Jul 20 2009
Vick Released from Custody
Michael Vick today ended a 23-month federal sentence for charges related to funding a dogfighting ring. He spent the past two months on house arrest in Virginia.
Vick, a former Pro Bowl quarterback for Atlanta, asked National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell for a meeting to discuss potential reinstatement. Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 and has previously said he’d let the criminal proceedings end before he thought about allowing Vick to return to the NFL.
On the one hand, Vick has paid his debt to society under the law. That said, plenty of dog lovers will never forgive him for his heinous acts against man’s best friend. On the other hand, there is no right to play in the NFL. It’s a privilege. Plenty of ex-cons would love to play pro football. Doesn’t mean they’ll get the chance.
Vick was 2-2 in four playoff games for Atlanta. He is the first visiting quarterback to win a postseason at Green Bay’s venerable Lambeau Field in 2002. His Falcons crushed an overmatched St. Louis team two years later. In both seasons though, Vick was outclassed by Philadelphia and its quarterback, Donovan McNabb.
Vick set a record in 2006–the last season he played–by rushing for 1,063 yards as a quarterback. Entering the 2007 campaign, Vick was under fire before anyone knew about his connection to dogfighting. Vick’s passing had not greatly progressed in six seasons. He ran with the ball far more than his coaches would have liked. Furthermore, Vick was about to meet his third head coach in six years. That’s a poor track record.
After missing the past two seasons–assuming he’s allowed to play–Vick realistically can’t be ready to lead a team two months from now. Then again, most of the league’s 32 teams will carry three quarterbacks. Considering that Minnesota is begging 39-year-old Brett Favre to come out of retirement, there could be a space for Vick somewhere in the NFL.
Vick could showcase his talent and rebuild his career. He has a family to support and millions of dollars in restitution to pay. Football is his way to salvage his life. That said, I wouldn’t want him on my team. I wouldn’t want to deal with the protests and endless questions that would surely come. I don’t think he improved as a player after two years in federal prison. I can’t be persuaded that–after he threw away a charmed life once–he would never do it again.
