Does Michael Vick Really Deserve a Second Chance?

I’ve always been for giving second chances, indeed our nation is a forgiving one.  And we forgive not only people, but entire nations – (Remember the Marshall Plan?).  Deep down, we want to see the down and out guy succeed in life once again, and most of the time irrespective of whatever crime or other “infraction” he or she may have committed.   However, this forgiveness doesn’t happen automatically.  Generally two things must happen.  The perpetrator must “do time” whether that means a jail sentence for the crime if one was committed, or serve some other penance.  Second, they must ask for forgiveness.  

Now then, Michael Vick is finishing up his sentence for his role in a dogfighting ring.  The question is being asked, “Does he deserve a second chance?”, in this case to continue his career in the NFL.   My first inclination is that yes, Michael Vick should be give a second chance just like everyone else.    After all, he did complete his prison sentence and he has asked for forgiveness and is reportedly in discussions with PETA for some service announcement yada yada, but then I started thinking about this.  Given the abhorent social nature of toruring  animals, how can anyone believe that a change of one’s nature can realistically occur?  This isn’t a DUI case where, upon reflection, genuine remorse is possible and even probable.  At which point during Michael Vick’s prison sentence did he get this epiphany, this “aha!” moment when he realized, ” I have done a very horrible thing (over a period of several years), and I will do whatever it takes to make this right!”  Torture of living beings, child molestation, serial killings are sociopathic in nature. 

The following article by Brian Cluxton from HELP FIDO says it even better:

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Michael Vick – Why not everyone deserves a second chance.

Michael Vick has been back in the news a lot the last few days, with his release from prison yesterday. KC Dog Blog has an excellent post about Vick and the HSUS. This morning, I heard Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio talking about Vick’s possible reinstatement to the NFL and he made some great points which got me thinking about this issue again. I have always been in favor of giving people a second chance in life, if they are truly sorry for what they did and want to make amends. And I’ve honestly debated this issue in my own mind – trying to reconcile my own beliefs of giving people a second chance and Vick’s actions. However, here’s why I believe Vick does NOT deserve a second chance in the NFL.
First of all, it’s not like Vick drove drunk, got in a bar fight, used steroids, dealt drugs, committed fraud, cheated on his wife or any one of a number of other illegal and/or immoral activities. ALL of those things and more are horrible. But he tortured and killed innocent dogs with his own hands. This was not just about dog fighting (as heinous and horrific as that is). He tortured animals. He threw dogs to the ground repeatedly until they were dead. He hooked up dogs to electrocution devices, drowned them or beat them to death. This was not Jack Bauer on 24 committing torture to save the world. These also weren’t the acts of a 14 or 15 year old immature kid, shooting birds in the back yard with a bb gun. What kind of person does that? These were completely innocent dogs that just wanted some food, water, safe shelter and some love and attention every once in a while. What would you think of one of your neighbors if you found out they tortured and killed dogs? Anyone that would commit acts of torture like that is clearly a sociopath and has no place in a civilized society, let alone deserving of a second chance.

Source: Journal