On December 10, 2007 suspended Atlanta Falcon’s quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for his role in a dog fighting ring. He was also found to have been involved in killing pit bulls that did not demonstrate sufficient fighting prowess.
Michael Vick, once one of the highest paid players in the NFL with a 10 year $130 million contract that provided him with an $11.4 million salary in 2006 and $6 million salary in 2007 made 12 cents an hour in his job at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. He filed for bankruptcy; claiming assets of $16 million and liabilities of $20.4 million. Vick is on the hook for judgments of $2.4 million to the Royal Bank of Canada and $1.1 million to Wachovia Bank, both because of loan defaults, and $4.5 million for a sports agent who sued him and won.
On July 20, 2009, after serving 18 months of his 23 month sentence, Michael Vick was released from Leavenworth Federal Prison. After having served his time, on August 13, 2009 signed a two year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dog fighting is illegal and disgusting. Killing dogs for failing to demonstrate sufficient fighting prowess is unconscionable. With that being acknowledged, at what point has a person who has been convicted of such horrible things and served his sentence, paid his debt to society? At what point is a person allowed to resume his career and demonstrate that he is rehabilitated?
Many Philadelphia football fans are outraged that Eagles management signed Michael Vick. Some fans are threatening to turn in their tickets while others are refusing to watch Eagles games. Sports radio and blogs are full of fans disgust with his signing.
This issue is bigger than Michael Vick. Michael Vick is grown man, still a talented and gifted athlete. If he plays his cards right and with a little luck, Michael Vicks felony conviction will never prevent him from earning a comfortable living and feeding his family.
Unfortunately, Michael Vicks good fortune is not the same for the over 1.3 million individuals that were convicted of felonies in 2004 (most recent data) or the almost 2.3 million people incarcerated in America. How do these individuals successfully integrate back into society after they have served their time? This issue is much more important than Michael Vick.
One wonders how a set of fans who have pushed handicapped fans from opposing teams down ramps; put a ten year old girl with a Giants jersey into a trash can; booed Santa Claus; or beat up Chief Zee, the Redskins mascot, smashing his eye, breaking his leg and stripping him to his underwear can be upset for signing Michael Vick? Their hypocrisy is nauseating.
It is interesting that Michael Vick would make his return to the NFL in Philadelphia, the city that housed America’s first penitentiary, the Walnut Street Jail. The word "penitentiary" came from the Pennsylvania Quakers and their belief in penitence and self-examination as a means to salvation. One would hope that the football fans in the City of Brotherly Love would actually show some in this instance.
Dr. Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the nationally broadcast call-in talk radio program “On With Leon,” on Sirius/XM Satellite radio channel 169 and a Teaching Associate in the Department of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: wjl3us@yahoo.com.
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