Dear PETA

What do you want from Michael Vick?

by E. James Beale

Here is a serious question for PETA, Jennifer Utley, the small but vocal army of do-gooders outside the Novacare Complex and everyone else loudly (or quietly) protesting the Philadelphia Eagles' addition of former prison inmate Michael Vick: Why? I don't mean this sarcastically. Moving forward, what do you want from the newest Eagle?

Let's back up and look at the facts. Michael Vick funded an operation that drowned, hung and beat dogs to death for the crime of not fighting other dogs well enough. Worse, Vick was not blind to these actions. According to testimony presented at his trial, Vick (at least) witnessed all of this. None of this is under dispute, and none of it is morally defensible or legally permissible.

But the story doesn't stop there. As a result of his actions, Michael Vick was punished. He lost his job and the 10-year, $130 million contract that went with it. He lost his pride, his freedom, his presence in the formative years of his newborn daughter's life, and 18 months. Instead of living as the face of our most prominent national sport, Michael Vick lived in an 8-by-10-foot cell for nearly two years in Leavenworth, Kan.

And then, with the blessing of United States penal system, he was released.

Was he released because he paid his debt to society? No. (What does that even mean?) He was released because he lives in America, and like everyone else who has agreed to live in America, that's what happens after you serve your legally determined stay in jail. It's as much of a rule as driving on the right side of the street. In our society, dog-fighting is illegal. Rightfully so. Also in our society, once a person passes through the justice system and is deemed fit to re-enter, he has the right to earn a living at whatever profession suits his skill. Michael Vick's profession is football.

Last week I spoke with Dan Shannon, a pleasant man with the type of laid-back demeanor you probably wouldn't expect from the official spokesman of PETA, which is what Shannon is. "Look," he reasoned, "if this had happened to a regular person — if you or I had committed the offenses that Michael Vick did — I would imagine that we would have trouble finding employment." This is true, but it's totally inapplicable as a counterargument to Vick, because everything's relative. When Vick inked his previous contract, it made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. His face was on the cover of magazines and video games. Now? Vick just signed a non-guaranteed contract for roughly 88 percent less than what he had been previously making, all to be the backup to a backup (as of press time, Vick is listed third on the Eagles' QB depth chart) and see his face on protest posters. In short, it wasn't easy for Vick to find employment, considering his previous market value.

On top of all this, Vick is trying to right his wrongs. He's working side by side with the Humane Society and, PR gimmick or not, kids are hearing the message that he fucked up. It speaks volumes that both former Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy, who is as famous for his faith as he is his Super Bowl rings, and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who owns a rescued dog of his own, have put themselves on the line for a man they believe has changed.

Vick joined the Eagles not because the team's system fit his skill set (it doesn't) or because there was an obvious opportunity for playing time (there isn't), but rather because the stability of the organization was important to a man trying to piece together a once-promising career. When he was introduced as the newest member of the Eagles, he spent the entire press conference apologizing. You may doubt the sincerity of his remorse — as he freely admits, only his actions going forward can prove or disprove that — but certainly not how demoralizing the experience has to have been. Here is a man, two years ago revered as the single greatest athlete of his generation, answering question after question after question about things he'd done wrong, with only two mixed in regarding his potential impact on the field. This context can't help but humble him.

Look, our penal system may not always achieve its end goal, but its end goal is important: Here in America we don't lock up criminals as an act of vengeance, we do so in an attempt at reformation. The end goal isn't to make prisoners hurt, it's to make them not criminals, and then release them so they can go back to driving on the right side of the road. What protesters are asking for is not only overly harsh — when did PETA become harsher toward criminals than the justice system? — it's also fundamentally undemocratic.

So now, here, we're asking them publicly: What do you want out of Vick? Do you want him never to fight dogs again? Do you want him to publicly repudiatehis previous behavior and work with the Humane Society to inform kids about the problems with such behavior? Or do you want blood? You can't have both.