Michael Vick's Redemption: The Second Chance He Deserves

Since his release from prison, Michael Vick has been looked upon with shame, and no one has given him a chance to redeem himself.

This time three years ago, Vick pleaded guilty to charges of illegal dogfighting. Soon after, he spent 21 months in prison, and then served two months in home confinement.

In the summer of 2009, Vick appealed to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to reinstate him to the league. After much deliberation and speculation, it was decided that Vick should be reinstated.

But he did not have a team to play for. The Atlanta Falcons, his former team, did not want to retain his contract, so they released him. Although he had been elected to the Pro Bowl three times before his incarceration, no team wanted to take a chance on him due to his past.

Furthermore, the implications of signing someone like Michael Vick, who was looked upon with shame by the media and sports fans everywhere, would hurt the reputation of any team and owner.

Donovan McNabb encouraged Eagles management to sign Vick. On August 13, 2009, less than a month after being released from prison, Vick was signed by the Eagles to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, worth $1.6 million, with an option for 2010. He would back up McNabb during the 2009 season.

He was not given much chance to play but did show some success when he did, scoring two touchdowns in a game in November and throwing the longest touchdown of his career in the Eagles' playoff loss to the Cowboys.

In December 2009, Vick received the Ed Block Courage Award, which is voted on by his teammates, and the Eagles exercised Vick's option for 2010, which meant that he would be back with the team.

This past summer, when McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins, Vick believed that he had a chance to earn the starting quarterback job, but his hopes were soon dashed when coach Andy Reid named Kevin Kolb as the starter. Vick was disappointed with the decision and was quoted as saying, "I know I can still play at a high level." Again, Michael Vick was not given a chance to prove himself on the playing field.

That would soon change, however, when Kolb left the game during Week 1 with an injury. Vick was called on to play the rest of the game. What he did in his playing time was prove that he still has the skill to start every game. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 103 yards.

The very next week, Vick threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns. After these performances, Reid named Vick the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, a position that Vick deserves.

Since his release, he has been fighting like a dog (no pun intended) for a chance at redemption. Michael Vick deserves a second chance. I hope he proves the skeptics wrong by leading the Eagles to the playoffs.