Michael Vick's Public Apology

There is no small amount of public apologies made by high paid sport's stars, usually well scripted and memorized due to one criminal offense or another. Many sport's players such as Kobe Bryant, Rae Carruth, Ray Lewis, Mark Chmura, and now Michael Vick just to name a few. They actually have done studies and from 1996 to 1998 there were 21% of NFL players that had committed a serious crime, spousal abuse being high on that list. Now we have dog fights being funded and gambled on by a household name. What is really dumbfounding out of the whole situation is his apology.

Michael Vick first states that he was uninvolved with the dog fights and he did not know of there existence. Than he states he know they were happening but it was other family and friends that brought this into his home and he never supported it. Then when everyone got together and ratted him out he decides to admit he was guilty of allowing severe cruelty to animals. This is really a classic case of any high profile star trying to get out of the hot water they landed themselves in, but usually the public apology has been polished to a shine before being recited in front of cameras, but not Michael Vicks.

In some ways the fact that instead of having an apology written and improvising as he went along is good because it isn't anyone else's words but his own and we know that. However he rarely mentioned the dog fighting it was mostly a series of "you know" and vague apologies for conversations the public was not privy to. He also spent his apology stating that he never blamed anyone else for his actions, which seemed more a jab at his friends and family pointing the finger at him. He also talked in third person a lot instead of saying me and my it was always Michael Vick. To me although he didn't use a script which take guts the apology seemed rather fake, and more like a apology from someone who got caught and isn't sorry just doesn't want his privileges taken away. He also played the Jesus card and hung his hat on playing for sympathy with people that have faith.

Everyone makes mistakes I am one who has had many of my own. But this apology did not seem genuine more fumbled and trite. Hopefully this was a step up for him and not just a line so that he can get on the publics side again. However I guess if they will let football players play the game still after being charged with involuntary manslaughter after killing someone in a car accident because they were drunk, than a few animal deaths is no big deal. Hopefully Michael Vick will have a pang of conscience and truly understand the atrocity he committed.