Michael Vick

If you’re an animal lover, you already know who this man is – a football player who was thrown into jail because of his involvement with dog fighting. I won’t list the details – they are too horrific to put into words.

He’s just been hired by the Philadelphia Eagles, after having spent a year and a half in prison. There is no question the man is under a very intense spotlight. I watched Michael Vick speak on TV. It was a clear, well-rehearsed speech that contained absolutely no remorse. He could have been selling floor wax, except THAT probably would have had more authenticity than what I saw.

I do believe in second chances, but not necessarily for the same opportunities that were available prior to conviction. The man tortured and murdered innocent animals. This must have come from some dark, deeply disturbed place in his soul. That doesn't go away after a short stint in jail, followed by getting your old job back. If he had killed a human being no one would be putting a football back into his hands.

I would have liked to have seen him walk away from sports and devote his life to speaking on behalf of all suffering animals, especially those poor creatures trapped in the unspeakable world of dog-fighting. Maybe then I would have felt that he truly understood the horror of his past actions.

I needed to see that he was willing to give up a career he (presumably) loved, knowing his sacrifice was nowhere near as great as the sacrifices made by all the animals who died agonizing deaths because of him.

This man may have talented hands, but what he did with them when he WASN’T holding a football should have kept him barred from ever playing the sport again.

Chris Davis