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Obama commends Eagles for giving Vick second chance

The Eagles have received the presidential seal of approval. President Obama recently telephoned Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to commend the team for giving quarterback Michael Vick a second chance, according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated.

The Eagles have received the presidential seal of approval.

President Obama recently telephoned Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to commend the team for giving quarterback Michael Vick a second chance, according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated.

King mentioned the conversation Sunday night on NBC10 and wrote about it in an online story on Monday. He reported that Obama called Lurie to discuss two topics: the Eagles' alternative-energy plans and Vick.

"He said, 'So many people who serve time never get a fair second chance,' " Lurie told King. "He was . . . passionate about it. He said it's never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail. And he was happy that we did something on such a national stage that showed our faith in giving someone a second chance after such a major downfall."

The Eagles signed Vick to a two-year contract in August 2009, just a few weeks after he was reinstated following an 18-month stint in federal prison on a dogfighting conviction. The quarterback played a limited role last season but is having an MVP-caliber year for the Eagles after replacing Kevin Kolb as starter.

Obama is "a real football fan," Lurie told King. "He loves his Bears. He really follows it. He knew how Michael was doing. It was really interesting to hear."