On Saturday afternoon, the Atlanta Falcons played their final regular season game at the Georgia Dome. Among those who were invited to attend was former Falcons starting quarterback Michael Vick. While Vick received a standing ovation at the game, not everyone was pleased with his invitation or attendance, as a petition generated by Change.org received over 30,000 signatures to try and prevent the former star quarterback from attending the Falcons final regular season home game.
On the petition, it said:
"By inviting Michael Vick to participate in a ceremony on Sunday, the Falcons are honoring a convicted dogfighter who profited from cruelty to animals for years. Please sign this petition and let the Falcons know that NFL fans do not support Vick and do not condone his actions."
Now, as far as I see it, anyone with a beating heart would likely have difficulty condoning Michael Vick's previous actions with relation to dogfighting. As a four-time dog owner myself, including two rescues, I personally love dogs and could never support cruelty to these kind, lovable creatures. At the same time, however, I also believe in rehabilitation and second chances, and to this point, Michael Vick has showcased himself to be a changed man post-prison. I find it kind of ironic that a group called Change.org seems unwilling to accept the effectiveness of rehabilitation on a man to change him for the better. No, no one can remove that ugly chapter from Vick's life story, but like each and every one of us, it's more about how we respond to and learn from situations than the situations themselves. While we will likely never be able to forget what Michael Vick did, I do think it's time to forgive. None of us know what his childhood was like, what his family situation was, or what he grew up around, which may have prompted him to these dastardly deeds that seemed "normal" for he and those close to him, but it appears as though rehabilitation has helped him see the error of his ways, learn, and better himself as a person going forward. Rehabilitation may not be perfect, but neither are humans, and when rehabilitation helps improve humans, we should embrace this positive change for the future as opposed to remain stuck on the past, for if we're stuck on the past, we may be limited in how much we progress in the future.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/michael-vick-petition-falcons-controversy-forgiveness-dogfighting-ring-prison/wvucfzzmg6ny1v61kz20pce96
On the petition, it said:
"By inviting Michael Vick to participate in a ceremony on Sunday, the Falcons are honoring a convicted dogfighter who profited from cruelty to animals for years. Please sign this petition and let the Falcons know that NFL fans do not support Vick and do not condone his actions."
Now, as far as I see it, anyone with a beating heart would likely have difficulty condoning Michael Vick's previous actions with relation to dogfighting. As a four-time dog owner myself, including two rescues, I personally love dogs and could never support cruelty to these kind, lovable creatures. At the same time, however, I also believe in rehabilitation and second chances, and to this point, Michael Vick has showcased himself to be a changed man post-prison. I find it kind of ironic that a group called Change.org seems unwilling to accept the effectiveness of rehabilitation on a man to change him for the better. No, no one can remove that ugly chapter from Vick's life story, but like each and every one of us, it's more about how we respond to and learn from situations than the situations themselves. While we will likely never be able to forget what Michael Vick did, I do think it's time to forgive. None of us know what his childhood was like, what his family situation was, or what he grew up around, which may have prompted him to these dastardly deeds that seemed "normal" for he and those close to him, but it appears as though rehabilitation has helped him see the error of his ways, learn, and better himself as a person going forward. Rehabilitation may not be perfect, but neither are humans, and when rehabilitation helps improve humans, we should embrace this positive change for the future as opposed to remain stuck on the past, for if we're stuck on the past, we may be limited in how much we progress in the future.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/michael-vick-petition-falcons-controversy-forgiveness-dogfighting-ring-prison/wvucfzzmg6ny1v61kz20pce96
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