Michael Vick: Throw at Him a Football or Stone

What do you choose: Throw an NFL football to Michael Vick or a stone? 

I noticed that today marks a benchmark in the life of Michael Vick. 

Has he been rehabilitated?  Will he give up his former behavior?  Will he prove to the world that men can come out of the penal system reformed?  Will recidivism be an issue in his life?

Here is a little adaptation of an ancient story. There was a woman caught in the very act of adultery.  She was brought before the Coach.  The accusers wanted to enact a Mosaic law.  For her act (missing the mark or not keeping the law) she was to be stoned.

The Coach made a powerful statement, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

This is not to suggest a tolerance of her indiscretions. When a person breaks a law, there are consequences. 

Laws help to induce order. Without laws in a society, there would be chaos. 

The Coach's comment can be interpreted to mean that we all fall short of the Coach's expectations.  As such, as we judge or prejudge others, we must also judge ourselves.

Unfortunately, there are scarlet letters on the backs of some NFL players who are in violation of certain laws. A deeper study reveals that it is important to "go and sin (do not miss the mark) no more."

A period of time is necessary to observe whether an NFL player has truly changed. 

There are many ways to destroy an NFL player: "media murder." We can also call it "blog bludgeoning." 

The period of time needed to demonstrate full recovery of an NFL player is usually called probation.  If the person violates probation, then he or she can lose freedom, again.

During that probationary period, perhaps there ought to be a media silence, where writers avoid resounding the details of the event before incarceration. The new focus could be on the expectation and hope that an NFL player can truly change.

Don't you realize that people all around the world see the paradoxes of the legal and media system in America?  Don't you realize that the international communities can have an ability to discern internal inconsistencies in our thinking and in our behavior?

You have the chance of a lifetime.  What is your decision?  Throw an NFL football to Vick or a stone?

It is your choice, dawg.

Resource List of Black Quarterbacks 

Biographical Information on Michael Vick