Law Students

Michael Vick to Philly

By Pete

I’m still not sure what I think about Vick’s reinstatement. I’m really, really happy that Atlanta released him. I’m not really much of a Falcons fan, but if they had let him back on the roster, there’s no way I’d ever be able to cheer for them.

If I were the commissioner, he’d never play in the NFL again.

You’re talking about a league that was already starting to develop a NBA-like reputation as a bunch of lawless thugs before Vick was busted for running a huge dog-fighting operation.

The thing you’re hearing from Vick supporters now is that he has “served his time” or “paid his debt to society” and therefore should not face any further repercussions. This is only partially correct. He has indeed paid a debt, but that debt was to the United States government, not “society”.

The fact of the matter is that no matter how many months he spent in jail, he’s still a convicted felon. More than that, though, he’s not a guy who made a mistake . . . he’s a guy who has been running with the wrong crowd and narrowly dodging serious trouble for a long, long time.

A few months in jail (where he was probably treated like royalty by the other inmates) and all of a sudden he’s no different than the guys who have been working hard and keeping their noses clean for their whole career?

Only in professional sports.

If you’re an average guy and you lose your job because you’re sent to prison on a felony conviction, do you really think you’re going to get your job back when you come out? What are the odds of that? And, really, why should you?

We’re not just talking about what he’s done, we’re talking also about what he’ll do going forward. The reason you might not hire a convicted felon isn’t that, hey, he committed some crimes years ago, so let’s keep punishing him. The reason is: what’s he going to do while he’s representing my company? Recidivism rates aren’t just fairy tales.

How can Eagles fans not be incredibly nervous that he’s going to end up getting busted again while he’s suiting up for their team?

There’s certainly room for reasonable folks on both sides of this issue, but given the scope and depravity of the things Vick was wrapped up in, I don’t really think it’s out of line to say that he has a pretty substantial debt to society left to pay.

Full post as published by PeteHoliday.com on August 14, 2009 (boomark / email).