“Hide your beagle, Vick’s an Eagle.”
That’s one of the more popular anti-Michael Vick protest signs you can see around Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia every game day. Now Vick is once again an elite player in the NFL, but still hated by many fans. Why? Why do fans boo Vick on the field when his old issues were off the field? Why can’t we just move on?
As many people know, Vick was convicted of dog fighting, killing dogs, and running an illegal gambling operation in 2007. After committing one of the most heinous crimes in professional sports history, he was suspended indefinitely from the NFL for two seasons, which was fair. He also spent 14 months in prison and two months in in-home confinement.
To me, his punishment was fair. And for him, as an athlete, to actually do his time and do his prison time, shows me that he knew he was wrong and that he needed to do right. You never see athletes or celebrities do time. They pull the celebrity card and that’s it. If I or any other average Joe were to be pulled over for drunk driving, we would be behind bars for quite some time or would have to perform community service. Vick did his time, learned from it, and is even teaching kids in the Philly community how wrong he was.
People don’t see that. They see PETA protest and show sad pictures of mauled dogs and that’s where they get their opinions. I’ll give credit to PETA, they have done a great job pushing their opinions on other people. But their opinions aren’t always sensible.
Abusing animals is an awful thing. But the abuse and killing of women and children is worse. What about the players in this league who have commited murder? Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Donte Stallworth killed a man with his car. Stallworth was drunk and struck the man while he was crossing the crosswalk. Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis alledgedly killed two men, yet we all cheered for him as he won a Super Bowl. Pittsburg Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused not once, but twice of sexually assaulting women. But instead of being outraged and mad at him for doing an awful crime, we can’t wait for him to return to play when his four-game suspension is up.
Stallworth was suspended an entire season and Roethlisberger for four games. But what’s that going to accomplish? They lose about a $1 million? That’s pocket change for these guys. That’s not going to teach either of them a lesson. Vick had to file bankruptcy because he was punished so severely. He never once questioned the judgment. He took his punishment like a man and has turned his life around.
It’s not fair that Vick is voted most hated athlete of any sport. He has always been faithful to the team he has played on. You can’t say that about LeBron James, who is number six on that list. Vick doesn’t hold out for millions of dollars like other athletes do. You’ve never seen him fail drug tests, or test positive for steroids like many of the athletes in today’s world.
Vick has turned his life around ever since his days as an Atlanta Falcon. He is now a community leader and helps raise awareness for animal cruelty. So let’s put down picket signs and stop burning the #7 Eagles jerseys. Let’s learn how to forgive.Michael Vick is a role model.