Michael Vick on 60 Minutes!

samshine

I'm also kind of sad that the same spirit of compassion does not seem to apply to humans... 

If this man were an animal I think most of you would not give up on him.

samshine

I'm really glad that so many of the fighting dogs kept by Michael Vick were given a chance at rehabilitation and have succeeded so well.  Many wanted to write them off and euthanize the bunch. 

If this man were an animal I think most of you would not give up on him.

I agree 100%.

I watched the interview.  I do think that he feels bad that he was involved with dog fighting & the killing of innocent dogs.  I was impressed that he has chose to work with the Human Society to try to educate inner city youth about the dangers of dog fighting.

IMO, he's paid his debt to society, he should be allowed to try to get his life back in order.

BEVOLASVEGAS

I watched the interview.  I do think that he feels bad that he was involved with dog fighting & the killing of innocent dogs.  I was impressed that he has chose to work with the Human Society to try to educate inner city youth about the dangers of dog fighting.

I saw the episode, he said that he cried a few nights. When the reporter asked him why he said because he let down so many people BUT he never mentioned that he cried because what he did to the dogs.

Let's see what does he really do for the Humane Society and most of all for how long.

samshine

I'm also kind of sad that the same spirit of compassion does not seem to apply to humans... 

If this man were an animal I think most of you would not give up on him.

There is one HUGE difference between animals and Vick...animals do not have malicious intent when they attack other animals. I feel no compassion toward Vick. I'm sorry, but it takes a disturbed, sociopathic individual to enjoy watching others, canine or not, suffer, bleed to death, etc., and to electrocute, hang and shoot dogs. He then *lied* about it, and only admitted his abhorrent behavior when he knew there was no other way out.

From watching his interview last night, and knowing the nature of what he did, he's not sorry he tortured those dogs. He's sorry he got caught.

And there are people saying that he deserves a second chance...well, playing pro football with a multimillion dollar contract is not getting a second chance, it's simply picking up where he left off.

samshine

I'm really glad that so many of the fighting dogs kept by Michael Vick were given a chance at rehabilitation and have succeeded so well.  Many wanted to write them off and euthanize the bunch.

I'm also kind of sad that the same spirit of compassion does not seem to apply to humans... 

If this man were an animal I think most of you would not give up on him.

There is a big difference between giving up on an animal that is totally and completely dependent on humans for everything in their life and giving up on a human who is more than capable of thinking for themselves.  He tries to justify things by saying it is something that was acceptable while he was growing up yet he has had the benefit of a free college education that certainly exposed him to a better way of life.  A free education that the majority of the public he wants forgiveness from has not had the benefit of receiving.  He has yet to admit that he himself participated in the torture of those poor animals.  How many of us would have been able to keep our jobs if we were found guilty of a felony?  How many of us would have been rehired once we completed the sentencing of a felony conviction.  He has done nothing to earn any compassion - everything he has said and done is only so that he can become a millionaire again.

IrishSetterGrl

And there are people saying that he deserves a second chance...well, playing pro football with a multimillion dollar contract is not getting a second chance, it's simply picking up where he left off.

I agree with you 100%. According to an ESPN.com "blurb", he's going to be paid $1.625 MILLION for the 2009 season regardless of the length of any suspension he gets, AND he'll get $5.25 MILLION if he stays another year PLUS up to $2.75 MILLION in "incentives" for the 2010 contract. Personally, I think he should be paid either (1) what a first year public school teacher makes, or (2) minimum wage for a 40 hour work week and consider himself darned lucky he even has a job. Most convicted felons who have "paid their debts to society" are lucky if they can get employment at all.

BEVOLASVEGAS

I watched the interview.  I do think that he feels bad that he was involved with dog fighting & the killing of innocent dogs.  I was impressed that he has chose to work with the Human Society to try to educate inner city youth about the dangers of dog fighting.

IMO, he's paid his debt to society, he should be allowed to try to get his life back in order.

I agree with this too.  The man paid his debt and he has a right to make a living.  Agreed, he doesn't come across as the brightest crayon in the box and my guess is that he only knows two things ... football and dog fighting. You can't really blame him for growing up thinking dog fighting was OK.  He said he was introduced to it as a 7 year old and apparently everyone in his family, all his relatives and their friends were into it. Hopefully he sees it now through different eyes.  If he doesn't go back to football - then what?  He goes on welfare and we all take care of him?  That really doesn't make much sense.  Since is he is more or less in the public eye, he can probably turn this around and ultimately wind up doing some good.

Joyce

We had 60 minutes on and when Vick came on I couldn't even bare to watch the smug smile on his face.  He seemed only to worry about how much it hurt his career...

It saddens me as a football fan to see any team take him back...
I would love to see that every stadium that he plays in either empty, or the fans turning their backs on him when he's playing...

(I'm glad the Chiefs didn't pick him up either, they're my fave team too)

Just because a 7 year old was exposed to illegal behavior doesn't justify continuing that behavior as an adult.  There are plenty of minimum wage jobs he is qualified for but the NFL - as with most corporations only interested in money - have given the youth of today another example that the world is all amount money.  They are giving them another athlete that has gotten away with murder only to be handed millions of dollars after showing the public their crocodile tears.  So based on earlier remarks, they have shown more 7 years olds that what he did is ok, after a couple of years off you can go back to your life with no reprecussions.  If he were truly sorry for the killings he was responsible for (and don't forget he also participated in them) then he would never have asked for reinstatement but would have gone to work full time for a pit bull rescue group.  His so-called work with the Humane Society is nothing but his way of getting back to where he left off.

SwifferLips

If he were truly sorry for the killings he was responsible for (and don't forget he also participated in them) then he would never have asked for reinstatement but would have gone to work full time for a pit bull rescue group.  His so-called work with the Humane Society is nothing but his way of getting back to where he left off.

I had to sign on, to comment on this. In a word..."what?". I mean if a child molester were truly sorry he should go work in an abused children's shelter? If a wife beater were truly sorry they should go work with battered women? I am sorry but the BEST place for Vick is BUSY and far away from dogs...and those who are still active in that lifestyle. Sorry is not the same as "rehabbed"...some things you never leave behind...like addiction...you deal with it, day by day...and the LAST place you need to be is surrounded by your temptations.

One should also never minimize the impact of childhood events, occurences, or teachings (or lack thereof), on an adult. Plenty of us live EVERY DAY with little idiocynracies, ideals, morals (or the lack) and judgements handed us by our parents, peers, and neighborhoods. If you are lucky your "gifts" are good...if not you can count on years of therapy, failed relationships, low self esteem, perhaps even crimal acts or death.

On a different note,

H$U$ is in the public's face right now, with their puppet, and that irritates me greatly...he is a puppet make no mistake...he could not go off on his own and do anything relating to public ed, because they'd eat him alive. Sickening...and know they are getting their share of the profits...they who likely pocketed hundreds of thousands in donation for his dogs that they did not even HAVE. Just like Katrina...

rwbeagles

One should also never minimize the impact of childhood events, occurences, or teachings (or lack thereof), on an adult.

Completely agree, Gina. While - it's not an excuse - childhood happenes completely shape someone as an adult. While we find this totally unacceptable, where he grew up it was probably a common practice - which still does NOT make it right. None of us grew up in a dog fighting ring, so it's hard to see the other side of things, I'm sure.

Although, I do disagree that he should not be around animals. I think he needs to work in an animal control setting (high supervised, of course) and deal with these abused and neglected dogs. Let him REALLY see first hand what he's done to the animals like that. I don't think he should ever own another animal - I think that's a given. But I think he needs to hands on care for a dog the way it's supposed to be done. We've taken animal abusers and put them to work in our kennels before (at my last place of employment). No one knew why they were there - except that they were there to work. And believe me, nothing changes someone like scooping poop off a dirty cement floor.

SwifferLips

Just because a 7 year old was exposed to illegal behavior doesn't justify continuing that behavior as an adult. 

Oh good grief!  Where do you think racists come from?  Or Anti-Semites?  Or people who hate members of any particular religion?  Or men who think it's OK to knock women around?  They learn it as children ... from their parents and the other adults around them.  It's not like you reach legal adulthood and suddenly have this epiphany, realizing that everything you've been taught is wrong.  You're much more likely to pass that on to your own children unless you've been lucky enough to meet people who can help you see the light.  Sometimes it takes literally years of therapy before someone can get that turned around.

Joyce

fuzzy_dogs_mom

SwifferLips

Just because a 7 year old was exposed to illegal behavior doesn't justify continuing that behavior as an adult. 

Oh good grief!  Where do you think racists come from?  Or Anti-Semites?  Or people who hate members of any particular religion?  Or men who think it's OK to knock women around?

That explains it, but it doesn't justify it.  Not in my book, anyway.  Surely it's still JUST as wrong for Vick to do what he did - even if it was in "ignorance" - as if WE did it?

I am torn. However my work involves kids who often grow up in envirnments that have very different systems and values in place.  Poverty does that.  Granted I am not inner city, but I do work in rural areas.  Not all folks value animals in the same way the majority of folks on this board do; nor do  they value people in the same way.  I am often in the position of asking teachers and principals to give a kid another chance,,,,,

The justice system is imbalanced and yeah he got off lightly in some ways; but not in others.

If you consider his early emvironment, the "entitled" class he entered due to his sports prowess and the money that came into his life prior to maturity, it is easy to see how he could have made such poor choices.

I am willing to give him a chance to do right..... I will however be cheering for the Browns to ruff him up big time whenever their schedules collide.

mrv

I am willing to give him a chance to do right..... I will however be cheering for the Browns to ruff him up big time whenever their schedules collide.

This is what I worry about--he's in an environment that values, promotes and expects very aggressive behavior--how on earth is he going to be able to continue to work on improving/getting better/changing (or whatever you want to call it) when he is expected to behave in a very aggressive way at work? Think of all the other players (and others) who have gotten in trouble because they couldn't draw the line between work and the rest of their lives. It doesn't happen to all players, but it sure has been a problem for a lot of them.