Criminals In Professional Sports: Where Do We Draw The Line?

The Michael Vick halftime show is coming to an end. At 8 pm tonight in Philadelphia, the second half of his career will begin.

It was two years ago this month that Vick pleaded guilty to felony charges of dog fighting. In November of that same year Vick entered prison to begin serving a 23-month sentence.

Now Vick has come full circle and will once again step onto the grand stage of the NFL.

This moment has been in the planning since the day details of this heinous crime were made public.

While the details of this case made headlines on every media outlet, those headlines also competed with the speculation of how, when and where Vick would return to the NFL.  

It is often the case where crimes committed by professional athletes are overshadowed by something more important: what the future holds, if convicted, and how soon the individual can return to their beloved sport.

We will never know if Vick pulled a dogs teeth, slammed a dog to the ground until death, or hung one upside down inside a bucket of water. Those details are of no concern to the moral majority. As with most crimes, if it doesn’t have a direct effect on us, it doesn’t affect us.

Roger Goddell said Vick must show remorse in order to be re-instated. He has been very cooperative and helpful to PETA, and it was rumored Vick cried in prison. Was it over the loss of mans best friend, or the loss of $130 million dollars? Something else we may never know.

It is almost certain there will be signs and protest and demonstrations from supporters and non supporters of Vick at tonight’s game.

What is not certain is where do we as a society draw the line? How much do we allow before we have had enough and stop supporting criminals in professional sports?  

Dany Heatley was driving over 100 mph on a neighborhood street when he crashed his Ferrari and killed his team mate Dan Snyder. He was back at work in less than a year.

Donte Stallworth was speeding and drunk when he killed a pedestrian in Florida with his Bentley. He will be back at work next season.

In the coming years, each of these men will go on with their lives, be eligible for awards and vie for championships in their respective sports. All supported by money from unaffected fans.  

However, each of the victims involved here, will still be dead.