Does Michael Vick Deserve a Second Chance?

Tammy Bruce tweeted this morning, "Dog Murderer Watch: Another NFL Team Says No to Michael Vick." I hadn't thought of it that way, actually. Tammy links to Fox News, "Another NFL Team Says No to Michael Vick":

Another team turned down the opportunity to sign reinstated NFL quarterback Michael Vick.

Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn told the media his team wouldn't sign Vick "at this juncture."

Zorn says he wishes Vick the best and is sure the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback will return to the NFL.

The Redskins join a long list of teams — including the New York Giants, Jets and Dallas Cowboys — that have said they don't want Vick after he served 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.

How does that sound to folks? Vick did two years in federal peniteniary. Doesn't the guy deserve a shot at returning to sports?

Rick Moran makes the case at Pajamas Media, "Does Michael Vick Deserve a Second Chance?":

Michael Vick is going to get a second chance. Like almost all the 408 other NFL players who have been arrested on felony charges since 2000, the league is granting him the opportunity to return to stardom — despite committing crimes relating to gambling (Vick insists he never bet on the dog fights) that some believe should have disqualified him from ever lacing up a pair of spikes again. At one time, prosecutors were discussing the possibility of bringing charges under the organized crime statute known as RICO — a turn of events that would have meant the end of his career since he would have been sentenced to at least 25 years. In that way, Vick dodged a bullet, as he did when several similar state charges against him were plea bargained down to three years probation.

None of us are granted the insight to look into a man’s soul and discover if he truly is remorseful and willing to change his ways. All we can do is judge someone based on our ability to interpret a person’s attitude toward their transgression and how they carry themselves from that point on.

Michael Vick appears to have made many of the right moves. He has paid his debt to society and given more than a million dollars to fund the care and rehabilitation of some of the dogs he so barbarically used. He has even agreed to Commissioner Roger Goodell’s suggestion that former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy “mentor” the 29-year-old man to make sure he makes the right “decisions.”

But despite our longing to welcome back tarnished heroes with open arms, Vick’s crimes may be a bridge too far for the very image-conscious NFL. Despite Goodell’s conditional reinstatement of Vick, there has been very little interest shown by the 29 NFL teams in signing him, with many completely ruling out the possibility. It seems that there are indeed some things that are unforgivable — or, at least in the NFL, unmarketable.

That's insightful. I didn't know Rick was such a sports aficionado.

My sense is that Vick's talents are what will make or break a comeback. A team needing at elite QB may not be too worried about image-consciousness. As long as the league's going to let Vick play, he should at least get a chance to compete for both attention and success.

See also, Bleacher Report, "ENOUGH! Michael Vick Is Not This Interesting."