Woody Bass III

This is a warning to all of you who may think Michael Vick has learned his lesson. That he is a changed man. Im not fooled and you shouldn’t be either.

Michael Vick was once a heralded Quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, an NFL franchise. Falcons owner (and Home Depot Founder) Arthur Blank handed him a big fat paycheck and an opportunity to do what many dream of.. but only a very select few actually accomplish.

How did Vick show his gratitude? He screwed up every chance he got. It was one incident after another. To name a few: The water bottle. The middle finger. The pinnacle of his ineptitude… the dog fighting. Then he tested positive for marijuana. To make matters worse… he lied and lied and lied again.

Vick spent time in prison on federal dog fighting charges.. as he should have. Few years later… Vick is released and wasted no time trying to get reinstated to play in the NFL. Roger Goodell allowed that to happen only a few months later. Then on August 13, 2009, the Philadelphia Eagles announce they have come to terms with Michael Vick and given him a one-year deal worth $1.6 million with an option for a second year at $5.2 million. None of it is guaranteed and is only contingent on him making the team.

Here are a few quotes from Vick at the Eagles press conference:

“I think everybody deserves a second chance,” a somber Vick said Friday, a day after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. “We all have issues, we all deal with certain things and we all have our own set of inequities. I think as long as you are willing to come back and do it the right way and do the right things and that you’re committed, then I think you deserve it. But you only get one shot at a second chance, and I am conscious of that.”

“I’m glad that coach Reid and the rest of the organization stepped forward,” Vick said. “I’m glad I got the opportunity and the second chance. I won’t disappoint.”

That is basically a slap in the face to the Atlanta Falcons organization and Arthur Blank. He was being given plenty of chances.. and mentoring. Michael refused to listen and accept it.

People do not change over night. Here is why I feel Michael Vick is and will always be the Michael Vick we have come to know:

“I understand to a certain degree, but our country is a country of second chances,” he said. “I paid my debt to society. I spent two years in prison. … That was a humbling experience. I can’t explain how deeply hurt and how sorry I was.”

Vick still feels entitled. He always felt entitled. He doesn’t understand that the two years in prison was his sentence. And just because he served his sentence does not mean he has paid his debt to society. Society ultimately judged Michael Vick… and it will be society that decides when his debt is paid. Not Michael Vick.

His joining the Philadelphia Eagles was not about second chances. It was about desperation to win.