Even though he spent 18 months in federal prison and two seasons out of the NFL, Michael Vick still has a chance to once again become an actual, legitimate NFL football player. It’s a lot more than most convicted felons can say about their pre-crime careers, but the NFL is truly a meritocracy; if Vick can perform, someone will be willing to pay him handsomely to do so.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could have banned Vick for life and the majority of NFL fans might’ve have been fine with that. Instead, he granted Vick a second chance; all he has to do is stay out of trouble for the first half-ish of the season, “show genuine remorse,” accept responsibility for his actions, and he could be back on the field, in the money. And yet, that appears to be too much for Vick to handle. How stupid is this guy?
As part of his carefully orchestrated PR goodwill tour, Vick spoke yesterday to a group of basketball campers at Hampton University in Virginia. According to THE SPORTING NEWS:
The free agent NFL quarterback, who last month finished a 23-month federal prison sentence for dogfighting, told a crowd of about 250 to “use me as an example for your dreams.” Vick also told them that after accomplishing his goals he “allowed someone who didn’t have my best interests at heart to take all that away from me,” according to a release from the school.
Jeez, this guy is possibly the worst motivational speaker in history. As a devoted carnivore, I hope he takes PETA up on their offer to represent them. Why on Earth should anyone use Michael Vick as an example for…anything, except as one of the most colossal screwups in sports history? Oddly enough, however, that’s not even the biggest problem here. Let’s take a look at that last part again:
Vick also told them that after accomplishing his goals he “allowed someone who didn’t have my best interests at heart to take all that away from me,” according to a release from the school.
Remember what I said before about Goodell’s requirements for reinstatement? All Vick has to do during his phony-baloney speaking tour is fess up to being a bad man, shed some crocodile tears, and tell kids not to operate dogfighting rings. But no - HE BLAMED SOMEONE ELSE FOR IT. Ironic considering some people think he’s being led astray NOW by people who don’t have his best interests at heart. Either he’s lying, or he’s the dumbest damn MFer to ever to walk the Earth. If that’s the case, he doesn’t belong on an NFL roster, he belongs in a group home.
12:22 pm on August 12th, 2009
Remorse is impossible to detect, either by words or by actions. One sentence from a press release does not justify this post.
12:31 pm on August 12th, 2009
Steve that’s not the point.. Pete isn’t trying to show he’s not remorseful. He’s pointing out that one of the NFL’s requirements for Vick is to take full responsibility for his actions for the dog fighting ring. So what does Vick do? Blame others and not himself. He’s NOT taking the responsibility that the NFL Commish has said he must do to keep this second chance he was given.
In other words if he keeps up blaming others and not taking blame himself. He may very well find his second chance stripped from him with a ban from the NFL for breaking the requirements of getting the second chance.
12:41 pm on August 12th, 2009
I belive he is the dumbest MFer to walk the Earth.
12:47 pm on August 12th, 2009
No doubt he is dumb, the only thing he is remorseful about is being caught. He will follow the steps taken by Mike Tyson…Great skill, dumb as rocks, in and out of jail, career over, more to come from this idiot, no doubt!
1:08 pm on August 12th, 2009
I don’t see how Vick is blaming someone else. He said “He ALLOWED…” someone else to influence him. He didn’t say they made him do it.
1:32 pm on August 12th, 2009
The bitch set me up.
1:32 pm on August 12th, 2009
R. Mexico — same thing happened to me
2:38 pm on August 12th, 2009
Awwww…look at the picture of him holding that cute little puppy. He must be a good dad to that pup.
Doh!
2:48 pm on August 12th, 2009
DO NOT HIRE THIS GUY!!!!!
3:16 pm on August 12th, 2009
Considering the reason all this drama went down was because he allowed two of his friends to hold the fights at his house… which led to all of the FBI crashing down on the place, discovering all of the evidence, having his two “friends” turn state’s evidence and go witness for the prosecution…
I’d say his turn of phrase there was exactly correct. I don’t see it as not being remorseful himself, but merely saying that he allowed others to affect HIS actions.
4:09 pm on August 12th, 2009
Kyle, I concur…….I couldn’t have said it better myself.
9:21 pm on August 12th, 2009
so wait, let me get this straight Kyle and SC finest. what you are saying is that “allowed someone who didn’t have my best interests at heart to take all that away from me” means that because his 2 business aprtners in the dog fighting ring, the one Mike Vick financed, rolled on him and didn’t lie and go to jail for him, that he allowed others to affect his actions? say what? no no no no no. You know the phrase “follow the money.” Mike Vick was the money. That is 100% Mike vicks fault. The fact his bussiness partners rolle don him is too bad but that doesnt mean he DIDNT DO THE CRIME willingly and knowingly. You going to tell me he didnt know what was going on. Please, you’re an oppologist.Just man up Mike and say “I SCREWED UP” it ok. you run fast you can throw a football. when you die the Tennesse Titans will honor you with decals on their helmets because what you do on the field is all that all that matters. The off the field stuff? thats not you fault, you just had bad peopel around you. I’m sure Rae Carruth had bad peopel aroudn him wich is why he had his pregnant girlfriend gunned down,just didnt have peopel with his best interests at heart around him and he allowed them to affect his actions. Poor Rae Carruth.
11:16 pm on August 12th, 2009
You’re trying much too hard. Parsing words. Long story short, many a downfall, from Vick to George W., from Michael Jackson to Hammer, can be easily traced to negative influence. It’s pretty much the first thing a man has to acknowledge if he’s going to avoid further trouble. I’m well aware that Vick participated, but do you really think ANYONE goes that far down that path… THE WORLD OF DOGFIGHTING… without negative influence? It’s kinda the whole issue. We’re not talking about an individual temptation, drugs, women, gambling could happen to anyone. That’s why we’re so repulsed… We’re talking about a full subculture, not an individual moment of weakness. And despite their lighter sentences, I doubt the “posse” riding on Vick’s dime were noncomplicit.
7:17 am on August 13th, 2009
OH please…….stop making excuses for Vick.
When you’re an adult, and moreover, one who will be in the public eye, you take a long look at all the things you are part of….friends, relationships, business, whatever, and you make a decision. Is this in my best interest? Yes or No. Simple!
Yes……go for it…….if it works, great. If not, at least you might have the $$’s to recover
No……..run not walk…….in the other direction.
What Michael Vick showed was not only the inability to make a correct decision in his best interest….not only that he was and is blind to the concept of guilt by association and of implication…..but also to the repugnance of his character and his morals.
Unless there is a complete turnaround with all the stipulations from Goodell, and more, Mick Vick is damaged goods.
Again, not being smart enough to follow the yellow brick road the NFL has laid out for him proves the dillusion continues.
Sure he can run, and sometimes throw a football, but teams are judging the content of his character at this point. And I find it severely lacking!
9:28 am on August 13th, 2009
@ Thrillomania - I merely said that he allowed others to affect his actions. Duh. I feel like this is a non-issue - it’s clear that other people affected his actions, that’s not saying “I didn’t do it,” but merely that his crowd and his association led him down a road that he now perhaps realizes was the wrong one.
I personally don’t care whether he’s remorseful or not - he served his time, did his punishment, why keep punishing the man? You’ve got players right now in the NFL who killed people, raped people, etc. etc. and nobody’s calling for them to be blacklisted.