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Vick's dog-fighting past not so easy to forget
Is it me or is anyone else bothered by Michael Vick’s past dog-fighting felony conviction?
Let’s get one thing out of the way. I’m a dog lover. That’s Casey, my 14-year-old Golden Retriever, in the photo. He’s mostly deaf, a little goofy, quite gaseous and I love him dearly.
OK, onward.
On Sunday at Ford Field, Philadelphia’s Vick will get his first NFL start since Dec. 31, 2006. That’s because in August of 2007, he pleaded guilty to federal felony charges involving an interstate dog-fighting ring that operated for five years. Got that? Five years.
Vick served 21 months in prison, followed by two months in home confinement.
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t want him back after that. No one could blame them. The Eagles signed him for the 2009 season.
Now he’s got the start against the Lions and it seems not much has been made of the dog-fighting conviction.
I find that bothersome.
His comeback is drawing national interest. The Ford Field press box will be full on Sunday and it’s not to see Shaun Hill (a dog lover) get his first start for the Lions.
image-conscious NFL kicked Vick out for a while. Was it long enough?
"Michael is excited to step in and play," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said. "As we all know, he was one of the great quarterbacks in the league before he was incarcerated.’’
Maybe some can look past Vick’s involvement with dog fighting. I’m having trouble doing so.
(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche.)
Labels: Detroit Lions, Michael Vick
posted by Paula Pasche at
11:05 AM
4 Comments:
Paula no one is really interested in what you can get past, maybe if you are having those types of issues you should seek professional help. You wrote this same article a couple of days ago, it had no impact then and it has none now. Just like you I am a dog lover and owner, and I really don't see the need to continue to bash this man, maybe I could understand it if he were the only person who has been involved in such a crime, unfortunately he isn't, there are some participating in this right now, even right there in Oakland County, those are the ones who need the bashing and they are also the ones that I bash, not Michael Vick. He has already paid a steep price for his involvement, actually much more than most. Maybe if all of the abusers of animals were treated as harshly as he has been treated it might just help eliminate the problem. As I said I love and own dogs, it took a while but I was able to forgive Vick, I am not saying forget, just Forgive. If you are not able to fogive another human being for mistakes, (because I am sure you are not perfect), it must be miserable to be you.
Nicely written article Paula, despite the anonymous comment. If he only served 21 months of a 5 year sentence, and is still in the public eye and earning a hefty salary, has he really "paid a steep price"?
The presence of the national press is indication enough that the nation has not forgotten, nor completely forgiven, Vick's dog-fighting activities.
Personally, I hope that he eats the turf enough that his QB rating is in single digits - but that has nothing to do with his past.
I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in having a hard time forgetting about Michael Vick's dogs. As we speak, some of those dogs are still trying to "get past" what happened to them.
I can't help but feel like no one wants to bring it up. I didn't hear the announcers' mention the word "dog" once on Sunday, yet they spoke glowingly of how Vick is "redeeming" himself. It seems callous to take the out-of-sight, out-of-mind on this one.
I don't think you bashed Vick either. But let's put things in perspective: sweet Rose had her stomach bashed in by the foot of a man on Vick's property, probably because she wasn't aggressive enough, to the point that her internal organs slowly began leaking out of her body cavity — she suffered in pain for months before anyone even noticed. If what goes around comes around, Vick will be getting "bashed" by the public for a long time to come and I still don't think it will compare to what his dogs endured.
Follow the link for what I posted on The Dog Blog, and there's also information on how to get the new book that gives an update on where the Vick dogs are now:
http://ht.ly/2H2CX
Ok I'm tired of people like you Paula that can't get over this issue. The only thing more annoying than people who complain about an issue over and over many years after it has passed is someone who does it without proper knowledge of the subject. There is an article you should read, it's in Sports Illustrated, Vick was on the front cover, and it's called "What Michael Vick Tells Us About Ourselves." It takes account all that has happened to him, and all the things he has done. Btw, Vick was put in jail, fined to near bankruptcy, and the only team willing to touch him after he got out of JAIL was the Eagles. The man was punished far more than most people NFL or not who committed crimes of similar or worse magnitude. Sorry if we all don't like to beat a dead horse like you and be that annoying person who keeps bringing up old news. How would you like it if you made a mistake in your life, and learned your lesson, and people kept on bringing it up 3 years later? I'm not saying you have to forgive the man, I'm not saying you have to forget what he did, but what I am saying is that he is human, and so are you. I'm a dog owner, and have been all my life, and what he did was wrong, but what your doing is wrong too. You're the kind of person that won't let someone else get over their mistakes. So unless you're perfect, find something else to talk about.
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