Michael Vick's Clean Act
Since his release from prison, Michael Vick has both said and done all the right things. He has spoken to children, done his best to restore his image, has been a great teammate and has behaved accordingly. He understands that he’s on a zero-tolerance policy from both the NFL and his current team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Vick had a lot of time to think in the jail cell in which he spent two years of his life and came out of prison ready to fix his career and his life. He has been a model citizen since his release. He made just one mistake, but he shouldn’t be accused of any wrongdoing or bad intentions.
The shooting incident outside the nightclub in which his birthday party was held in June was a case of Vick misjudging the situation. He shouldn’t have held his birthday party at a nightclub with any of his old friends or anybody who was a bad influence on him and helped hurt his career and his life. Perhaps he was trying to appease friends and family who wanted to celebrate his 30th birthday, but he should’ve exercised more caution in the matter.
Vick left the nightclub minutes before a co-defendant in the dog-fighting case, Quanis Phillips was shot. Authorities ruled him out as a suspect and reported he was not involved in the shooting. Vick stayed long, close to where the incident too place because he was signing autographs and taking pictures with fans on the way to his car. It is reported he left roughly three minutes before the shooting.
Since the incident, Vick has gotten the support he needed from the Eagles and all evidence and facts from the incident was enough to convince NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that the league would not discipline him.
Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie admitted that while Vick did make a mistake, he had no bad intentions and it was an honest mistake.
"Nothing he did was factually creating any wrongdoing," Lurie said. "He shouldn't have been there, but he was trying to appease some people from his old neighbourhood and family."
Vick is nonetheless fortunate to not have faced any suspension as he still did make a mistake. Going to a nightclub is a right for anybody, but Vick is still walking a thin line and cannot afford to slip up.
"If there was wrongdoing, there was no way we were to continue with Michael in his career," Lurie said. "There's no question on that. It was just waiting for the facts to come in."
Since his release from jail, Vick has been taken under former NFL coach Tony Dungy’s wing. Dungy is well respected around the league and has without a doubt, held a positive influence in Vick’s progression. Lurie even went on to say what a great person Vick has turned into since his arrival in Philadelphia.
"He's been a great teammate, he's been the single best player in the first year of employment by this organization in the community," Lurie said. "I have to deal with the facts. When Michael had his birthday party, which was a mistake for him to be at, there were four independent investigations. If any of those four investigations turned up any wrongdoing, there would've been no tolerance to that."
With Donovan McNabb’s departure this offseason, Vick was promoted to the Eagles’ backup job at quarterback behind Kevin Kolb. Vick has not started a game in four years, but an injury to Kolb, or poor play from the new starter, may give way for Vick to take the reins and prove that while he may be a changed, improved person, he is still the same electrifying player before he was banned by the NFL.
Vick has adjusted to his zero-tolerance life and has made great strides as a human being. Hopefully, we never have to hear of Vick’s name being mentioned in a negative context ever again. He has embraced his second chance at football and at life and is sincere in the changes he has made. He now deserves to just enjoy the rest of his career.
"If you look at my life over the last year, I've been trying to do all of the right things, whether it's in the community or on the field, or with my family," Vick said. "And I think that's what it's all about. I'm having fun. I had the most fun in the last year than I've had in the last eight years I've been playing football. I'm just happy to be in the situation I'm in. I'm blessed, and I just have to keep moving forward."
Vick has made mistakes, but he is learning from them and he is on the right path to being a great human being and of course, a great football player.
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