Talk about being in the doghouse. I don’t know what Michael Vick’s dysfunction is, but I am sickened by what he’s done. It’s not just the fact that it’s dog fighting (which is absolutely disgusting), but also the fact that he is someone in the public eye playing professional football who has amazing athletic talent. The sky was the limit for this guy - fans loved him, kids adored him, the NFL drafted him #1 and he had his whole future right in front of him. Now he’s become a social pariah as a result of these charges and his football career is in serious jeopardy. I know the public in general is outraged, but I wanted to get a clearer picture of what Atlanta residents are feeling about this, since in some aspect the players of professional sports represent not only their teams, but also the residents of the cities those teams play for. People in Atlanta saw hope in Michael Vick (given the poor performance of sports teams there over past years). They saw a young man with tremendous potential and talent to raise the spirits of the city and renew faith in the Falcons. Michael Vick was like a superhero for Atlanta football. What do these residents have to say now?
“From him trying to carry a water bottle with questionable substance in it on the plane to him flipping a bird to his fans and now this., I just don’t have much respect for him as a man.”
“I also think he has been an embarrassment to Atlanta and to the NFL”
“I personally feel that it’s sad to see a black athlete fall for such a stupid thing and more importantly destroy his reputation to his team members, and the young kids throughout this country”
This kind of sentiment in Atlanta and throughout the country is pretty consistent, and I couldn’t agree more. Vick has thrown his entire career and all respect out the window because something twisted in his mind finds entertainment and excitement in watching once innocent animals tear each other apart. There are some things that I absolutely don’t condone, but can at least understand. If he partied too much and the disease of addiction crept up on him, okay. I’m not saying that addiction is anything less than a horribly fatal disease, but it happens to the best of us and it’s not a condition of mental or social ineptitude. But being a part of a vicious, murderous dog fighting ring is simply cruel - there’s no other way about it. These poor dogs were drowned and hung when they didn’t win their fights. This is cold blooded murder and there is just no excuse for it - and a dog? What was this guy thinking about? Whether he did the deed or not, he had knowledge of it and financed the whole operation. I just can’t fathom what would drive someone to do these kinds of horrendous things to an innocent animal, other than some kind of sociopathic mentality. It’s just inhumane and cruel to engage in such activity. So, that drives the question, should Michael Vick be banned from the NFL for participating in such activities?
ABSOLUTELY!!!! Not only should he never play professional sports again, but I think Patricia from Atlanta has it right when she says “Michael Vick should learn to be an advocate for animal rights…so he can learn just how awful him crime was. ” I think the only way this can be made right is for Michael Vick to actually understand the brutality of his crimes through experience and he might just get that in prison. This may be one of the few times that prison can actually help to rehabilitate a criminal. If he goes to prison, he will get to be right in the middle of the same hell those dogs were in, fighting for his life against others like him. Maybe then, he’ll realize how shameful it is to be in that position, how degrading and terrifying it is to be caged among gang members who will try to kill him based on an order because their whole lies have been based on violence and contempt.
We never know, this might be just what he needs to become a positive, influential, constructive member of society. He might come out rehabilitated and humbled, and change the world. It’s a long shot, I know. He might just serve his time and come out a more hardened version of who he is now. I can only hope that Michael Vick is not beyond redemption and makes the decision to change the kind of impact he wishes to have on society and make his existence more positive and meaningful.
