Posts Tagged ‘Michael Vick’

August 15th 2009 by admin

Michael Vick – I Guess We’re Suppose to Just Forget and Move On

The NFL would like you to just keep loving football and forget they allowed a despicable human being, Michael Vick, play for their beloved League.

Do people deserve second chances, of course they do.  Should we forgive and move on, of course we should.  But there are just some cases where we need to reconsider our second chance and forgiveness policies.  Millions of kids follow the NFLand now we have a hardened criminal coming back to play in League that is suppose to be a privilege not a right.

But now that the decision by Roger Goodell has been made, to allow Vick to play again we must move on but can we forget. Let’s now play out a scenario we’ll soon see parents in Philadelphia faced with and possibly elsewhere.

Hey Dad can you get me that Michael Vick jersey?

Now of course Michael Vickhas to perform well before anyone ever considers buying his jersey.  But for arguments sake let’s assume he does play well as a Philadelphia Eagle.  Do we forget and therefore forgive by letting in and purchasing his likeness and apparel for our kids?  Ultimately forgetting what Michael Vick actually did.  Allowing our kids to basically worship a habitual criminal.

In order not to forget, let’s recap some of the gory details of Vick’s crimes.

Personally electrocuted dogs with car batteries

Personally drown dogs by holding their heads under the water

Personally allowed his pet dogs to fight and be mangled while watching them fight.

Remember this was not a one-time mistake of judgment.  This was a crime that he continued to illegally partake in and fund for years.

I’m not advocating that people go out and protest, give up their tickets, refuse to purchase from Eagle sponsors. That is totally the wrong thing to do; other parties should not be punished because of Vick. Fans should cheer when he’s on the field, when and if he scores a touchdown. However, I would never celebrate Vick as a person and purchase his jersey or likeness on anything, let alone my kids.

What will it say about a parent that allows a kid to wear a Vick jersey?

The case is over, he’s done his time in jail, and he’s been allowed to continue his career, that’s all behind us.  But can we and should we allow ourselves to ever forget what he did?  As parents we cannot and should not allow our kids to forget, nor should we give in and enable this person as any type of hero.

August 6th 2009 by admin

NFL Commissioner Goodell – Give Second Chances to People and Groups that Deserve It

This blog takes a perspective on sports with a focus on how it affects kids.  If we think for one second that kids are not watching and listening to what happens in the sports world we are kidding ourselves.  With sports news and information just a click of a mouse or remote away, kids are just as (if not more) informed than adults. With Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth meeting with the NFL yesterday to discuss the status of his indefinite suspension, according to an ESPN.com & Cleveland Plain Dealer report, does Commissioner Roger Goodell understand this?  Apparently Roger has no clue, despite the fact that he’s a parent.

Between his wishy-washy decisions to maybe let Michael Vick back into the NFL, and today meeting with Donte Stallworth, who fatally struck a 59-year-old Florida construction worker with an elevated alcohol level above Florida’s legal limit in addition to marijuana in his system, has he really taken any serious stance on personal conduct at all? In other words, by not taking a clear and strong stance in regards to Michael Vick’s conduct of behavior, and now possibly Stallworth, has he weakened his overall position on this issue.  When the Commissioner first took his position as the new guardian of the NFL he pledged that he would uphold the integrity of the game.  Yet when it comes to making high profile decisions on punishments, he waivers and weighs the financial ramifications rather than considering the millions of kids that closely follow the league.

Does the Commissioner really want convicted criminals to rehabilate themselves on the job, on national television and the worldwide web no less? This was and is a golden opportunity to take a serious stance on personal behavior.

Roger, how do you explain to your children the reason why you allow convicted criminals second chances?  Remember it could have been your loved one that was struck down on the street by a drunk driver.

Roger, if you’re going to reconsider decisions, why don’t you bring back the Junior Player Development program that you cancelled, a free instructional football program that benefited hundreds of thousands of inner city kids?  Yet you opened the door for a convicted criminal, who lied to you, to come back?

We continue to watch and judge you.  Your legacy could very well be determined by decisions such as these.

May 26th 2009 by admin

A Letter to Commissioner Goodell:

Continue the Suspension of Michael Vick It’s Time to Send a Message to Every NFL Player & Kid in this Country.

I was asked the other day on Sirius Satellite Radio’s NFL Mov’in the Chains with Hosts Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan what I thought about Michael Vick’s possible return to the NFL. As Vick is released from federal prison the burden of if and when Vick returns to the NFL lies solely with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The Commissioner can determine if the tainted and convicted former star quarterback has his permanent playing suspension lifted.

The public debate and the one Goodell must wrestle with is; Has Vick paid his price through serving a jail term or has he lost the opportunity to play ever again in the NFL? Obviously my perspective comes from the point of view of how this would affect what kids take away from such a decision.

Before I answered the question I had just heard Pat Kirwan, a former NFL GM, with conservative views, explain that we live in a country where people deserve second chances. Though he was not totally convinced Vick deserved this opportunity to play again he was leaning toward accepting the return of Vick to the National Football League.

I understand Pat and others viewpoints on this subject. However, in this particular case I have to disagree. We live in a time where we seem to forgive too many professional athletes that make their living performing in front of our kids. We provide not only second but also third and fourth chances, where we are left to explain and justify to our kids their role model’s actions. At the same time kids aren’t stupid, they see that these athletes continue to prosper from big financial rewards, regardless of the rules they’ve broken.

I sincerely hope Commissioner Goodell walks the walk and sends a strong message that backs his claim, that he will up hold the integrity of the NFL, and it will not be all talk. This is an opportunity to send a strong message to not only every player in the League but to every child who is faced with right and wrong. Sure we all make mistakes, but sometimes those mistakes can be costly. Do you for one moment think Vick did not know what he was doing was wrong. He had his second then a third chance when he lied about his involvement.

This is not entirely about cruelty to dogs, though a heinous crime, it’s also about illegal gambling, an offense that no NFL player should be involved. When I worked at the NFL I remember Goodell specifically telling me that working and playing for the NFL was a privilege not a right or entitlement. Roger it’s time to send a clear and strong message to protect the integrity of the game and a life lesson to kids that follow your sport.