Vick Deserves a Second Chance

Americans love giving out second chances, especially to celebrities. 

Get a DUI – no problem.  Have an affair – who doesn’t, these days?  Hit your wife – that’s okay. For better or for worse, fans are generally willing to forgive past transgressions as long as the athlete or celebrity apologizes and performs.

But harm dogs, and many people draw the line. 

Disgraced quarterback Michael Vick finished his nearly two-year dogfighting sentence Monday. While Vick will remain on probation for three more years, his release from federal custody effectively closes the book on the debt he owed to society, according to the federal government.

Whether Vick’s debt to the NFL is absolved, however, is still unknown. Vick remains indefinitely suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Vick is expected to meet with Goodell within the next two weeks to discuss a potential reentry into professional football.

Based on common sense and precedent, Goodell should reinstate Vick immediately. If the government says Vick paid the price for his actions, why should the NFL keep punishing him?

He’s already lost everything. He served 18 months in jail and two months in home confinement. He missed two NFL seasons while in the prime of his career.

The 10-year, $130 million contract, which was the richest in NFL history? Gone. Also disappearing is his image, his marketability, and some of his best friends.

Isn’t that enough?

He’s shown signs of remorse and a commitment to preventing others from repeating the mistakes he made. Universally respected former Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy visited with Vick and gave a positive report. While under home confinement, Vick worked with Boys & Girls Club. He’s signed on to do anti-dogfighting campaigns with the Humane Society geared toward youths.

Clearly, Vick committed horrendous acts, and he deserved punishment. In no way is what he did acceptable, but do his missteps really garner more punishment than those of Leonard Little or Donte Stallworth?

In 1998, Little, a defensive lineman for the St. Louis Rams, ran a red light while drunk and killed a 47-year-old mother. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and spent 90 days in jail and was suspended for eight games.

Furthermore, Little was arrested for a second DUI in 2004 after failing three sobriety tests, but was found not guilty after the field tests were found to be faulty. 

Little still plays in the NFL.

This past March, Stallworth, a Cleveland Browns wide receiver, struck and killed a pedestrian while drunk. He spent 24 days in jail and also faces an indefinite suspension.

Both Little and Stallworth completed their debts to society, as determined by the government, despite their punishments seeming far too short. They, too, deserve another chance to redeem themselves (although Little’s third chance seems a bit much). Withholding the right to practice one’s craft is not appropriate punishment.

The issue arises when comparing their cases to Vick’s. Granted, there are some differences between those two cases and Vick’s.

Most notably, Stallworth cooperated with authorities from the beginning, while Vick lied to the NFL, Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, and authorities. Little’s legal run-ins came before Roger Goodell took over the NFL. And Vick is the biggest star of the three.

But, on some level, the comparison stands. Little only received an eight game suspension and Stallworth served a small fraction of Vick’s jail time, although each of them killed a person. Yet it’s Vick who continues to be vilified, even after facing stiffer punishment for a lesser crime.

If anything, Vick’s case proves the American public’s misplaced priorities and the power of the dog lobby. MADD protested Little’s short sentence and his return to the NFL, but it didn’t prevent the Rams from bringing him back.

Not only is Goodell worried about letting Vick back into the league, but also teams are reluctant to pursue the former Falcon, knowing full well the power of PETA.

PETA has already initiated a public campaign to petition the NFL to require Vick to undergo psychological tests to see if he is a psychopath. And PETA will surely picket outside the stadium of whatever team bold is enough to sign the quarterback.

Dogs, it seems, are more valuable than humans sometimes.

If he’s not reinstated, Vick would have an opportunity in the new United Football League. But he longs to return to the NFL, and has shown he has the talent to compete on the biggest stage. The only thing holding him back are animal rights protesters hoping to stretch his two year ban into three.

Reinstating Vick would not condone his actions. Doing so would merely recognize the debt Vick has paid and open the door for him to restart his life. 

Even if Vick is reinstated, his fate is in his hands. He’s the one who has to create a new image and communicate his regret, while also trying to succeed on the field. He just needs a second chance.