The lives of the dogs and Vick’s donation came because he was caught breeding dogs to fight. If this had continued to go on, those dogs would be maimed or dead from fighting one another. Of course Vick’s life has gotten worse. He went to prison for what he did to those pit bulls, and to pose it as if he’s the reason that their lives are better now is intellectually dishonest.

That being said, I have no problem with Vick coming back to the league when he’s been released from jail. I can’t see him being ready for game action to start the 2009 season. I don’t want him back on the Falcons, but I’m sure there are teams out there who are going to give him a shot.

I’m not going to sign simply because I don’t feel the need to reward a criminal. Were Vick not a former football player, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I highly doubt others prosecuted and punished for this form of heinous crime are not given second chances at their old jobs, certainly not ones that include seven figure contracts.

I’m all for second chances, but I don’t think convicted criminals should be rewarded until they’ve truly earned it.

Clearly written by one of many irrational Vick lovers / apologists.

Here’s your chance to “support” an unrepentant piece of human garbage. What an opportunity! I think I’ll pass (something Dogboy still hasn’t learned to do).

and Lord Smittybags make me happy. Somehow Vick brought us to this point, and now it is a foregone conclusion that we have no need for him anymore. I’m not opposed to him coming back to the league, don’t really care one way or another honestly since he did F with the Falcons, but let him be some other team’s problem, never back with the Falcons. It would be unbecoming of Lord Smittybags to welcome back such a scurrilous scallywag.

To whatever team that may want him. He will have served his time and paid his debt to society as deemed by a court of law. And he has paid a steep price. If you think he should be banned for life then you need to add a few more low -lifes to that list (I’m sure you can think of a couple names) if you are going down that slippery slope.

I’m not a Vick lover or apologist, I find what he did reprehensible. But I also think if anybody that breaks the law pays their debt and is repentant then they should be given the chance to return to society and add whatever positive influence they can. Vick could actually be a huge help to the stopping animal cruelty effort around the world if given the chance. If were going to continually allow unrepentant deviants like Pacman back in the league….

Whether or not you like dogs, whether or not you believe that there are others equally heinous who deserve to be kicked out of the NFL, here is the bottom-line fact about Michael Vick:

He organized and ran a gambling operation while a member of a professional sports team.

Yeah, he wasn’t betting on football, let alone on his own team; but that doesn’t change the fact that Bad Newz Kennels was, essentially, an illegal betting operation. The NFL can’t afford to allow someone like Michael Vick back into the fold just because he says he sorry and makes a donation to paper over the details of his crime. Any association with gambling is the kiss of death for professional sports. If anyone ever deserved a lifetime ban, it’s Michael Vick.