I agree he did some awful things... things he can't undo. No matter how hard he tries, he has to live with the fact that he was guilty of some heinous crimes.

That said, to public record, he never killed another human being..

Yet we have two current players that have been in some form involved in deaths of another human still playing. Ray Lewis and D.Stallworth.. and one that just retired in Leonard Little.

If those players get a second chance.. why not Vick for his actions?

If that isn't enough, I would hate to count the number of players that have domestic violence in their past that are still active and playing. Where is the media outrage over that?

Or how about Jonathan Babineaux that killed a dog? Or LeShon Johnson, arrested twice for dogfighting but wasn't given a punishment until the third offense.. he continued playing until arrested the third time.

Now, do I believe Vick has completely changed.. this summer it appears that maybe he hasn't; but from all other accounts, he seems to have changed.

IMO, he deserves a second chance.. but not unlimited chances. He makes a mistake again.. boot him.

I had no issue with Jolly getting the boot for a year.. none.. but just the same, I think he deserves a second chance after serving his time.

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I don't care about the pooches, I care about the smooches. Ron Mexico's diseases will linger. Those mistakes weren't made by a young man, they were made by someone that didn't give a f@^*!

Why should anyone ever care about him?

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I used the phrase "consistently accurate" in my initial post because Vick has always been accurate at times. He could make some incredible throws even as a rookie, and he even had entire games early in his career where he was right on the money--most famously in the win at Lambeau Field in January 2003. But then he would start spraying the ball all over the place again. I bet Andy Reid has tightened up his mechanics and/or helped him get into a frame of mind where he is more comfortable out there. I think great athletes sometimes rely too much on their natural talent and neglect learning sound techniques. Vick seems to be learning the techniques now.

As for his past, I am still disgusted by what he did (to call it "a mistake" is an understatement, because it was a pattern of behavior that went on for years), and I was kind of hoping he would fail when he came back, but he's done all the right things since then. Forgiveness is not something that happens all at once. It is something that a person can earn by a gradual process. So far Vick is doing that, and I give him a lot of credit for it.

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If we think people should pay for their crimes for the rest of their lives, why do we have varying terms of imprisonment? We might as well make all crimes punishable by life in prison -- or even better, death. Once they've done their time and gotten out, give them a break. Give them a chance to re-establish their lives. If they fuck up again, pound them again. Until then, stop hounding them.

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Yeah cause the professional athlete wasn't given a shitload of breaks throughout his life. 😳

Vick, like Chmura, can live on through the court of public opinion; and everyone as a right to his opinion so save your breath.

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thanks for completely missing my point. i was saying - why should a guy in the nfl or other pro sports be given a free pass & lauded as wonderful when the average guy makes one mistake & he's screwed for the rest of his life? sheesh!
just for the record, i find ray lewis even MORE sickening! i didn't mention his name cuz we were talkin about vick.

yes vick has 'paid' for it & is coming back from it - that's all fine well & good but this guy will be some kids 'role model'. is that really ok? cuz to me it's kinda not.

Here I will agree.. he is not a role model. But I think I view it differently because I teach my kids that none in sports should be a role model. The sports populace is so scarce with guys that could actually be a role model for kids that, in my view, why teach the kids that any of them are.

Admire them for what they do upon the field.. respect them for the public good deeds they do, but do not look up to them as a model of what you strive to be as a person.. develop that upon your own.

Now.. for punishment of missing your point... what is my penance? ::twisted:

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What bothered me the most was that when he was caught, he didn't fess up and admit what he did. Had he said "Yes, i did it" i would have respected him more.
But he still tried to cover it up. That makes me wonder if he truely did learn his lesson, or if the only reason he was "sorry" was that he got caught.
But yes. he obviously is talented.

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Kind of forgot about those reports.. but again I don't give two shits about Mike Vick.. he is a grown man and deal for himself.

But that doesn't change the opinion that he shouldn't get another chance.. the things in life are the gents that either habitually commit offenses or those that are let off the hook because of their status as an athlete.

Vick did his time, that appointed by the courts.. IMO, he deserves a second chance. But not the Dwight Gooden/Micheal Irvin/Lawrence Taylor type plans.. Ray Lewis.. for as great of player that he is, shouldn't have gotten a free pass..

Vick is human.. I maybe I am soft, but I believe people should be given a second chance to right a mistake. But not much more than a second chance.

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Well you bleeding hearts can forgive and vote him in MVP. I say his past conduct prohibits him from winning that award and I also believe Michael Irvin did not deserve to go into the Hall of Fame because of conduct and questionable stats. But what do I know, being a rube from North Dakota.

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