Should M. Vick get to play?

[Caddyman]

yes he should be able to play

yes he served his time

yes he is a great athlete

he actually got signed with "my" team, the eagles, it was quite a shock

all the boycott hoopla, lol, did you know there is literally like a 5-10 year waiting list for eagles season tickets? people leave them to family in their wills, it is serious business.

people are talking about giving away their season passes and there are people in line to take them, vick jerseys are flying off the shelves, it is crazy.

PETA has already been told, Philadelphia is not a wise choice of cities to try and protest in.

I don't support what he did, i like dogs, and i wont be buying his jersey, but he is good and i hope he does well. if you were a eagles fan and are no longer, you probably weren't that big of a fan to begin with.

eta: and yes, there are a lot of other football players with a lot worse things going on. people want to flip out about dog abuse when other people have hurt or killed PEOPLE. google Ray Lewis and see what comes up, i don't see anyone calling for his head.

[KevinL]

Originally Posted by GSeybold

Kevin, What if this was a drunk driving case and he killed a few children? Then pleads guilty to simple manslaughter, serves 5 years in prision. Should he(or anyone) then be allowed to play football and would it be appropriate for the NFL to pay him millions of dollars after an innocent family was so shattered? So disgusting. Not surprised that Americans would allow this at all.

If he served his time, yes. You shouldn't have to wear a 'Scarlet Letter' for the rest of you life if you are truly trying to change.

Let's hope you never do anything that deserves any forgiveness....

[Princeton]

I agree what he did was horrible.
But I guess you need to be reminded - he already went to court; was found guilty, and sentenced. He completed his sentence and now it's time to move on.

If the law warranted a longer sentence then he would have received one.

Perhaps your anger should address the law (justice system) not the player.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

And i always thought that 2nd chances where part of the culture in the USA.

[Wayne Luke]

I have already written to the NFL stating that I will be boycotting all products, games and broadcasts as long as Michael Vick has a contract to play. The only thing that would make me change my mind is if he was required to spend 95% of his salary advocating against animal cruelty.

I agree that the system is wrong as well. I think he should have gotten life imprisonment. Luckily other groups agree with me and we are working to have things changed.

[VFTB]

Originally Posted by Wayne Luke

I have already written to the NFL stating that I will be boycotting all products, games and broadcasts as long as Michael Vick has a contract to play. The only thing that would make me change my mind is if he was required to spend 95% of his salary advocating against animal cruelty.

I agree that the system is wrong as well. I think he should have gotten life imprisonment. Luckily other groups agree with me and we are working to have things changed.

I'll say it again... the notion that his salary is an issue is absurd. Would you be this upset if he was working at Wal-Mart? Would you boycott Wal-Mart? 95% of his salary... you must be smoking something the world has never heard of...

[Wayne Luke]

If he was working at Wal-mart than 95% of his salary should go to advocacy against animal cruelty. That should be his only purpose in life right now and should have been part of his original sentence. And yes, if Wal-mart hired him and used it for publicity than I wouldn't shop there anymore or anywhere else for that matter. He can actually make a decent living in advocacy work and it would improve his image. I am not saying his entire life but for 5 years.

If he was simply caught at a dog fight, than he more than served his time. However he funded them and killed animals violently because "they didn't perform to expectations". I bet he doesn't have to worry about being electrocuted or drowned if he doesn't perform up to expectations.

[VFTB]

Originally Posted by Wayne Luke

If he was working at Wal-mart than 95% of his salary should go to advocacy against animal cruelty. That should be his only purpose in life right now and should have been part of his original sentence. And yes, if Wal-mart hired him and used it for publicity than I wouldn't shop there anymore or anywhere else for that matter. He can actually make a decent living in advocacy work and it would improve his image. I am not saying his entire life but for 5 years.

If he was simply caught at a dog fight, than he more than served his time. However he funded them and killed animals violently because "they didn't perform to expectations". I bet he doesn't have to worry about being electrocuted or drowned if he doesn't perform up to expectations.

95%?! I'm sorry but if 95% of a Wal-Mart salary went to someone else, the guy wouldn't even have the money to get to work. The fact is, the legal system has run it's course. If you disagree, then fault the system, not the man. Vick isn't the only person to have done this, and even got stiffer sentences than the other guys that were involved with him. Trust me you don't want to sound like some of the outrageous PETA people that lose all credibility for the rest of the group trying to do some good, and by claiming that one man should suffer MORE just because of publicity is absurd and makes it sound like one of the aforementioned people. As far as it being used for publicity, trust me, the Eagles were trying to get better by signing the guy. You don't give a guy a 2 year contract just for negative publicity and attention.

[Wayne Luke]

Trust me I fault the system when a violent criminal is only sentenced to 23 months. There are many groups working to change the system already. If groups like the ASPCA and the Human Society had their way, he would have received life imprisonment. Which is what I believed he deserved. Good for the Eagles in trying to get better but I think it will backfire at least initially. I am not the only boycotting the NFL because of this.

Personally, I don't think he should be allowed to make a living and should still be in prison. A person that is so violent and shows such little regard for life doesn't deserve my respect.

[EagleNick]

I'm in very close agreement with Wayne's view on this matter, to be quite honest.

It seems like there are two arguments here: The court system, and the NFL contract.

1) Yes, the court system is highly flawed. All the time on the the local news, I see puppy mills and backyard breeders (who merely keep their animals in poor conditions and run the mill for profit) get caught. Compared to Vick, the crimes and cruelty these people committed is not anywhere near as bad, yet they get arrested and sentenced for as long (if not longer) as he did. What he did is much worse and he should have gotten far worse punishment. It's unfortunate that he didn't, but there isn't anything we can do about it. Yes, it is the system to blame and not Vick -- for his lack of punishment.

2) The NFL had a choice: they didn't have to reinstate Vick into the NFL, and they don't have to employ him any more. It's the NFL's reputation that is lost to people/groups like Wayne, and I applaud the boycotting efforts.

Originally Posted by VFTB

95%?! I'm sorry but if 95% of a Wal-Mart salary went to someone else, the guy wouldn't even have the money to get to work.

Do you honestly think he can't afford to live off of what he has already made in his career? The rest of his life is paid off, I'm sure.