That's right sportsfans, Michael Vick is back in the news. This time, in preparation for his release from prison, Vick is being wooed by the fledgling United Football League.
It is also believed the league is trying to have former NFL quarterback Michael Vick play in its inaugural season. Vick is scheduled to be released from prison in May but faces a suspension from the NFL for his conviction related to dogfighting.
This is a move straight out of Vince McMahon's playbook: Create a controversial product and watch the TV ratings soar. Thankfully, it didn't work with his XFL, which featured lap dancing "cheerleaders" and players with nicknames adorning the backs of their jerseys. None of this, however, compares to UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue's desire to base the league around one of the most disgusting individuals in professional sports.
If anyone doesn't remember what Michael Vick is in prison for, let me remind you:
Vick and three co-defendants raised pit bulls and trained them for fighting behind the property he owned in rural Surry County. Several dogs that did not perform well in test fights were executed.
The 27-year-old player pleaded guilty in August, admitting he bankrolled the dogfighting operation and helped kill six to eight dogs. He had been held at the Warsaw jail since he surrendered Nov. 19 in anticipation of his sentence.
Is this the kind of monster you'd want to take your kids to see on a Sunday afternoon? Maybe a few of his defenders would, or perhaps his brother, Marcus, who has a rap sheet longer than War and Peace.
As of right now, to paraphrase Rush Limbaugh, "I hope (the UFL) fails!" It's bad enough when thugs like Ray Lewis, who barely escaped a murder charge, are held up as role models. Lewis however, was not convicted of a felony. Vick was.
Many say Vick has been punished enough already. His name has destroyed, his finances are in deep trouble, his home is up for public auction in a few days:
Got at least $3.2 million to burn? Then head to Gwinett County, Ga., on Tuesday to place your bid on disgraced football player Michael Vick’s 8-bedroom, 8.5-bath Georgia mansion. The place, which would have made "Gone With The Wind’s" Scarlett O’Hara feel right at home, is up for sale to help pay off Vick’s debts in his Chapter 11 bankruptcy case while he serves time for dog-fighting, according to the Associated Press.
I guess one positive of the horrible housing market is that he won't recoup nearly as much on the sale of the house as he would in greener times. Ahh schadenfreude.
Has he suffered enough?
"As a society, we should aid in his rehabilitation and welcome a new Michael Vick back into the community without a permanent loss of his career in football," said R.L. White, president of the NAACP's Atlanta chapter. "We further ask the NFL, Falcons, and the sponsors not to permanently ban Mr. Vick from his ability to bring hours of enjoyment to fans all over this country."
I believe this is exactly the wrong attitude. Vick shouldn't have fans. Anyone outside of his immediate family that condones what he did or thinks the sponsors he betrayed should start paying him millions again is stupid, delusional, or has no moral compass.
Senator Robert Byrd said it perfectly:
"It is a brutal, sadistic event motivated by barbarism of the worst sort and cruelty of the worst, worst, worst, sadistic kind. One is left wondering: Who are the real animals? Who are the real animals, who are the real animals -- the creatures inside the ring or the creatures outside the ring?"
I, for one, will be boycotting any team that puts Vick back on a roster, any company that decides to sponsor him, and any televised even he takes part in. I hope you all will join me.