I didn’t want to do this. Fuck. I told myself I wasn’t going to fall into this trap. Agh, but I gotta. I can’t ignore this. Michael Vick doesn’t deserve every ounce of scrutiny he is receiving. I gotta stand up for him.
Let me preface the remainder of this blog by stating that I do not think anything Michael Vick did involving dog fighting was right or justified. I wholeheartedly think what he did was wrong.
People make mistakes, right? I mean, no one is perfect. I know I am not perfect and if people did not forgive me for mistakes I have made, I would have no friends. Michael Vick made a mistake—a big one…no, a MAJOR one. Financing and taking part in a dog-fighting ring is terrible. It makes me cringe when I think of dogs fighting until death. Michael Vick messed up. He served his time. Yet, people don’t seem ready to give him a second chance. By giving Michael Vick a second chance, no one is conceding that his actions were acceptable. By offering him a second chance, we, as a community, are not even fully forgiving him, yet. We are extending him the opportunity to make up for his actions.
Prior to the dog-fighting scandal, Michael Vick had a virtually clean slate. Constantly in the public spotlight, everyone around him loved Michael. He was a role model and the face of the Atlanta community. He played father to a troubled younger brother, Marcus, who simply could not find his way in the NFL. All the while, he was messing up big time in his private life. Eventually, he got caught. He served over two years worth of penalties and will forever serve the penalty of being the famous man involved in the scandal in which he financed the killing of dogs. That label is something he can never shake. No community service can strike that from the record of public perception.
In about a month, Michael Vick will officially return to the NFL when he plays in a regular season game for the Philadelphia Eagles, following the completion of the three-game suspension issued by Roger Goodell. That week will no doubt be another media circus covering Michael’s return. His return will also be very controversial.
But I love dogs and what he did was despicable!
I love dogs, too. I am definitely a dog-guy, and not a cat-guy. Cats are okay, but I love dogs. I, however, am willing to forgive Michael Vick for what he did. Many of Michael’s peers even stood up for him, saying he is one of many that take part in such activities. Does it make it any more right? No. But rumor has it, Michael grew up in a culture in which such activity was relatively acceptable. My father’s high school friend in South Africa grew up in a culture that called for the treating of black people poorly. That friend—Rob was his name—refused to talk to my father ever again after he saw him talking to one of his black friends. My dad, a forgiving person, contests that Rob was not a bad person, rather, he didn’t know any better.
But he knew it was wrong!
I know it is wrong every time I drink a beer because I am barely twenty years old. I still do it. Not that they compare in severity, but the point is, people sometimes neglect what is wrong and right. Plus, he was punished. Let me tell you something…I spent 13 hours in jail this summer for trying to use a fake I.D. It was miserable. One of the worst nights of my life. I never ever want to go back...not even for a minute. Michael Vick spent over a year in a cell. That is a severe penalty. He deserves an opportunity to make it in this world. He deserves his chance.
Hopefully Michael Vick has learned his lesson. Hopefully he can go on and be a role model to those who have also fucked up in their lifetime. He can represent those trying to recover from mistakes. Isn’t part of what is great about our world—our society—the fact that we are granted a second chance? Give Michael Vick that chance. One thing is sure: Michael Vick will fight his way through this adversity.
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