NFL Willing to Reinstate Murdering Asshole Michael Vick

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, says he is willing to reinstate Michael Vick once Vick is released from prison.

Goodell told the AP that Vick "has paid a significant price for his "egregious mistake" and will have to show genuine remorse and that the experience has changed him to get a chance at resuming his career in the league."

It's important to note the the NFL suspended Vick indefinitely for his crimes. In my book, saying that time served is a load of bullshit. Vick wasn't available to play for the past two years, he was in court and then in prison. It's not punishment to run a suspension concurrently. Vick wasn't actually made to sit out any games by the NFL. Saying time served is an insult to everyone but Vick.

Vick not only murdered dogs in cold blood, but he plead guilty to running an illegal gambling ring across state lines. That's called racketeering, and there was early talk of prosecuting Vick and his associates on that charge as well, which carries a mandatory 20 year federal sentence.

It's also important to emphasize that while many people make mistakes and deserve second chances, this wasn't a mere mistake. Vick ran his illegal dogfighting ring for years, it wasn't a passing fancy. In fact, Vick sought out and purchased a house specifically for dogfighting. Vick has also already had multiple second chances for other questionable behavior that earned the scorn of the NFL - early allegations of dog fighting in 2001 by his parents, which were completely ignored by the NFL, giving the finger to fans during a game, the Ron Mexico STD fiasco where Vick was sued and settled out of court after it was alleged Vick knowingly gave Herpes to a sexual partner, owning the van two friends were driving when arrested for distributing drugs, friends who were travelling with Vick through an airport stealing the watch of an airport security worker, the hidden compartment in a water bottle, etc., etc., etc. Vick is well past his second chance.

Vick has a right to try and earn a living, that's it. The NFL owes him nothing. If you or I committed Vick's crimes, our jobs would not be waiting for us upon release from prison. Vick can try and get a job at a fast food restaurant, or working construction, or any other entry level, low paying job that convicts are generally forced to work. Rewarding him with a multi-million dollar salary to play football is disgusting.

It's time professional sports started to stand up and ban players for life when they deserve such treatment. NHL player Todd Bertuzzi is one person who deserved that punishment, (plus Marc Crawford, his gutless coach who ordered Bertuzzi to attack Steve Moore, which left Moore in a hospital for 6 months with a broken neck and ended his playing career). Michael Vick is at the head of the class. Simply saying he's sorry isn't enough. Vick is only sorry he lost his job and his inflated salary, not sorry that he spent years picking out dogs, beating them to make them mean, then forcing them to fight while he bet on the outcome, then personally electrocuted, shot, and drowned dogs who didn't win for him.