Michael Vick - chance to become a real hero

Okay, I figured it out -- welcome!

Best, Sandy

webcomic and blog at www.smalldogtraining.net

But unlikely in reality.  Vick's advisors have come up with his canned speeches to be just contrite enough to squeak by and perhaps get a second chance at football.  However, I do not think his inner core has been changed enough to want to use his notoriety to become the type of hero suggested here.

In fact, given the chance, I fully expect him to mess it all up.  Probably for good this time, as third chances are very hard to come by...regardless of how many touchdowns one scores.

Steve, I thought your blog about Michael Vick was very well written. However, no matter how I look at this I can't move beyond the fact that the man is a murderer who committed crimes that were so heinous there are almost no words to adequately describe them.

I do believe in second chances, but not necessarily for the same opportunities that were available prior to the conviction. I listened to Michael Vick speak on television and thought his words were well-rehearsed, but I saw no regret there. His brutal killing of these poor animals - not to mention bringing children into the picture - must have come from some dark, deeply disturbed place in his soul. That doesn't go away after a short stint in jail, followed by getting your old job back. If he had murdered a human being no one would be putting a football back into his hands.

I would have liked to have seen him walk away from sports and devote his life to speaking on behalf of all suffering animals, especially those being tortured and killed due to the unspeakable world of dog-fighting. Maybe then I would have felt that he truly understood the horror of his past actions. I needed to see that he was willing to give up a career he (presumably) loved, knowing his sacrifice was nowhere near as great as the sacrifices made by all the animals who died in unbearable pain because of him.

Like you said, Steve, Michael Vick has the ball now - I hope he DOES score a touchdown.

Chris Davis

www.lightheartedpress.com

I do not believe Vick has reformed in any way, shape or form.  The only thing he is sorry for is that he got caught.  Vick and his cohorts have absolutley no compassion and nothing in this world is going to change that.  Anyone who can abuse and torture a child or animal has an evil soul and spending time in jail will not remove that evil.

Steve Dale www.stevedalepetworld.com

Love the comments - thank you. Keep them coming!

Steve Dale www.stevedalepetworld.com

Right off the bat, Vick missed a chance to start out in the right direction, when he (and his advisors) neglected...almost assuredly by design...to inform, and therefore exclude from attending, the local chapter of the SPCA that he was holding the press conference announcing his signing with the Eagles.

The appearance was that he did not want any distractions or to call attention to that aspect of his prior life.  Instead of using it as an opportunity for good, he used it as an opportunity to dodge the issue.

He is displaying what might better be classified as learned helplessness. If he makes seven million a year again playing football he should be willing to give six million back to the Humane Society as well as numerous hours of public education. Is he getting psychiatric counselling , if not he should be. Remorse is not good enough. It's great to forgive but that does not always do enough to help these sort of sickos out. They have to be willing to really change . Aggressive dogs are not healed overnight nor will this guy. His efforts should be education and anti dog fighting work , not playing football .

I agree Davetgabby -

At least about the counseling...As I indicated in my story, American Humane suggested counseling, the judge ignored it. And is it remorse about what he did or remorse about getting caught? Time will tell. I agree some of his formidable salary should go to help companion animals.

Steve Dale www.stevedalepetworld.com

Seriously, where do vick supporters come from. Nobody is saying we should put animals before people; however, when criminal acts like vick, Bernie Madoff, child molesters, wife beaters, Enron CEO types, etc, those people cease to be called humans. Therefore, an animal is above people like this, these people fall in a special category for scum and do not deserve a second chance. When you treat animals in the fashion that v-dick did, you are no better than an animal. In fact, calling vick an animal is too good of a word because vick is below an animal. I hear people defending vick because he did his time and other nonsense, of coarse, I’m sure race will come up. This has nothing to do with race, bottom line, a piece of crap is a piece of crap and you cannot rehabilitate crap because crap is an inanimate object with no soul or feelings, just like vick. Furthermore, prisons do not rehabilitate a prisoners mind, it just makes them more vicious; “Hello,” jail is college for the scum of the earth. The penitentiary did not all of a sudden make vick a boy scout; it just made him a better phony.