I'm Sorry Too
I'm sorry but I can't and won't forgive Michael Vick.
I know I wrote about Goodell's initial ruling, but, judging by some of the response I got, I think I may have straddled the fence a bit. So let me be clear. I will not be rooting for Michael Vick. I hope all of his runs go for zero yards. I hope he throws nothing but incomplete passes and interceptions.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -Gandi
What Michael Vick did was deplorable. I'm not talking about rumor. I'm not talking about media spin. Go read the man's guilty plea. This is a disgusting human being we're talking about. Yes, I find it sadder when a human dies than when a dog dies, but the guy who runs a business in killing dogs for entertainment then disposing of the dogs who don't fight well in tortuous ways is a worse person than a guy who doesn't see a stop sign and accidentally runs someone over with his car. Of course the loss is worse with the pedestrian's death but in our legal system, you look to intent, and I agree with that tenet. The guy in the car had no intention of killing or even hurting anyone. He made a tremendous mistake (this is not a Stallworth reference, just the example I always use to explain mens rea). Michael Vick didn't make a mistake as he purports, he made a decision. He made the decision to torture and kill dogs over and over again. He made the decision to do it for profit over and over again. These were defenseless creatures when it came to facing the atrocities that Vick had in store. Again, this is not rumor. This is based on Vick's guilty plea. So let's delve further now.
A lot of people feel that Vick represents the African American who is mistreated and overpunished by our justice system. The African American who is profiled and targeted by police. The African American who never had a chance. Um, right. There are about a million better examples you could have chosen to make that point than Vick. Go find the inmate who didn't have a 9-figure contract. Go find the inmate who instead of owning homes, riding in pimped out SUV's, and running dog killing for entertainment rings, got harassed by the police on a weekly basis for "fitting the description" in his neighborhood. Speak out for them. Have a march for them. Michael Vick isn't them.
The response for Vick sickens me. I understand that he did his time. Good for him. He earned his second chance . . . at freedom. He hasn't earned millions of dollars and stardom. That's not to say that he should be banned from having someone else give him a handout. It's to say that I wouldn't be the doler of the chance and I won't respect or root for anyone who would. You've got a Philadelphia Eagles owner who fired two employees in '05 for mistreating animals. He has a change of heart for Vick? Could it be because of the money and attention that Vick generates? Could it be because the guy can make magical things happen on the field, put more fans in the stands, and get more media coverage? Yes, yes, and yes.
To quote Chris Rock when he talked about O.J., "this isn't about race, it's about fame." I guarantee you if Michael Vick was not a phenom that there would not be this public show of support for him. Do I think he's sorry? Sure, I think he's sorry he messed up, ruined his finances, and went to jail for two years. He knows me messed up and he's sorry. Do I think he's sorry for torturing dogs? Do I think he's a changed human being?
I think Vick has been smart in how he's handled his post-jail life. He has surrounded himself with the right people. He's saying the right things. He's finally working and listening to his "coaches." I respect Tony Dungy for believing that a guy who has committed the heinous crimes that Vick did can change. I just humbly disagree with Dungy's belief. I think Vick's doing what he can to get paid. I don't blame him. It's what anyone would do. But I won't root for him and I surely won't root for the Eagles.
Finally, I just can't imagine what the NAACP and other organizations are hoping to achieve by aligning themselves with Vick. By giving him marches. That's your hero? That's who you want celebrated? There's a fine line between support and celebration. It's been crossed. There are plenty of better role models out there not just for the African American community but for the community as a whole. I'd march down Crenshaw every day of the week to support Magic Johnson before I'd utter one positive word about Vick.
I hope that was clear enough. Here's to this year's 0-16 team being the Philadelphia Eagles. Sorry Donovan. It's nothing personal. You deserve better than what that organization has given you anyway.
I know I wrote about Goodell's initial ruling, but, judging by some of the response I got, I think I may have straddled the fence a bit. So let me be clear. I will not be rooting for Michael Vick. I hope all of his runs go for zero yards. I hope he throws nothing but incomplete passes and interceptions.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -Gandi
What Michael Vick did was deplorable. I'm not talking about rumor. I'm not talking about media spin. Go read the man's guilty plea. This is a disgusting human being we're talking about. Yes, I find it sadder when a human dies than when a dog dies, but the guy who runs a business in killing dogs for entertainment then disposing of the dogs who don't fight well in tortuous ways is a worse person than a guy who doesn't see a stop sign and accidentally runs someone over with his car. Of course the loss is worse with the pedestrian's death but in our legal system, you look to intent, and I agree with that tenet. The guy in the car had no intention of killing or even hurting anyone. He made a tremendous mistake (this is not a Stallworth reference, just the example I always use to explain mens rea). Michael Vick didn't make a mistake as he purports, he made a decision. He made the decision to torture and kill dogs over and over again. He made the decision to do it for profit over and over again. These were defenseless creatures when it came to facing the atrocities that Vick had in store. Again, this is not rumor. This is based on Vick's guilty plea. So let's delve further now.
A lot of people feel that Vick represents the African American who is mistreated and overpunished by our justice system. The African American who is profiled and targeted by police. The African American who never had a chance. Um, right. There are about a million better examples you could have chosen to make that point than Vick. Go find the inmate who didn't have a 9-figure contract. Go find the inmate who instead of owning homes, riding in pimped out SUV's, and running dog killing for entertainment rings, got harassed by the police on a weekly basis for "fitting the description" in his neighborhood. Speak out for them. Have a march for them. Michael Vick isn't them.
The response for Vick sickens me. I understand that he did his time. Good for him. He earned his second chance . . . at freedom. He hasn't earned millions of dollars and stardom. That's not to say that he should be banned from having someone else give him a handout. It's to say that I wouldn't be the doler of the chance and I won't respect or root for anyone who would. You've got a Philadelphia Eagles owner who fired two employees in '05 for mistreating animals. He has a change of heart for Vick? Could it be because of the money and attention that Vick generates? Could it be because the guy can make magical things happen on the field, put more fans in the stands, and get more media coverage? Yes, yes, and yes.
To quote Chris Rock when he talked about O.J., "this isn't about race, it's about fame." I guarantee you if Michael Vick was not a phenom that there would not be this public show of support for him. Do I think he's sorry? Sure, I think he's sorry he messed up, ruined his finances, and went to jail for two years. He knows me messed up and he's sorry. Do I think he's sorry for torturing dogs? Do I think he's a changed human being?
I think Vick has been smart in how he's handled his post-jail life. He has surrounded himself with the right people. He's saying the right things. He's finally working and listening to his "coaches." I respect Tony Dungy for believing that a guy who has committed the heinous crimes that Vick did can change. I just humbly disagree with Dungy's belief. I think Vick's doing what he can to get paid. I don't blame him. It's what anyone would do. But I won't root for him and I surely won't root for the Eagles.
Finally, I just can't imagine what the NAACP and other organizations are hoping to achieve by aligning themselves with Vick. By giving him marches. That's your hero? That's who you want celebrated? There's a fine line between support and celebration. It's been crossed. There are plenty of better role models out there not just for the African American community but for the community as a whole. I'd march down Crenshaw every day of the week to support Magic Johnson before I'd utter one positive word about Vick.
I hope that was clear enough. Here's to this year's 0-16 team being the Philadelphia Eagles. Sorry Donovan. It's nothing personal. You deserve better than what that organization has given you anyway.
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