Should Michael Vick be allowed to return to the NFL?

[MisterSir]

Absolutely.

I'm a capitalist, so if he has the means to work and he can find a place that will let him, go for the gusto. The league doesn't have a leg to stand on when you realise that Leonard Little was responsible for someone's death because he drove drunk and is still playing today (I'd comment on at the time, but I don't know how long if at all he was suspended for) and that Ray Lewis, much as I love him, was still heavily involved in a murder investigation. When you look at that, Vick's crime is not so great.

But then again... look at professional boxing, UFC, and any other MMA competitions. Those are literally the paying, watching, and cheering on of PEOPLE beating the crap out of each other. But it's "OK" because it's entertaining.

No, you bloody moron, it's OK because the fighters have gone into the cage or the ring of their own free-will. If there were some ways dogs could legally consent to fighting, that'd be OK. Entertainment value doesn't have anything to do with it.

 

[DiscusDave]

*snip*

No, you bloody moron, it's OK because the fighters have gone into the cage or the ring of their own free-will. If there were some ways dogs could legally consent to fighting, that'd be OK. Entertainment value doesn't have anything to do with it.

Read my response to Homburg.

 

[Primalex]

You *may* have intended that to be funny. It wasn't.

No, I intended it to be witty. It was. Especially as it was also what I wanted to say.

 

[DVS]

Working as an electrician is not some inalienable right.

Should he be unemployable, anywhere? How should he earn the requisite money to eat?

Working for an animal shelter that specializes in mistreated animals, maybe?

 

[MisterSir]

No, I intended it to be witty. It was. Especially as it was also what I wanted to say.

Protip: If you have to explain why something is witty (and you do, in this case), it's not witty.

Read my response to Homburg.

Didn't notice it at first, but that's just as illogical. The kids chose to wrestle in their backyards in the face of the promo spots that have been running as long as I can remember - has to be at least 1999, if not earlier - that tell them "Don't try this at home". What else are they to do? With mixed martial arts, the situation's a little different because the fighters aren't playing characters and are clearly out to beat one another's brains in if necessary, so any kid who imitates that is an idiot and gets exactly what's coming to him.

Besides, these arguments are based on knock-on effects. You've yet to provide a reason why the fighters themselves shouldn't be allowed to fight or why Dana White is a criminal for allowing the fights to go on.

 

[JMohegan]

Working for an animal shelter that specializes in mistreated animals, maybe?

Working with abused animals takes extraordinary patience, compassion, and a certain instinct for, or acquired knowledge of, animal behavior - all of which I am absolutely certain this man does not possess.

 

[Daddy2mylilgirl]

Two years in prison, $1 million fine. Did the crime, took the punishment. The man should be allowed to support himself in the manner to which his talent and skills are best suited.

And $150 million in future earnings.

 

[DVS]

Working with abused animals takes extraordinary patience, compassion, and a certain instinct for, or acquired knowledge of, animal behavior - all of which I am absolutely certain this man does not possess.

Oh, give the man a break. He could surely get good at cleaning out the cages, one day. Practice makes perfect.

 

[Homburg]

Well granted they consented, however, In my eyes supporting that violence doesn't bode well. How many times did yo hear on the news of kids hurting themselves in backyard wrestling matches back in the 90's when professional wrestling got big?

And? Kids do stupid shit. In that case, they were just doing stupid shit with style. Do you know the history of boxing, and the reasons why the Marquis of Queensbury got involved?

To say a dog gave or didn't give consent just seems weird, so we take it as the animals were mistreated. Which they were. I was just commenting on how violence has become entertainment.

Why does it not make sense? George Foreman can look at a promoter's contract and decide if a few mil is worth getting in the ring again. The dog? Not so much.

Celebrities or rich people committing crimes and getting punishments that are lighter, or are accepted into society faster, is wrong. I know this. But if you look at Vick's skill set, it makes sense why he would go back into football. I bet he'd fail or at least have a hard time at most other jobs. So what I meant there was that there are outlets for your skills after prison.

Whether or not the inmates make a "comeback" is not certain, but knowing that there is a way to function again could give some hope. Even if before prison they were minimum wage in some crappy job, knowing they have the opportunity to get another one would help the transition, IMO.

Vick has a lot of things most people could only dream of, but he served time and has to face situations like this where people wonder if he could go back to his old job. Same question (although on a smaller scale) is asked for any person coming out of incarceration.

It's a bit more complicated than that, and entirely out of the scope of this thread. Penology is complex shit, and has to weigh recidivism against a public screaming for "justice".

The bottom line is that wealthy prisoners tend to come out wealthy. Poor ones come out poor. Career criminals tend to go back to crime because it is the only career they know. High-profile people with marketable skills can try to go back into their original field, but often have to switch to something similar. Their very profile often prevents getting work in their previous field, as everyone knows who they are, and thus what they did.

 

[ZRT]

In terms of free association and so on, yeah, I said yes.

And honestly I'm not nearly as worked up about the dogs getting killed as the aforementioned Leonard Little case, especially given that Little got arrested again later for another fucking DUI.

From the pro football standpoint I'll say that Vick was always overhyped because he fed the NFL coffers, and from a QB quality standpoint he couldn't freakin' hit his receivers to save his life.

(How many concussions did he give Crumpler by bonking him in the back of the head with every other pass?)

 

[bobcat2003]

Yes. He did the time in jail and what he did wasn't related to football (as in betting on scores), he should be allowed to play.

Having said that, any team would be crazy to sign him. I definitely don't want my favorite team to sign him no matter what football talent he brings.

 

[OldGuy1026]

As a pet lover I don't condone such cruelty.

I also read a comment the dogs didn't have a chance to negotiate, good comment.

As a Canadian, and Liberal I aways want to see both sides of a situation. However we don't live in Caves any more and have lots o other ways to entertain ourselves. Dog fights is one step below Gladatorial Fighting. Then again I've seen lots of analogies of how Football, and Sports events equals Gladatorial fighting.

Something to think about.

 

[WriterDom]

Well that didn't take long. Fucking Philadelphia. Wonder how many season tickets PETA is buying up?

 

[OldGuy1026]

Well that didn't take long. Fucking Philadelphia. Wonder how many season tickets PETA is buying up?

~nearly frightens the cats with manical laughter~

ROFL oh that is so funny. But hey 2/3rds of the sentence, so what can you do? It is not as if he has a long list of offences.

But hey maybe he should be the spokesman for cat food now.

 

[DVS]

Well that didn't take long. Fucking Philadelphia. Wonder how many season tickets PETA is buying up?

I couldn't believe this, when I read it in the paper. Do the Eagles even need him?

I hope he's not their starter. And if he is, it would be interesting to know, of the teams the Eagles play this year, how many dog lovers are on the defensive.

 

[WriterDom]

I couldn't believe this, when I read it in the paper. Do the Eagles even need him?

I hope he's not their starter. And if he is, it would be interesting to know, of the teams the Eagles play this year, how many dog lovers are on the defensive.

They are going to create special plays where both Vick and the QB are on the field at the same time. He will be the designated offensive weapon kind of guy from what I understand. Just in certain circumstances

 

[Homburg]

See, I don't think the Eagles are ethically faulty. Just stupid.

 

[ZRT]

They're only stupid if they're thinking he's a potential replacement for McNabb.

Otherwise, it's a reasonable deal. There's a potential (likely) uncapped year coming up, the cap's been so high the past few years as to be bordering on irrelevant these days anyway (you don't hear about teams being crammed up against the cap much anymore, do you?). As such, his mil for this year isn't bad at all.

Basically, he becomes a superwildcat kind of guy in these circumstances. The curious part is that you already have a backfield loaded with guys who can wildcat. But I guess it's that none of them can gun one seventy yards down the field the way Vick can.

Meh. At least the Niners or the Texans didn't get him. I'm happy.

 

[WriterDom]

He's playing the Jesus card. That only works once. It's hard to listen to someone being coached by a team. Like a politician. We'll see over time how deep his commitment is. It was very never deep for football. He was known as the last one in the building and the first one out. I think he is done with dogs but there are other temptations out there. He can become a person of substance or he can be OJ's roommate. It's all up to him now.