Michael Vick was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now, I am by no means a football fan. In fact, I'm pretty much a one-sport guy, and so it's usually baseball or nothing. I do, however, read sports news all the time. So I know about the Big Stories. I read about the tragedy of Sean Taylor. I saw the news stories on Plaxico Burress' bizarre mistake.
And I know all about what Michael Vick did.
Our society is very forgiving. There are very few things, I think, that someone could do that they would never be forgiven for. Murder is generally frowned upon, for example. And we tend to lock up thieves as well. (In Spain, they do not do this. When we were robbed in Spain, the police said they knew who it was, but that they wouldn't arrest him because it was his livelihood. I kid you not)
However, if a person generally shows enough remorse, the American people will typically, sometimes grudgingly, forgive them their crimes. Not always, of course. But often.
I'm hoping, with every fiber of my being, that this is not one of those times.
Michael Vick is a savage. Pure and simple. His actions were barbaric and cruel in the most heinous of ways.
He fought dogs. That is horrible in and of itself.
Can dogfighting be forgivable though? Not for me, certainly. For most other people? I shudder to think so, but I'm afraid it might be. If he showed enough remorse. Which Vick hasn't. The one interview I saw of him after his release where he said "It was something I'm ashamed of", or some such, you could tell he was laughing on the inside. His whole apology was a joke. He could barely contain the hint of a smile.
Let's not forget though that he didn't just fight these dogs. He murdered them if they didn't fight hard enough. And he didn't just 'put them to sleep', either. He killed them in the most brutal and grotesque ways he could. He shot them, he hanged them, he drowned them. He slammed them to the ground, crushing them.
No doubt he relished it.
So now the Philadelphia Eagles are giving him a "second chance". Already there are fans writing raving comments on the internet, expressing their rabid excitement at the prospect he might bring the Eagles a Superbowl ring. Tickets for his debut in an Eagles uniform - at Atlanta, site of his old team - have already sold out.
Anyone associated with the Eagles should be ashamed of this signing, and personally, I hope the franchise has the worst season in its history.
If they win, this convicted criminal could be the hero of a franchise; the adoration of a generation of fans.
Just think - the youth of Philadelphia, or elsewhere who remain fans of the Eagles, could be wearing this:
And kids would want to play with one of these:
All in honor of the man who did this.
And this.
Think about it. If it were your child, would you want this man to be their idol?
