I’m sure Michael Vick has learned his lesson. He probably doesn’t even like hotdogs anymore, let alone Pit Bull terriers. His losses, both personal and financial, are epic. He will miss out on nearly $100 million dollars in salary and endorsements. His bills for the case are nearly $5 million, and he will forever be labeled a convicted felon. He had to file for bankruptcy protection to save his house, and only recently was he able to remove the ankle-monitoring unit that restricted his movements.

Michael Vick

Through it all he never complained, he never filed motions to delay his punishment, and he did his time. There were no reported incidents of insubordination while he was in prison, otherwise he wouldn’t have been eligible for parole or release. He served his time, and should now regain all of the rights and privileges to which he is entitled as a citizen.  He should be able (and expected) to earn a living, perhaps not as a veterinarian, but certainly as a professional football player. The Canadian Football League is interested and eager to have Michael Vick play there, and there are several NFL teams who need a 28-year-old superstar on their squads.

Make no mistake, the crimes to which Michael Vick confessed are serious. We need groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to protect our furry friends from needless scientific experimentation, and from the brutality of so-called “sports” such as cockfighting and the type of dog fighting that kills and maims so many animals each year. I get their point. But for PETA to announce that they will protest “anywhere that Michael Vick plays” is a bit much, and makes these advocates seem petty.

Even rapists and child molesters get a second chance, albeit with restrictions and labeling as sex offenders, but they are still able to get a job without the threat of protesters outside the company’s door.  How long does PETA or other groups who claim a self-righteous position in the Michael Vick case plan to deny him an opportunity to regain his livelihood and citizenship?  He made serious mistakes at age 26, and clearly associated with people who didn’t have his best interest at heart. But I’m ready to welcome him back to the community. He stood tall and took his punishment just as a responsible person should when they have engaged in the things that got Mr. Vick sent to PRISON, and that cost him millions of dollars.  

“Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”  “Judge ye not, lest ye be judged.”  We are all sinners who fall short sometimes, and need forgiveness for our moral failings. Every building, every school, every office, and every home has someone in it who could be admonished for a personal failing… It happens to me all the time. And who among us can stand “microscopic” scrutiny of our personal lives, or pass a moral test of our associations? I wonder if PETA members ever eat chicken or fish for dinner?  Do any of them occasionally enjoy a good steak on the grill? Do their members wear belts or leather-soled shoes? These products all come from animals, and the slaughtering process is as brutal as anything Michael Vick ever did.

Mr. Vick is a young man who made serious mistakes, but he’s also a young man who displayed contrition, courage, and compliance. If PETA and others are adamant about using this man’s plight to make a point, then let’s protest against the protesters, for their unrealistic JUDGEMENT of another human being… a sinner like the rest of us.  Welcome back Mike, and best wishes.

(Tony Nichelson, founder of the 110 Institute, provides periodic commentaries for the Tri-State Defender.)