An Open Letter to Michael Vick

I hope this letter finds you in decent spirits. I understand that you are currently on "home Monitoring" by the federal government which restricts what you can do and where you can go. But, in retrospect, it is better than the Leavenworth Prison facility in which you were confined for so many months. It is truly ashamed that any of this has even happened. Just a few short months ago, you were the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Your team was on its way towards being an annual contender for a championship and the world was your oyster. I guess it does do any good to rehash the past, huh. But, the past is our foundation and without it we have nothing to stand on. So, I thought I'd right this letter to send you my well wishes.

I wish you well not because I am a fan, but because I am a compassionate human being. I do not condone the dog fighting or the marijuana usage -- poor judgment, bad decisions. Nonetheless, I do understand that many people cannot understand either activity. They did not grow up in a poor neighborhood that promotes dog fighting as a form of entertainment. They do not understand that individuals that participate in dog fighting actually LOVE their dogs. They do not understand that the concepts and philosophies of a young man's past are rooted in the environment that he grows up in. Mr. Vick, I do not condone dog fighting. But, that's just me. I also condemn horse racing. Horses were born to run free, not be saddled and their spirit broken. Yet, those that race horses love them. Because it was never outlawed, it was easy to develop a sport around it and humanely terminate a horse if it were injured badly. I guess putting a horse to sleep and sending it to a glue factory was better than shooting the horse to put it out of its misery and pain that was usually caused by somebody forcing the horse to race. I'm sorry... I digress. I guess my point here is that I do not condone the cruelty inflicted on the dogs, but I understand why you may not have viewed it as cruelty. More importantly, I believe that you understand how such activities cannot be permitted in our society. Further, you have paid your debt to society 100-fold. You deserve forgiveness. You deserve to live the rest of your life having learned the lessons of your past.

Speaking of lessons learned, I do have a question for you. Why did you smoke the weed? Was it because you were banned from the Atlanta Falcons facility prior to any charges being filed? If you were not pseudo-suspended, you would have been working out and would not have even been tempted. Was it because you were feeling the pressure of all of the negative attention and the assumptions of guilt as if you had taken a human life? If more of the negative attention had been rightfully focused on the men inflicting most of the actual cruelty, there may have been more clarity of the situation. Additionally, we can't lose sight of the fact that there are no reports of you having tested positive for any type of illegal substance in high school, college, or the pros. Thus, I'll assume that the weed smoking was a momentary lapse of judgment. In many neighborhoods, marijuana is known to help mellow you out and although it is not legal, it is no more dangerous than smoking the tar and cyanide found in your average, everyday cigarette. Nonetheless... poor judgment, bad decision, horrible timing.

Now that your legal debt to society is almost paid, you should definitely reach out to those that hold anger towards you. I doubt that you can ever excuse what you have done. But, it never hurts to apologize. Reach out to the leaders of PETA and ask them what more you can do. It isn't like you are still organizing dog fights. It's not like you haven't apologized. It's not like you haven't paid your debt to society. And, it's not like you haven't paid a huge financial debt. What more can you do? The only thing you can do is live your life as a shining example of a person that has made mistakes and has learned from them. Protests and demonstrations designed to PREVENT you from earning a living is simply cruel. America is a great nation that was built on a set of principals that support the idea of redemption. Mr. Vick, having a genuine and honest conversation with PETA, the NFL, NFL Commissioner Roger Godell, and America as a whole is the answer. It is obvious that most folks are not interested in how or why all of this happened. I think they need to know and fully understand that the "pound of flesh" that they are looking for has already been taken. They need to understand and believe that you are truly remorseful for what you did, not that all of this happened. Of course you wish none of this happened. But are you thankful that you now have more clarity of why your actions were cruel and cannot be condoned?

Mr. Vick, I believe you are truly remorseful. I believe that you have been humbled by the past few months. Please understand that not everyone will be willing to forgive you and please understand it. Give them time. Simply prove to them that you have matured and have learned your lessons. In life, prove that you have learned how to better show compassion. In self, prove that you have learned more about the power of humility. In sports, prove that you have learned to value every moment. I think the world will be amazed at what you can do. They just need to give you a chance to do it.