Missing the Point on Vick
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Missing the Point on Vick
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH -- Now that I've had time to read the GQ Michael Vick article, while loitering endlessly about the tarmac on a USAirways regional jet, I'm surprised.
Surprised that the fuss, as far as I can tell from Twitter and a few emails, is about the part where Vick said he initially didn't want to come to the Eagles, where he would be the third quarterback in that 2009 season, that he thought Cincinnati and Buffalo might be better options.
In some quarters, this is being taken as Roger Goodell taking a Pro Bowl quarterback away from the poor Bengals or Bills. I think that's silly.
First, as Vick said in the statement he was forced to release today, he never said in the story that Goodell insisted he sign with the Eagles. If you recall the situation in '09, Vick's primary advisor was Tony Dungy, who had a relationship with Andy Reid he might not have had with a lot of other coaches. Other key advice came from agent Joel Segal, who also is pretty close to Eagles management. Also, Vick was not a hot commodity, coming out of prison. There was talk he might have to play in the UFL to get another NFL opportunity.
"I did speak with many people, but the decision to sign in Philadelphia was based on my discussions with my agent, my family, and with coach Reid," Vick's statement today said. "After those discussions, it became clear to me that this was the place I wanted to play ... The commissioner never told me to sign or not sign with particular teams."
The NFL also released a statement, from spokesman Greg Aiello: "Michael Vick's decision on where to play to put himself in the best position to succeeed was entirely his own. Commissioner Goodell obviously met and spoke to Michael and his representatives as part of his decision on whether to reinstate Michael and on what terms. But the commissioner would never steer players to or away from particular teams and did not do so in this case."
OK, now that's settled, on to the real reason I'm surprised. It's because this piece in GQ is not a story about whether Vick could have ended up with the Bengals or the Bills. It's a story about how blacks and whites interpret the Vick saga differently -- a topic I have addressed, as well -- and beyond that, how Vick's public contrition might not be the entire scope of his complicated feelings about the dogfighting conviction that landed him in federal prison.
That's way more interesting to me than who might have had a hand in what decision two years ago. Especially since I still say, any team that wanted Michael Vick could've had him after the '09 season for any kind of decent offer, like, a third-round draft pick, whether the Eagles are willing to admit that now or not.
If you've ever been to any of those inner city rec centers where Vick often speaks, the vibe is not "let's listen to this man explain to us why he hurt those dogs." Vick doesn't spend a lot of time on that. The centers are usually packed to the rafters with people who've come to celebrate Vick as a beacon of hope for them -- a black man the whites sent to prison, whose money was taken away, but who has persevered and triumphed. Frankly, that's the storyline that netted Vick the Eagles' Ed Block Courage Award, voted by his (mostly black) teammates) in '09, that white folks were so upset about.
What Will Leitch, the author of the GQ piece, gets at better than anyone else has so far is how this might also be ithe storyline Vick believes, more or less, and not so much the one about how he had to be shown the error of his ways and taught a painful lesson.
I'm willing to bet we have not seen the end of the exploring of this topic, as Vick prepares to lead the new-look Eagles onto centerstage in the NFL of 2011. And hey, if we're going to have a controversy, let's have a controversy over stuff that matters, not over "what ifs."
Amen Bowen! Glad one person with a public forum isn't using Vick for their animal rights / anti-inner city / "They" should all act as we do platform.— Joyner80- Great article....Racist Whites and Dog lovers need to breathe easy....take a chill pill...this is America...the man served his time and is now redeeming himself and his fans for time lost....— DavezMental.Com
- HAH! Nobody had a comment on this one, eh? Is that because all of you haters and wannabee dog-lovers are really posers?? I'll bet it is. none of you really care about dogs, the Eagles or anything else. just another reason to dump on an African American without knowing the whole story. GO MIKE VICK GO! Your real fans will always and continue to support you!— Panthro2011
- I hate comments like this. this is what sets our country back about 50 years. No one is keeping him down because he is black. Dude I am jewish and we were killed by the millions in the holocaust. that's keeping someone down. Unless thats going on in the states now, I have a hard time believing that he is being kept down when he is making 16 million this year. Moreover, tons of white fans love him and admire him for admitting his mistake.
I do not get how people sit here and say he didn't deserve jail time for what he did. Come on really? REALLY? I am happy he has admitted to his mistakes and turned his life around. It shows anything is possible in this country and that no one holds you back but yourself.— lance513 - also not everyone in America is out to keep people down. I'd said a good majority dont do that. Yes some do but you classifying everyone as that is wrong. — lance513
- Actually Joyner, you missed the point of the article. Domo is absolutley using the Vick to discuss thiese very things. Hen is saying to white fans, " Hey, Vick might be saying he knows he did wrong, but that is a front, because he belives that he did nothing wrong and was convicted because he is black so you might want to start hating him again."— UncleStosh
- Domo is absolutely not saying that. He is making remarks about how different cultures interpret Vick. — staup640
- If philly.com made posters post with a personal photo and street address I promise you closet klansmen and modern day nazis would never post hateful comments about anyone. Vick has imperfections as we all do but he is a great quarterback and does more community work than all of his haters.— allworld2
- Maybe once you got to prison, you should not be given the rare chance to be in an elite sport that only 4% of the population will ever get a chance to do. Maybe if dANTE sTALLWORTH HAD A BREAK OUT YEAR WE COULD HAVE CELEBRATED HIS COMEBACK PLAYER AWARD ON THE GRAVE OF THE MAN HE KILLED WHILE DRIVING DRUNK. bUT NO HE ONLY KILLED SOME DOGS. a SPORT THAT IS QUITE POPULAR IN THE SOUTH, BUT FROWNED UPON IN THE NORTH, JUST LIKE SLAVERY. i GUESS IT IS OK TO BRING THAT BACK SINCE IT WAS A CULTURAL MOVEMENT JUST LIKE THE VICIOUS SPORT HE FINACIALLY BACKED AND PROFITTED FROM. HE IS A DIRTBALL. YOU SERVED YOUR TIME SURE, I'M NOT STOPPING YOU FROM FINDING A JOB, JUST NOT AS A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER.— Mr Carrot Sticks
- why cant he be a football player? Mean if that is what he does best then let him do that. he is giving back to the community through football. I am all for second chances. i am glad he has turned his life around. That said, I will never forgive him for the terrible things he did. However, I am not the one he needs to ask forgiveness from. that is the man upstairs. One day he will have to meet his maker and hopefully he has done enough for him. I am not a religious guy in general but he doesnt have to have anyones approval but his family and the man upstairs. I am glad vick is reaching out to the youngins in the community and trying to show them the path to enlightenment.
— lance513 - I agreed with most of what you said lance, but as for why he shouldn't be a football player? I'll tell you why. He did his time and has a right to be a free man, but that most certainly doesn't mean we have to admire him. Go ahead, make a living, but we should not be expected to cheer for someone who is a morally depraved human being. And from his most recent comments it is clear he still doesn't think it was wrong. I am particularly mad at him because he has robbed me of my enjoyment of Eagles football. I can not root for him and as the quarterback he is the most important player on the team. Hense, I have not watch the Eagles since he became the starter. Say what you will about McNabb, his moral character was never in question and I enjoyed watching him play. And all this talk about whitey hating him because he is black, that is such bull dung. Most of the NFL is African American and everyone loves it. The athletes are adored. No one else has a problem with the dozens of other African American athletes on this team--maybe because they don't slaughter dogs! Do you think? Playing the race card is such a cop out. — edf
- When physicians become convicted felons, they lose the privilege of practicing medicine. Insofar as UncleStosh: Frankly, I suspect the majority--if not the overwhelming majority--of convicted felons have little to no remorse or regret about what they did, and only express remorse in order to get on down the road.— BEMiller
- People are products of their culture and society. In Vick's case, dogfighting and breaking the law was acceptable in his neighborhood growing up. The focus should be on how to create change in the areas of high crime and poverty so we all can live in respectful peace.— Clt Philly Fan
- I am just happy that Vick has been successful since his release!! He has come back a more mature player(and remorseful). Good luck this season Vick!— ruggertree4
