C. David Jones
Theology 300-C
While growing up, I watched a young man with incredible athletic talent dominate the football field while leading his team, the Virginia Tech Hokies, to the 1999 Sugar Bowl. After his incredible college career, he was the first overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft. During his six years in the NFL, he became an icon, a master of the game and a visionary to millions of people worldwide. In 2005, he received the richest contract in NFL history, worth over $150 million dollars. He had women, houses, cars, and money. But Michael Vick had a dark secret that he hid from the rest of the world, his involvement in the sickening sport of dogfighting.
Once this story came full surface, Michael Vick lost everything around him. The NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay. The owner of the Atlanta Falcons , Arthur Blank, commented, “Michael Vick will never play in a Falcon’s jersey as long as I am the owner.” The millions of fans that once cheered for his escapades now scorn him. Finally, he might be facing up to 5 years in prison for his involvement in the dogfighting scandal.
For the past six years, Michael Vick has been living a fast life. He has made terrible choices by fighting dogs, now he has to face the consequences of his actions. Michael had a hubris lifestyle; he thought he could be the master and god to those poor innocent dogs. He helped to kill and torture dogs who did not fight well. He failed to see the innocence and life that he was destroying just for his pleasure and satisfaction.
Michael Vick is crawling out of the cave. With the prison sentence he might be facing, he is going to be able to reflect on his life, and learn from his mistakes. Once his sentence ends, he will still be under the public eye. Under that eye, he will have to prove his maturity and earn responsibility by not getting into trouble. He has begun the first step in his rehabilitation process by admitting to what he has done wrong and apologizing. Now it is up to a judge to decide his fate of whether or not he should go to prison. As I look at this case, I do not know what to think. Here is a man that I have grown up watching on the football field, and now I have to see him with this dark cast over him. I believe he is sorry for the mistakes that he has made and with his sentence, he is going to mature into a man. One day in the future, I hope that I can turn on a football game and see a talented football player dominating just as I saw as a child, but with a sense of responsibility and wisdom instead of glitz and the fast life.
