Falcon Vick Deserves Second Chance
Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael VickCould Be Redeemed
Dec 15, 2007
Falcon Michael Vick still doesn’t get it. But the question remains whether or not he should get a second chance on the gridiron.
The imprisoned Atlanta quarterback was steadfast in his refusal to come clean concerning his dogfighting endeavors with federal prosecutors and U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson in the wake of his guilty plea. And he continued to make excuses for his conduct right up until he was returned to the holding facility he’s been incarcerated in since Thanksgiving.
Vick pleaded guilty to bankrolling a dogfighting venture run from a Virginia estate he owned. The 27-year-old lied to both National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell and to Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank, denying his involvement in the operation that ran for six years. Officials discovered the operation after Vick’s cousin was arrested on drug charges, using the estate’s address.
Thursday, U.S. District Court Clerk in Richmond, Va., released a five page, handwritten letter Vick submitted to Hudson before he was sentenced to 23 months in prison. The letter – replete with grammatical errors – was the combination of a mea culpa combined with a litany of excuses.
Placing much of the blame on the media, Vick declared, "I am not the bad person or beast I've been made out to be," seeking leniency. He offered excuses for the gruesome dogfighting ring, and for using marijuana after entering his guilty plea.
“I never understood why people [were] arrested for guns and drugs, but never for dogfighting,” wrote Vick. “No one really cared or called the police so I grew up not knowing the severity of the crime.”
He blamed his use of marijuana on his father, writing, “I was suffering from a deep state of depression, and after my father attacked me in the media, I was heartbroken.” His father, Michael Boddie, spoke with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, claiming dogfighting was “Michael’s thing.”
In court Monday, Hudson wasn’t buying Vick’s excuses, scoring him for his failure to level with federal authorities, remarking, “I'm not convinced you've fully accepted responsibility," terming Vick’s activities as "cruel and inhumane.”
But Blank must shoulder some blame as well, even though the dogfighting ring operated throughout Vick’s six-year tenure with the Falcons. Vick was coddled and protected during his time with the team. Time and again, Vick was involved in seamy, scandalous activities.
An Atlanta woman is suing Vick for allegedly giving her Herpes Simplex 2, claiming he failed to tell her he had the disease, and identifying himself as “Ron Mexico.” Twice he flipped off Falcons’ fans – on national television – in November 2006 after the team lost to New Orleans. One of the members of his posses allegedly snagged a Rolex watch at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport outside of Atlanta. And he was stopped at Miami International Airport last January with a water bottle that had a secret compartment that allegedly smelled of pot. He also blew off testifying before Congress at about the same time.
The Falcons stood by him and made all sorts of excuses, even providing Vick with an adviser whenever a reporter wanted to interview him. Now it’s all blown up in their faces. And the former face of the franchise is locked up for the next 18 months or so, with time off for good behavior.
Yet perhaps Vick deserves another chance. He may end up spending even more time in jail, as he still faces state charges, even though those charges smack of piling on. But, that said, pretty much everybody deserves a second chance. Vick grew up on the mean streets of Newport News, and no doubt has a very skewed value system. His friends didn’t possess similar athletic abilities, remaining on the outskirts of society. And he kept them close.
Although his dogfighting activities must be abhorred, it’s possible that final judgment on Vick’s future should be withheld until he serves some time. Will he take college courses in the penitentiary, or will his verbiage remain the same? Will he continue to pursue a spiritual reawakening, or will he buy into the prison culture? Will he seek some counseling or continue to hang with the bad boys?
Time will only tell. And that’s one thing Vick’s got … time.
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