The Re-birth of Michael Vick

New Rochelle,Ny.
By: Brian Brabazon
It wasn’t too long ago that NFL star Michael Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of sponsoring a dog fighting operation. The then Atlanta Falcons quarterback were charged with competitive dog fighting, and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting this dog fighting ring across state lines. How could something like this happen to such a young, highly touted quarterback, with seemingly everything? It wasn’t long after his indictment that Vick, turned himself in and received twenty three months in prison for committing such a heinous crime. Now the quarterback with everything had nothing, off to prison to wonder what could have been of his career.
Many including myself believed so, fast forward to nineteen months to the end of Vick’s prison sentence, now thirty years old, away from the game for over two years, left sitting stagnant in a Virginia federal prison surely would have diminished those jaw-dropping skills that gave opposing coaches nightmares. The Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Andy Reid were willing to give Vick this chance, to prove his worth, and complete a comeback. Vick said “I had to go through what I went through to be where I am now. I find myself in a position where I'm willing to listen; I've got coaches who are going to coach me regardless of what or how I feel. If I've got an attitude one day, or not just feeling it at the moment I'm going to get coached. And I respect that to the fullest. It brings out the best in me." According to an interview on CBS "60 minutes" Vick, who in the past would shift the blame around to everyone but himeself stated "I blame me, no one else".
Now, with a seemingly clear conscience and full focus on football, Vick's comeback has taken on the national spotlight, it has inevitably become the irresistible talking point all over the country, if you tune in to sports talk radio, flick on ESPN and watch sports center for six hours, scan the back page of newspapers across the country. The Michael Vick story is refreshed again and again each day of.
What blows many peoples minds is his ability to quickly adapt on the playing field after such a long layoff from the game. For about three to four hours, his comeback to the National Football League could have best been seen by what transpired when the Eagles played the Washington Redskins in the rain on Monday night two weeks ago, a mauling that left the Redskins embaressed. Vick was so impressive that night, leading the Eagles to touchdowns on their first five possessions. Showing off his impressive arm, he flicked his wrist and hit wide reciever DeSean Jackson with a 68 yard touchdown. Moments later he hit his other stud wideout Jeremy Maclin for a 48 yeard strike. "Unbelievable” Hall of Fame player and former coach Mike Ditka would say a day later. “It was like a man playing amongst boys”.
It was a thing of beauty to watch, Vicks transformation come to fruition, in the national spotlight with millions of people watching. It was a performance up there with anything that previous greats of the game have accomplished, the Hall of Fame even requesting Vick’s jersey after the game was finished. Vick had single-handedly put Philadelphia in the thick of a Super Bowl conversation and made himself a legitimate candidate for the MVP. After the game commissioner Goodell spoke to the media, proclaiming Vick as a true American success story, almost as if he was the Phoenix rising up from the ashes, resurrecting his life and his career.
Vick’s story however presents the league with an question that many people across the country believe. In a year where there are so many mediocre teams and few standout players, is the NFL ready to make the face of their league a convicted felon?
You can't help but admire his talent, and at the same time you can't forget what happened three years ago. His game is at an all-time high, but yet we can't quite forget about Bad News Kennelz. Will these questions ever go away? As long as Vick keeps playing well skeptics and critics will always be there.

Expand your Knowledge:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2940065
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/10/60minutes/main5231257.shtml