Michael Vick - As it Stands Right Now 8/14/09

I had made a vow that my next post would consist of only "Good News," but I just have to opine on the Michael Vick/Philadelphia Eagles thing. I'll be brief.

No, I'm not surprised that he has been signed. I don't know much about professional sports, but I imagine there are many NFL players with criminal records. If they let wife-beaters play, they're going to let guys play who committed cruelty to animals. If we have a beef with the consequences for Vick's crimes, we should be looking at cruelty and dog fighting statutes and the applicable penalties for those crimes. We should be lobbying for tougher laws and more vigorous prosecution. Expecting a money-making enterprise like the NFL to penalize Vick for life is not realistic. And, although it might feel good to voice outrage at the Eagles' decision, it is ultimately not productive.

What will outrage me is if what I heard from Vick today is accepted as a suitable expression of remorse. So far I have heard him refer to a "horrible mistake," "a pointless activity" and regret that he "risked so much at this point in his career." These pronouncements fall so short of what I want to hear that I am finding it hard to suppress a major rant . . .

We've all made "horrible mistakes" and engaged in "pointless activities" that got us into trouble. But do those words explain away electrocuting a dog in a swimming pool? He regrets that he risked his career? Are you kidding me?

What I want to hear, what I hope to hear on Sunday night's 60 Minutes, is something more like this: "I am mortified when I look back on the dispicable acts I committed. I cannot imagine what possessed me to inflict such pain and suffering on innocent animals. I am working with a therapist to find out why I lack empathy for living beings. I hope someday, when I have figured out how I could have behaved like such a monster, I will be able to help others avoid taking that path. I have nightmares in which I hear dogs screaming. I wish I could take back the agony I caused those dogs." That's the kind of thing I want to hear. That's the kind of thing I sure hope Wayne Pacelle (HSUS President) heard before he agreed to work with this guy.

Being sorry for "risking his career" and engaging in a "pointless activity"? That's an adequate expression of remorse? Come on.