Michael Vick

I think there are probably a couple kinds of people who are saying that Michael Vick has paid for his crime: fans who want to enjoy their Sunday afternoons watching him play, and people who make money from him playing (and yes, that includes potential teammates). Both groups are probably mostly filled with good people, probably a lot of animal lovers, probably a lot of dog owners.

But our justice system is not simply about sitting in a cell. It's supposed to involve rehabilitation, self-awareness, remorse.

Michael Vick didn't "lose everything." He threw it away. And now that Vick is out of prison, what's the first thing he does? Does he look into a camera at a press conference and say, "I'm sorry, my mind cringes from the memories of what I did, it's disgusting, I'm ashamed, I was a reprehensible human being, I've changed and I want to make sure that this kind of behavior stops?" Not that I'm aware of--except, of course, to the NFL, the organization that can help him get his lifestyle back.

Even the reports that Vick did say he was sorry are second-hand, reports of what reporters were told Vick said, not what they actually heard him say. And certainly not Michael Vick saying it in front of a camera. And if he has personally been saying it to the press, he needs better press people.

A lot of people in this country have lost everything through no fault of their own. They didn't abuse, torture, and kill living creatures. They simply lost their jobs. That's it. And they've picked themselves up, they live in crappy apartments or with family or friends, and if they're lucky they found a crappy job, any job, and they still struggle to move forward.

Michael Vick got caught. He sat in a cell. He got out. Now Michael Vick wants his lifestyle back. The fans want their Sunday afternoons back. The people that benefit from Vick financially want to start making money again.

In the meantime, there are more and more horrific stories of animal abuse coming to light. Google "Phoenix pitbull fire Baltimore" and see what you get. And really read the stories, look at the pictures.

Think about it--is there anything to indicate that if Vick hadn't gotten caught he would have realized what he was doing was wrong and stopped? Anything at all?

And to those of you saying, they're just dogs, I'll ignore the myriad of things wrong with that statement and simply say, bottom line, so what? News reports say that Michael Vick drown these dogs. He hung them. He electrocuted them. He swung them in the air, slamming them into a wall or the floor until they died. Michael Vick admitted doing that.

Don't let your mind close itself off. Force yourself to really think about this.

Close your eyes and let yourself see the eyes of those dogs, the stark terror making their eyes so wide with fear you can see the whites. Let yourself hear the shrieks and whimpers of pain. Let yourself see them struggle to get away from Vick. Let yourself hear the water splash as they try to get even a tiny bit of air into their lungs. Let yourself see their feet struggle for the tiniest bit of footing as Vick hoists them off the ground and lets them struggle until they're dead and no longer a problem for him.

And remember that Michael Vick was capable of doing this. What was going through Vick's mind when he held the dogs under water, when he put his weight against theirs to get their feet off the ground, when he slammed their bodies into a wall or floor until they died? Think about the physical exertion any one of these acts must have taken, the strength Vick had to use, the determination he had to have, the fact that he could ignore blood and screams and whimpers.

They're just dogs? If you can truly let yourself think of what Michael Vick did, and picture it and hear it and feel it, and you can honestly say that you still think they're "just dogs," if that's not just blustery bullshit because you want your football hero back, then that makes me feel worse than all of the things I just forced myself to write.

So, what more do I want from Michael Vick? I want Vick to live in the same kind of environment as everyone else that's "lost everything." I want Vick to see on a regular basis the aftermath of abusing animals. I want Vick to be more concerned about repairing his past than securing his future. That's what I want from Michael Vick.

Do I think Michael Vick should never be allowed to play football again? No, I don't. But I think the people who say he's paid for his crime are mistaken. I agree that Vick served his sentence and sat in his cell. That's the first step towards paying for it. But that was the easy step. The next step is much, much more difficult. And if he takes the next step, and takes it with conviction, then I will agree that Michael Vick has paid for what he did.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-pucin-michael-vick28-2009jul28,0,9346.story

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-michael-vick28-2009jul28,0,1656812.story