In Defense of Michael Vick. Or, At Least, In Defense Of Another Chance

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Michael Vick was released from prison this week after serving 19 months for bankrolling a major dogfighting ring. ESPN has had full coverage of every possible stage of this process, pulling out all the stops to show us just how far this former hero has fallen. They had camera crews and a reporter outside the prison walls in the middle of the night, even as they were telling us that high profile inmates are released under the cover of night to protect their privacy. They’ve been camped outside his house, going as far to dub images of him stepping outside to test out his ankle tracker as “breaking news”. There are a lot of people out there who feel like Michael Vick should have to face some type of gruesome punishment for his crime, and I think ESPN is at the top of that list. Honestly, they’d probably love nothing more than a public execution, one that they could present to you in HD for two uninterrupted hours. All of this has made me feel very sad about Vick and how far he has fallen, and I’d like to just publicly make my plea for Michael Vick to be reinstated to the NFL.


The biggest mistake that Vick made in all of this was that he was never able to separate himself from his old life. Emmitt Smith talked about this, saying that this separation is one of the most difficult parts of being a pro athlete. A lot of what went down with this dog fighting ring did not happen under Vick’s watch, but on his property and with his money. Remember, despite what people might be saying, he was not serving time for running some kind of doggy death camp. He was serving time for sponsoring the operation. I have no problem with that. I’m quite confident that he was the only one of that circus with the means needed to bankroll such a major operation. I don’t think Michael Vick is a bad person. I think he just needs to be smarter about who he associates with and what he does with his money.

Let’s look at the reality of Michael Vick’s situation today. He just served 19 months in prison. He’s bankrupt. He has millions and millions of dollars in debt. His public image has been irreparably damaged. He has nothing. He has been punished. The best thing for him, and for society, is for him to be allowed to return to football. I would ask those who disagree with me what the overarching goal of our justice system is with regard to sentencing and punishment. The answer, I believe, is rehabilitation. The goal is to help convicts, whenever possible, to realize the error in their ways and help them re-enter successfully into society. Vick is probably more ready to do that than he has ever been in his life. Sure, he had petty troubles before (the marijuana water bottle incident stands out in my memory). But, I’m sure he never felt any real threat of his new lifestyle being taken away. Now, it’s all gone. We’ve all been waiting for Michael Vick to turn the corner, and he’s never been in a more ready position to do that.

The people who disagree with me, those people that want Vick to be punished more, would probably start their arguments with either “well, as a dog owner,” or “professional athletes always get breaks”. First of all, being a dog owner does not qualify you as a legal expert in this case, so please stop prefacing your statement with "well, as a dog owner" expecting us to put any weight behind your opinions. You don’t get to turn his legal situation into your own personal vendetta. And, as far as people never wanting pro athletes to get breaks, let me repeat myself: he just spent almost two years in prison, he’s bankrupt, and he owes over many millions of dollars in debt. He did not catch a break here. He was made an example of. I hear people calling radio stations talking about how he hasn't even begun to serve his time, and constantly saying "I mean, I can't even imagine doing something like this". Please, stop trying to boost your own self-esteem by bringing others down.

Now, to those who believe Vick should not be reinstated to play football, let me pose this question to you: how exactly should Michael Vick LEGALLY go about resolving his debt problems? There is literally only one possible way for him to do it, and that way is playing football. His predicament is especially severe given the lifestyle he was living before these charges were filed. Now, I’m not saying you have to be sympathetic to his financial issues. Sure, if he didn’t want to lose it all he should have abided by the law. But, by refusing to give him this chance, you’re ensuring that the cycle will repeat itself. Destitution breeds crime. Vick will have no choice but to resort to illegal means in order to pay off his debt, and his three children will grow up no better than he did. Again, further punishment might help to satisfy some deep seeded emotional reaction you had to an ESPN special about the dogs that were harmed, but the best thing for all of us is for this former felon to have the chance to earn his way back and provide a better life for his children. That is undeniable.


I’d like to close by quoting Babcock from this morning’s staff meeting:
"If we can't throw a guy in jail, take everything he has, make him pay for his crimes, and then turn him loose with the freedom to get it all back, then we've really lost our way as a nation."

Revisiting Johnny Damon's Move to New York

I wrote the following when Johnny Damon signed with the New York Yankees:

“I’ve fallen love with Boston. Hopefully I’ll be here for a long time.” - Johnny Damon. In light of Damon’s defection to the hated Yankees let’s look at nine positive aspects of the decision.

9. Damon is a very good player. He’s not a superstar. Don’t be confused. He may have built himself up into one, but he’s not.

8. Bernie Williams’ steep decline began around age 32. Damon is 32.

7. Red Sox Nation can clear some of the dead weight off of the bandwagon. Johnny Damon fans, you know who you are. And yes, most of you don’t have a y chromosome.

6. At least it’s not Nomar. I’ve come to grips with his decline as a player and his exile from Boston. But Nomar in Yankee pinstripes would reduce me to wandering around aimlessly, speaking like Keanu Reeves.

5. We can blame Larry Lucchino. Why? Why not? Touché.

4. Sox fans can now openly lament the insidious presence of Human Growth Hormone in Major League Baseball without secretly worrying that Damon will get busted.

3. Sox fans can now openly mock Damon’s intelligence or lack thereof. Have you ever caught a Damon interview?

2. Sox fans can now openly mock Damon’s throwing ability.

1. Damon can cut his hair, shave his beard, and discuss the merits of selling one’s soul with Jason Giambi.*

In hindsight I don't really understand #5. #6 makes no sense if you are not in your mid to late 20s. #4 was both unnecessary and unfounded. #s 3-1 probably fall into the unnecessary category as well and point to a certain amount of bitterness I was harboring at the time. #7 was obliterated by the arrival Jacoby Ellsbury and another championship. And it's unclear why I did not openly worry about Damon's body breaking down.

Ultimately I'm okay with the fact that the Sox did not want to give Damon $52 million over 4 years, even if he did finish 15th in the 2006 MVP race. As as side note, I did not realize they kept track of that many. Nor did I realize Troy Glaus tied for 30th. Troy Glaus?

But back to Damon. I was intrigued by this old Buster Olney column about the deal. Given the fortunes of the two franchises over the last few seasons it's hard to say that not re-signing Damon was a "colossal mistake", as Olney argued at the time. Of course that's a lot easier to say in 2008 than it was in 2005. More importantly, the move does speak to an issue with Boston's front office. Make no mistake Boston has made a number of excellent moves. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Jon Lester are the first of many that come to mind. At the same time the positives of letting Damon walk were overshadowed by the decisions that followed - trading away Kelly Shopach for Coco Crisp (catcher position has to be a cause for concern moving forward) and the outrageous contracts extended to Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew. The latter speaks to something Manny Ramirez danced around at the time of his exit. Manny was the latest Sox star to leave disgruntled. Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, and Pedro Martinez were the previous. Even lesser players such as Derek Lowe. Granted all of those guys had their issues. But I can see how the hometown guys would get upset about the organization highlighting their flaws while giving big money to flawed outsiders. Along those lines I'm interested to see how management handles negotiations with Boston's young core - Lester, Pedroia, Jonathan Pabelbon, Ellsbury if he can consistently get on base, etc. - in the years to come. And to be honest I'm a little concerned.

* Giambi's mustache went a long way in restoring some of the respect I used to have for him. If he signs with the A's next year and returns to his old ways (minus the roids) after taking a great deal of money from the Yankees while not winning a championship, I'll have to revisit the matter further.