only with football, but with his life - and use it in a positive manner." Like most Jets players, Feely is curious to see how Vick will play. Vick will play in the second half Thursday night. "I'm excited to see what he has after being out for two years. I played with him for four years and saw the unbelievable exploits that he did on the field," Feely said. "It was making the uncommon seem almost common....When he had the ball, you weren't sitting on the sidelines talking, you were up near the edge trying to get a first-hand glimpse watching him run the ball. You knew at any moment he could do something spectacular and most of the time he did." Vick, of course, became a completely different kind of spectacle when he was sent to prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. But Feely, through his conversations with Dungy, believes Vick has learned from his mistakes and can redeem himself. "I think that he has finally become a man and that he's ready to be accountable for his actions, he understands that he's got two little kids and he's gotta be the right kind of father and the right kind of man," Feely said. "You sit in jail for two years and that can't but help have a huge impact on you. "You sit there and you have all that time to ponder all the decisions you made and all the mistakes you've made, and the opportunity that you've thrown away. You're just hopeful that you could possibly get another opportunity like that, and I think that's where he sits right now. I'm hopeful that this story has a happy ending."
