There can be no greater testament to the rehabilitation of Michael Vick than having the president of the United States commend, and comment on, his success.
And that’s precisely what happened last week when President Obama called Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. Reports are that Obama praised him for taking a chance on Vick after he served 21 months in prison for running a brutal dog-fighting ring, and lamented that, even after paying their debt to society, ex-cons rarely get such a second chance.
Unfortunately, this call has ignited a firestorm of criticism:
On the one hand, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are hurling moral indignation at Obama for showing sympathy for a man whom they have deemed utterly beyond redemption.
On the other hand, sports commentators are lambasting him for being an opportunist trying to exploit the MVP year Vick is having for political gain: They wonder, for example, why the president did not make this call a year ago when Vick was withering away on the bench as a third-string quarterback (behind Donavan McNabb who was traded to the Washington Redskins this year, and Kevin Kolb whose injury early this season gave Vick the opportunity he’s still running with).
But, frankly, PETA’s criticism has to be taken with a grain of salt; not least because their obsessive zoophilia often causes them to say (and do) misanthropic things. Not to mention that, if one of Vick’s pit bulls were being put down for killing a human being, PETA activists would have no compunctions about calling for that dog to be given the second chance they want to deny Vick.
The guy did his time, forfeited a $100-million contract, is lecturing all over the country on the horrors of dogfighting, and the terms of his three-year probation, which ends in 2012, prohibit not only him but even his kids from owning a dog. So what more do these animal-rights jihadists want from him: a pound of his human flesh?!
As for the sport commentators’ criticism, let me first assert that Obama’s sentiments are unassailable. After all, it’s in America’s national interest for all ex-cons to be given a second chance.
Nevertheless, I would like to think that he was motivated to express these sentiments – more because he’s acutely aware that black men are disproportionately affected by shortsighted bias in this respect than because Vick has become such a national sensation on the football field….
That said, there’s no gainsaying the sports commentators’ point about the belated timing of Obama’s call. In fact, the only thing to be said is that he is hardly alone in waiting until Vick was rehabilitated as a sports superstar before speaking out about his rehabilitation as a human being.
Indeed, many of these sports commentators – who are now zealously praising Vick – are the very ones who were leading the chorus of those calling on the NFL to ban him for life after he was arrested and pleaded guilty.
By contrast, here’s what I wrote about giving Vick a second chance back then:
I wish that some of this public outcry against Vick for abusing dogs would be heaped upon other professional athletes for routinely abusing women…
Let me hasten to disabuse you of any doubt about Vick’s football career. Because the only question is: which team will offer him the most lucrative contract once he pays his debt to society.
(Vick, dog-fighting fiend, cops a plea, TIJ, August 21, 2007)
As it turned out, that team was the Philadelphia Eagles, and the rest, as we say, is history. Now all that’s left for his remarkable rehabilitation to evolve into sweet vindication is for him to finish this year as the MVP – not only of the regular season but also of the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Eagles were forced to play a rare Tuesday-night game against the Minnesota Vikings in Philadelphia last night after the NFL postponed their game on Sunday because of snow. But here’s what Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell had to say about this postponement:
I think it’s a joke… This is football! Good lord, Vince Lombardi would be spinning in his grave that we canceled the football game for the snow… I was looking forward to this. It would have been a real experience. This is what football is all about. We’re becoming a nation of wussies.
(Fox News 29, December 26, 2010)
I agree.
More importantly, though, Vick and the Eagles did not live up to their hype in losing to the hapless Vikings 24-14. Actually, Vick may have played himself out of contention for the regular season MVP, which most likely will now be awarded to Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.
But the Eagles are still in good shape for the playoffs, having already clinched their division championship. This loss only means that the path to their rendezvous with destiny in Super Bowl XLV will be a little more challenging, having now lost their home-field advantage….
Related commentaries:
Vick cops a plea…
Legacy Note: With over 5,600 posts spanning 20 years, I am easily the most prolific blogger on the most eclectic array of topics on the web. That makes The iPINIONS Journal an unparalleled archive of informed political and cultural commentary. Visit the ARCHIVES section in the sidebar or search by topic. You won’t find a more consistent, independent voice on world affairs.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.