Time to End The Circus Around Michael Vick

Michael Vick will get his chance to play professional football for the fist time in two years tonight when the Philadelphia Eagles play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

For Vick, the once electrifying star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, and his supporters this opportunity has been a long time coming.  For his detractors this is another case of a star athlete getting the chance to make millions of dollars after committing (and later lying about) one of the most heinous and publicized criminal cases against animals in recent memory. 

It seems as though sports fans and the general public are on exact opposite sides when it comes to the treatment of Mr.  Vick, they are either in complete support of him getting another chance or steadfast in the belief that he should be forced out of the NFL altogether.  Count me in another group, one that would like to see all of us move on. 

On August 23rd 2007 Michael Vick pled guilty to bankrolling a dog fighting operation as well as helping to kill a large number of dogs.  He was sentenced to 23 months in prison (more time than his co defendants due to his lack of truthfulness regarding the case), ordered to take sensitivity training and deemed public enemy number 1 by the animal rights groups and the press. 

Certainly what Vick to those dogs so horrible that just by reading about how he and his co conspirators dolled out punishment will send chills up your spine.  One can’t help but conjure up images of a laughing Vick sitting in a dark room thinking up new creative ways to torture and kill his numerous victims.  This is part of the shock factor that has made so many think of him as pure evil, right up there with mass murderers, rapists and child molesters. 

But lets be frank, Michael Vick has paid his price to society.  He has served his time in prison and will now go through serving a suspension from the NFL.  Sure he is due to collect a paycheck for 1.6 million dollars this year but is what he is making really the point. 

You can’t fault the Eagles General Manager for taking a chance on a guy that was not to long ago consider one of the best players in the NFL.  Especially now, with the insertion of the “Wildcat” offense in vogue, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on GM’s in professional sports to win now, and if I was Tom Heckert I would have done the same.  In fact I believe that most people, if put in the position to get a former pro bowler for next to nothing (in NFL contract terms) would have considered this move a no brainer.  Having Vick on the roster ensures two things, people will talk about the Eagles and Defensive Co Coordinators will have one other options to game plan against.  I would also venture to guess that this move will help any team the Eagles play through increased ticket sales and TV viewer ship as people showing support and disdain will certainly buy up tickets to either taunt or cheer the former Virginia Tech star. 

In the end I will be watching tonight’s game not because Vick will be on the field, although I am curious to see how he performs after a substantial layoff, but because it is August and I miss football!  Vick will get his shot and after that, hopefully, this story will go the way of Octomom and Susan Boyle (the Scottish singer from Britain’s Got Talent) as being something that everyone talked about for way too long and eventually let die when the next big story involving things that we can’t control come across our screen.