Vick's Reputation Will Follow Him

By: Jake

With Mike Vick's 2 month house arrest ending this monday (July 20th) much speculation is being made about his future playing football in the NFL or even at all. Overall, Vick has lost 2 years of NFL football and most of his fortune. But is that really enough? 

When you consider what he did, bankrolled, and allowed to happen on his property, you can't help but cringe at the grisly details. Stories of dogs being hung by their necks because they didn't "perform" well in the ring. Dogs being slammed to the ground until the last breath is crushed out of him. But no, he didn't stop there, he even drowned the dogs by holding them underwater s they struggled for breath under his hands. Dogs being wet down with hoses and being electrocuted to death.  All while Vick either sat by and watched or even participated. Not only did Vick assist in the brutal killings of the dogs outside the rings, but he undoubtedly assisted in the countless deaths of dogs inside the dog fighting rings by providing a place for the fights to take place and funding the operation. 

All of this brings the question: Does a human being like this deserve the privilege of playing in the NFL? No, a truly sick and disturbed man like Mike Vick who can watch innocent dogs, who were sometimes stolen from neighborhood families, fight to the death and somehow get enjoyment or entertainment out of it certainly does not deserve a second chance, especially on such a big stage like the NFL. Because playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right. 

Some people may argue that "Mike Vick payed his debt to society, give him a second chance", well somehow they are missing how twisted and disturbed the man is. True, he did pay his debt to society, and I have no problem with him being released to do whatever he wants as a normal citizen, but to allow such a man like Mike Vick in the league is a disgrace. Believe me, I am one of the biggest Jaguars fans out there, my room is painted teal, I have Jaguars band aids, and much more, but if they were to somehow sign Vick, I'd go to Home depot the day of the announcement and paint my room any other color. I'm sure i'm not alone too, there are many groups who have written letters to Goodell and many others who will protest any team who signs him. Vick will obviously be a Public Relations nightmare as Americans own a total of 73 million dogs and you bet a good percentage of their owners are NFL fans who cannot imagine their precious dog being drowned, electrocuted, beat to death, or hung, much less in a dog fight, ending up like this:

(WARNING- Graphic Content: http://www.jollybengali.net/theconfluence/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/gypsy.jpg). Any team that signs Vick is playing with fire because they are guaranteed to lose many season ticket holders who simply will not support a person like Mike Vick.