Doesn T Vick Deserve A Second Chance?

[trsent]

So if I worked for you and one night I decided to go on B&E (Breaking and Entering) Spree - no threat to life, no weapons - and ripped off house after house and got caught, you'd just hire me back after I served my time??? RIGHT...

I'm guessing you don't own any animals either... we're not just talking about KILLING a defenseless animal - we're talking about SEVERELY ABUSING IT to make it want to kill other animals and then if it can't do the job after you've mistreated it for months (if not years) on end you CLUB IT TO DEATH (no gunshot - CLUBBED - where's the mercy???) because it 'failed' you???

And the crime would not have blown over - it's a FELONY crime, not a misdemeanor... so Vick isn't 'just' an Ex-Con, he's a FELON.

Hell man, OJ was AQUITTED of Murder - which means he 'did his time' in the Court of Law... would you hire him???

I have NOTHING against Vick rejoining Society... I have EVERYTHING against him being HANDED the Keys to the Castle on a Silver Platter simply because of who he was...

Denny McClain was busted for WHITE COLLAR Crime - NO Hurting or Killing of ANY Animal or Human - I didn't see the MLB lining up to offer him a chance to play again... oh, that's right... that was back when we weren't scared to speak our minds (i.e. Politcal Correctness) and everyone that did something wrong paid the FULL price... they weren't fed the BS that society somehow failed them and therefore owed them something when they finished serving their time.

And it's arguments like these FOR the THUGS and GANG BANGERS in the NBA and NFL that make me continue to watch MLB. They may not be perfect, but at least their is a set policy with the 3 strikes and you're out... I don't read stories about MLB players pulling guns in Strip Joints or Choking their bosses, etc., etc... Just like th epeople pulling for what's his head from the Giants who shot himself with his own gun in the night club... everyone thinks he should just be able to come back to the NFL - he didn't commit a crime against anyone - but he did committ a FELONY in the State of New York!!! You or I would lose our job and be in jail already. Same should apply to EVERYONE.

- Chris

Chris, your comparisons if I would hire a guy or not are not fair.

Will The Atlanta Falcons offer him to come back? I doubt it.

Will other NFL teams find room for him to play for them? You bet!

Comparing OJ Simpson, Denny McLain and Michael Vick doesn't make sense. If football is strong enough to deny him work, that is their choice, but I can tell you, he has a right to apply for jobs in his field of expertise.

People can bash him forever, but he has a right to apply for work. If they decide not to offer him work - That is his loss, his mistake.

[Ozric]

I'm actually always surprised about these discussions as sports has been and will always be about winning. Nothing else and no matter what. It does not matter if it is little league or the pros. We can debate about if he should be allowed to come back or not, but it simply does not matter. If someone thinks he can help their team win, he would be allowed to come back even if he murdered a person... Personally, he may have done his time, but does anyone really think he is even the slightest bit remorseful. Remorseful for being caught maybe, but not remorseful for committing the crime. He is a thug and will always be a thug, but hey... he did his time and had mad skills... Why don't we let some team hell bent on winning toss more money his way. Doing the time people does not mean that the person is rehabilitated, especially when they are going to walk right back out into the Brinks truck. Gee, just because he served his sentence, must make it okay though.

[kingjammy24]

I'm actually always surprised about these discussions as sports has been and will always be about winning. Nothing else and no matter what...

in many ways it's a lot like this hobby. auction houses are caught committing all sorts of offenses yet most collectors would gladly overlook almost any offense if it meant obtaining a highly desired piece. an auction house could admit to shill bidding, item doctoring, credit card fraud, you name it..but if a big grail came to market, everyone would bid anyway. to this day, AMI, historic auctions, and broadway rick still get bids.

seriously, at what point is a superbowl trophy simply not worth it? that is, how completely insane does a player have to get in order for fans to finally decide that it's not worth a winning season? or is it worth it at any cost? i'm guessing there are fans who would welcome rae carruth back. at what point do you say that your own revulsion over the crimes committed, sense of sympathy for the victims and sense of morality outweigh your desire for a championship parade? at what point does being a sentient human being take priority over being a sports fan?

vick broke dogs' necks and slammed them to the ground to kill them..but golly gee, can't wait to see what he'll do when he suits up against some rival team! that's gonna be a kick ass sunday! dogs tortured, maimed and killed but it's all good if vick can rack up some wins!

i agree with many who say that what these players do in their private time is their business; that it's not up to fans to judge them as people, only as players. however, you still have to draw the line when it comes to something incredibly egregious like murder. we're not talking about a player who cheats on his wife or his taxes. we're talking about a depraved lunatic who killed and tortured animals for entertainment. there's no rehabilitating something that was never human to begin with. the only silver lining to vick returning to the NFL is that it affords him the opportunity to sustain a life-threatening injury.

rudy.