The real reason Vick got a second chance (cause he's a jock)

Washington comPost ^ | December 29, 2010 | Richard Cohen

[Zakeet]

The commentary about President Obama's call to the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles regarding that adjudicated dog killer Michael Vick has now reached an apogee of stupidity that strongly suggest that too many otherwise smart people have lost their ability to reason. Obama, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie recounted, said, "'So many people who serve time never get a fair second chance.' He said, 'It's never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail.' And he was happy that we did something on such a national stage that showed our faith in giving someone a second chance after such a major downfall." It helps, I think, that Vick has completed 63.2 percent of his passes and has 20 touchdowns. He is not your average felon.

[Snip]

Dog fighting was Vick's hobby. He had been warned about it. His own father had told him to stop. He persisted because, as with many great athletes, he was never held accountable. A nation of jock-sniffers always looks away when a great athlete does something wrong. Nothing is an important as winning -- we all know that -- and Vick was and is a winner.

[Snip]

Now Vick has punched all the tickets on the road to rehabilitation. He is contrite. He loves pooches. He might even get a dog himself. How much of this is genuine and how much is synthetic I leave to you. But I'll tell you this. Vick got a second chance not because he deserves it but because he can play football. This is the lesson we can all take from this sorry episode. It's one thing to be sorry. It's much better to hit your man in the end zone.

[Zakeet]

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was exactly correct and this Liberal Loon is entirely off base.

Vick served his prison sentence in full, lost tens of millions in salary and endorsements, was forced into bankruptcy, and lost most of his personal possessions.

Vick is currently is the poster boy for someone having done something incredibly stupid, having been punished as a result, and is now successfully using his God-given abilities to turn his life around.

What more do Libtards want from the guy? Life imprisonment? The death penalty, perhaps?

[9YearLurker]

It wasn’t incredibly stupid. It was incredibly evil and craven. He and his pals weren’t just fighting dogs, they were gratuitously and grotesquely torturing them.

Sure, the guy has served his term and been let out of prison, but making a hero out of him is disgusting.

[FrankR]

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

I agree that Cohen is off base here (and probably at least a little jealous because he probably couldn’t hit the ground with a football if it weren’t for gravity), but I also think if this were “Michael Vick, normal person” committing the same offense he’d still be rotting in prison.

I sincerely hope Vick has learned his lesson, but I wouldn’t let him have a dog just yet.

[Lazlo in PA]

I personally would like less adulation over someone who has been out of the klink for 5 minutes. Having the Pres come out in support of this genuine thug gangsta is touchy feely BS.

Why don’t we wait for ten years or so to reflect on whether Vick actually had a conversion or if he is going to get back to his natural proclivities. If Vick was a used car salesman in your neighborhood, would you shrug off the conviction and buy a Datsun from him?

[onona]

[Redbob]

"The commentary about President Obama's call to the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles regarding that adjudicated dog killer Michael Vick has now reached an apogee of stupidity that strongly suggest that too many otherwise smart people have lost their ability to reason."

No, this is just further evidence, as if more were required, that the current occupant of the White House is not particularly smart.

[Redbob]

"Vick is currently is the poster boy for someone having done something incredibly stupid, having been punished as a result, and is now successfully using his God-given abilities to turn his life around."

HORSESHIT!

[writer33]

You just had to stir the post. :-)

[John O]

Vick got a second chance not because he deserves it but because he can play football.

No. Vick got a second chance because he is black and can play football.

There is no forgiveness for white jocks (Just ask Pete Rose) only for black ones.

[Mind Freed]

Michael Vick already answered to the law and took his punishment, the only person that he has left to answer to now is God alone. I wish everyone would just leave this guy alone and get on with their lives. Unfortunately, if the left aren’t complaining about something, they don’t know what to do with themselves.

[HerrBlucher]

Bingo. Stupid would be drug abuse or even robbery. Evil is repeated torture and murder of the helpless just for the fun of it. Prison time does not extract the evil, its just the price you pay for having done the evil. A very small price compared to what was inflicted on the victims.

In a less degraded society Vick would never be allowed to play pro sports again, and even going out in public would be a problem for him.

[wbill]

I also think if this were “Michael Vick, normal person” committing the same offense he’d still be rotting in prison.

Good possibility. Or, he might not have even been prosecuted. Or, he might have simply pleaded out.

One of the more observant, and non-PC FReepers mentioned at the time of his arrest that he'd have been better off if he'd sexually assaulted a woman.

A charge like that - IMHO, orders of magnitude worse - would just have been made to go away.

There certainly is a double standard, in more ways than one. I saw him play my Panthers a number of times back in his heyday with the Falcons. Refs did their best not to even let him get his uniform dirty - minimal contact drew a whistle and a flag. Sez me, they're all grown men and all wearing pads. Let 'em play.

[freekitty]

Tell that to the dogs he hurt. No way.

[ßuddaßudd]

It’s despicable how many Americans idolize sport players imho.

[Palter]

Evil is repeated torture and murder of the helpless just for the fun of it

BS. Murder is reserved to actual people. Those dogs were property. Either you have property rights and can do what you want with your own property or you cant.

That same animal farm mentality allows environmental groups to keep us from drilling and other uses of exploration on private property by companies because something is sacred.

[Frantzie]

The NFL is a crap league that loves Obama and smeared Rush Limbaugh as a racist. I cancelled TV a year ago because it all covers for Hussein/Mugabe including Prince Al Waleed’s Fox. I was at a relative’s at Thanksgiving probably 2009 and the NFL ran a 2 minute slow motion film praising Obama. It 2was disgusting and Stalinesque. The NFL is a thug league for felons like the NBA and the MLB is only marginally better.

These ball team owners are usually billionaires who get taxpayers to build their stadiums and the leagues are a monopoly. A bit like a facist league where the public subsidizes billionaires - I guess you like that. O

h and if you speak out on the radio as a conservative you will be branded a racist and you will be blocked from buying a team.

Vick is a piece of garbage and if he had been white he would have never played again. You sound like an Obama apologost.

[Frantzie]

Ball team fans are usually idiots.

[outpostinmass2]

Pete Rose was too old to play baseball at that point.

[Frantzie]

Agreed. Ho about the cheerleader at a Texas high school who was raped by one of the football players. He was not punished and she was thrown off the cheer leading squad for not cheering her rapist.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=texas+cheerleader+raped+thrown+off+squad&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Jocks in many cases do get a free pass. Vick is a POS. The NFL fawns over Obama and smeared Rush as a racist.