Michael Vick- Welcome Back to Society

Today is a new day for a man looking for vindication; a soul-wrenching rehabilitation project for the ages on the horizon. An image is easy to tarnish, but isn't nearly as easy to repair.

Nobody will know that struggle like Michael Vick in the coming months.

He isn't the first public figure to face an uphill battle with the general public's perception of him and his character, and what happens now all depends on his resilience.

He can take the route of one Kobe Bryant and do whatever it takes to make us see that he really is who we thought he was, or he can just make his image look more tarnished until we no longer have interest.

O.J. Simpson repeatedly made the wrong choices in trying to rehabilitate his reputation. Hell, Simpson just accepted the hate role and amplified it. Now he's behind bars for stealing his own stuff. Serves him right.

Barry Bonds just kept ignoring the public and worse was just rude and invincible. Now Bonds remains the face of the Steroid Era and will always be the first name associated with it.

Players since who were convicted of steroids have came out and admitted their mistakes, and the public has lifted their clouds of ire and negative reaction.

Observe the return of Manny Ramirez from his 50-game suspension for taking a women's fertility drug often used after steroid cycles.

Fans held up signs in support, and his Mannywood area in Dodgers Stadium was kept intact, and fans were lined up to be in it.

Had that been Bonds, he would've came to the game to find syringes piled up in his "Barrywood" section, and he would've been booed profusely.

All of this shows that we as a culture have forgetful, forgiving spirits. All you have to do is appear to care about your mistake and atone for it and we're suckered right in.

If Vick wants to rehab his image and change our flawed perception of him, he has to start now. He's served his time and paid his debt to society, regardless if we feel it's enough or not.

He is now a free man, and we want to know, hear and feel his candor. We have to know that it's okay to move on because the justice system has done its job.

After all, jail is not solely meant to punish individuals.

It's also supposed to make them better people, and help them to become better contributors to society. All atrocities in jails aside, the system in jail is in place to help rehabilitate criminals.

One must assume that in a minimum security lockup as a former NFL star, Vick didn't see the worst jail has to offer.

He doesn't need to; going from making $130 million over the life of your contract to less than a dollar an hour is quite enough.

Vick needs to let us know that he knows that. In other words, we need to see that his stint as a convicted felon made the rational side of him the dominant side and that he doesn't look to crime as pleasure.

I'm not an animal lover at the least, but I don't want to see any living thing get tortured and killed, especially an animal as cognitive as a dog.

But one cannot hold grudges and resentment toward another man's mistakes. All we can ask for is prosecution under the law in which we abide, and for the convicted to learn their lesson.

Vick has been through the first part. Now we want to see if the light has been screwed on in his head and heart.

Contrary to popular belief, Vick doesn't have to do some cheesy PSA for PETA, or a public, camera ridden public apology. If Vick wants the public to believe in his reform, these are three things that can make him look sincere.

1. Talk About His Experiences In An On-Camera Interview With A Renowned TV Personality

As I mentioned, Vick does not need to give an impersonal, Manny Ramirez-like apology in front of all kinds of media. It gives off the smell of fakeness, and seems tailor-made to pacify the fans.

What is a better idea is sitting in front of a camera in a personal setting much like the way Alex Rodriguez did in front of Peter Gammons. Much as the public was angry at A-Rod, we respected his up close and personal approach.

Many people don't respect Ramirez anyway for his prior antics, but feel even more negative towards him after that joke of a public apology.

Sitting down with someone like Rachel Nichols or Tom Jackson and answering harsh questions and handling them correctly will get him some great publicity for his impending reinstatement attempt to the NFL and some much needed respect.

2. Reaching Out to Other At-Risk Individuals

Vick would be a perfect candidate to speak at a future NFL symposium for rookies about engaging in harmful behavior.

People would listen to him simply based on what he has been through, and he could really help some people see the light before they make the mistake.

Our society loves to see fallen role-models or past criminals change and speak publicly about what they've been through. Vick can make a lot of people feel confident and able to carry out different choices to better impact their life experience.

This would also score him major points with the Commish, Roger Goodell.

3. Joining Some Organization Other Than PETA Promoting Healthy Treatment of Animals

Vick almost HAS to do something involving proper treatment of dogs or animals in a whole, and he needs to do something that isn't so obvious.

Joining PETA would be difficult because of their solid stance unless he can convince them otherwise, but it will come off to us as a publicity stunt.

Their are plenty of these types of organizations out there, like The Animal Foundation and Animal Legal Defense Fund. If he reaches out to a group like this and not PETA, it will look great for him and not help promote PETA further.

This can be the first or last step in his comeback, but something that he should seriously consider doing.

I myself am happy to see Vick back in our society. He was my role-model on the field at one point, and my favorite player by far.

He's paid his expensive debt to society, thus deserving to get a second chance at this one life we live.

We allow murderers and child-molesters back into the public around our children, and it is time for the hate against Vick to take a rest along with the 23-month sentence that is now behind Vick in every step he's making.

Can Vick rehab his image and wear a NFL uniform again?

That my friend is up to Michael Dwayne Vick. Let's at least clear our minds and give him the proper forum to do it.

We did it for Bryant and Judge Greg Mathis. Give the man his fair due. That's the least we can do.