Michael Vick. This disgraced quarterback was imprisoned following his role in a Virginia dogfighting ring. In reference to the fighting, abuse, and killing in which Vick participated, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the acts "illegal... cruel and reprehensible." Vick was charged with two felonies.
When Vick was reinstated to the NFL and began playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, the outcry was enormous. Animal rights groups and football fans alike were highly uncomfortable with this convicted animal abuser playing football on the highest national level.
Did anyone have a problem with Vick working in construction following his conviction and prison sentence?
I'll be clear about this: the abusive acts that Vick committed are disgusting. Abused animals are difficult to look at, and the fact that he inflicted them indicates that his mind is more sociopathic than not. (When I researched this story, I pulled photos from the internet. Google 'Michael Vick' and you'll see photos of abused dogs, images manipulated by users to include a uniformed Vick with dogs, in addition to football press photos -- it isn't a pretty sight.)
I can only imagine that the bulk of the country's discomfort was that football fans felt conflicted about supporting a team, watching, or rooting for a dog killer. In 2006, Sports Illustrated estimated Vick's salary at 25.4 million annually. If we are disgusted about Vick's reinstatement simply for the fact that he is highly paid, as if rewarded for his crimes - perhaps then, all NFL players are grossly overcompensated for their talents? Perhaps the real issue is whether the NFL fans, from casual to serious, can abstain from their judgements of Vick just long enough to allow him to entertain on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights.
Photo, top: Beefbites.wordpress.com
Photo, below: Sports Illustrated
1 comment:
but he's so cute!
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