I have mixed feelings on this one. I have 3 rescue doggies and have had the privilege of of being "mommy" to many many more in my 64 years.

Part of me says give him another chance another part of me says no. We do give 2nd chances to others who have done wrong - even murder - but when others get out of prison they do not go back to jobs that pay 1.6 million dollars. Vick filed bankruptcy so his debts are wiped out therefore, he should have to give up some of those millions to the SPCA. I do realize he has to support the SPCA with 'talks' to kids etc. but he should have to give back monetarily as well.  If a murderer of a person got out of prison and went back to a job with that kind of income they should have to pay the victims family monetarily.

I watched the interview and quite frankly I was not impressed. His facial and body language say a lot. I, personally, think he is just sorry he got caught, lost his endorsements (Nike), his big pay check and his celebrity. Quite frankly he's lucky some pet lovers didn't throw dog doo doo at him!!!

 Very good point witterpitters, I couldn't agree more, frankly I have a lot to say about Michael Vick but I would just go on forever, just because of the fact that I am a dog lover and what he done was not only cruel but mental as well. Maybe he should talk to a phyc, or something because a normal person should have not done the things that he has done to all of those dogs. I also think he should have not been allowed back in the NFL. Remember the dogs that he killed could not get a second chance so why should he. I only give him a little credit only because he is contributing to SPCA and getting involved with kids about how wrong it is to do cruelty to animals. Anyway I think the punishment that he should have is being suspended from the NFL period.

As many of you out there know by now...I value my pets over some people that I know..I have given this subject alot of thought here lately and it always upsets me to the point to where I may get rude with some of you all---and that's just not me....

When it gets to that point..I'd rather get up and take a little walk with my dog and be thankful that he didn't get into some sadistic bastard like Vick and his crew....

So the question is...does he deserve another chance....Hmmmmm---thus far..his actions speak loader than words...I don't care for the person and could really care less what he does with his life--as long as it doesn't involve the injury of another animal....to respect him as a man---first he must act like a man---he's barely a human being...

That's just my opinion

 Well I couldn't blame you on that one Ling....

NO!

Absolutely, he deserves a second chance. 

As you on here know, I love animals, and dogs especially with all my heart.  What MV did was heinous in my opinion.  But virtually non-existent in my book is a crime for which there is no atonement, no return, for the soul.  You see, for me there are rules.  If a person sincerely, asks for mercy, then it must be shown.  That does not mean their misdemeanors (or felonies) are completely forgot--it just means we apply the rod of correction a little more lightly and see if they display appreciation.

If MV accepts responsibility for his crime, promises to abide by the law, and does good all the days of his life, then he is well redeemed, regardless of his prior misdeeds.  If he fails a second time however, then the path to redemption is far more challenging, as he will have had his second chance and squandered it. 

I know, all will say, "What about the dogs(victims)."  And yes, I agree, the victims matter.  But in as much as the victims matter, it is important that we do not create more victims by following the eye for an eye policy (which simply makes the whole world blind!).  If MV were not given the opportunity to follow his profession, and earn a decent living, the chances that he would go on to further misdeeds would be greater.  This is one of the fundamental flaws in our system of justice and part of the reason for the misery we have in this world. 

We must avoid the temptation to kill every spider that eats a butterfly, lest we become spiders ourselves...

MP

I don't follow football, so I don't know what is a stake behind dude working again.

I know I would not call him for dog sitting services.

--virgil

In reading some of the comments, I want to point out that I cannot agree that MV is "mental".  Of course, that is both a defense--and an indictment of his behavior.

Remember, we human beings used to furiously cheer when man killed man in the arena less than two millennia ago.  Today, we are the same.  Usually, our thrills at viewing death are sated with simulated violence on television, but we do sometimes stray much further into the void, when we also watch graphic television or internet coverage of real people dying in horrific ways.  After all, if it bleeds, it leads (for a reason).  How many times have we seen the planes fly into the twin towers?  How many times have we kept watching after being warned the images we were about to see were graphic?  How many times do we read the most intimate details of a crime in the media? 

MV was simply cashing in on simple human obsession with the morbid.  His sin of course, was staging the morbid for profit's sake.  At least the media does not stage their coverage--but we humans are fascinated just the same; it is certainly the dark side of us all.

 I do not agree middlepath these dogs won't get a second chance they are dead and can't come back can they.

Well..like I said--that's just my opinion...and I'd best leave it at that---because if I REALLY put down what I REALLY felt about the guy---then many of you all out there would have a different view on the LING...

But my feelings are my own--maybe one day I'll forgive the man---BUT NOT TODAY--- :-))

Pete Rose got banned FOREVER for BETTING for Gods sake!  And yet this piece of crap who not only fought dogs but TORTURED them is allowed to continue in sports?

I'm like Ling..don't get me started!

For the record, Pete Rose should have a second chance too.  :-)

Yes he should have AND he should never been banned for the Hall Of Fame either.  And yet Vicks should be forgiven?  For torturing animals?  Eh, all the ones who beat the living daylights out of their significant others were forgiven..but then the gals had a choice to stay and get beaten..the dogs didn't.

Even so, primitive violent behavior should not be rewarded by saying ok honey, come on back, we need to win a game.  But I contradict myself don't I?  Football IS a violent sport.  It's encouraged.

Besides...what fool of a corporation is going to go out on a limb and endorse this person---with the economy the way it is--why take a chance on being boycotted by pet-lovers throughout this nation....

The TEAM took a big chance on signing him..I'm curious to see how this will play out with the team--but as far as major endorsements for Vick--I think they really don't want to take that chance on him....and he brought all of this down on his head himself....

NO NO NO he should not be allowed the privilege of playing football for the NFL because it is a privilege.

My VERY religious relative believes that he should get a chance to play for the Raiders (his favorite team) and that it would be different if he had tortured cute animals, but pit bulls are not cute and really not one of God's creatures (are you kidding me?) so it is ok.

I think anybody that tortures animals is sick and needs to seek help.

Vick should get the same second chance he gave the dogs, if they wouldn't fight he hung them If they wouldn't die the second chance he gave them was to drown them in a bucket of water.

I'm sorry but would I be allowed to return to my job at the same pay (not millions like vick) I  doubt it.

If he does well this year next year he will he get a $10million/year contract I just can't sign off on this

Vick does deserve another chance. He's paid his debt to society, he has made it very clear that he understands what was going on was very wrong. Major animal rights groups have forgiven him. He will be doing PSA's promoting animal rights. 

Besides all that, he's a great athlete, and very exciting to watch. It's hard for people to understand how someone could get mixed up in something so brutal, but the fact is he did. He got in a lot of trouble for it, and he's paid the price. 

I usually only pay attention to football if I actually know some of the athletes who are participating in a particular game.   I was in the room where others were watching a Virginia Tech FB game one year and one of the announcers mentioned that the VT QB was the younger brother of  NFL QB  Michael Vick.  I happened to look at the TV just in time to see Marcus Vick  stomp on the leg of an opponent.  Right then and there I thought,  "What kind of low life losers raised this kid?"  I also wondered,  "How in the world could such a display of unsportsmanlike behavior be tolerated by a college FB coach?"  Some athletes are true sportsmen and they behave honorably at all times.  Others only display good sportsmanlike behavior when the eyes of their fans are on them.  Here was this college FB QB being a loser jerk in front of a national TV audience.  I suspected  there was a lack of common sense and decency in this family.  I was not surprised in any way when Michael Vick was arrested for his part in the dog fighting enterprise.  Those young men were not raised to be honorable men.   I really hope that somehow something positive can come out of Mr. Vick's community service commitments.   I just wonder how many youngsters are thinking about how this dude broke the law big time and he still gets a chance at the big bucks and an awful lot of game time in front of a cheering (and booing) crowd.

I understand what he did was brutal and heinous.  However, if we are not going to allow atonement and an opportunity for a person to be redeemed and to pursue a livelihood on the basis of a single case of criminal behavior, then we ought as well bring back ancient law codes which prescribe death for all offenses. 

What is it with our society that we are so quick to sentence the guilty to death by either literal or virtual means? 

The victims of any crime are important and must always be remembered.  However, sometimes we go so far as to make me wonder if we have a fetish for victims in our society and do all we can to create more in our pursuit of "justice". 

Everyman is guilty of all but Everyman should not have to pay in perpetuity, there is a finite price on punishment in a free society, yet we want to exact infinite revenge?  Does that not destroy our supposedly free society?

Sorry, I'm getting philosophical here.

Well....the question is does he deserve a second chance to play in the NFL....my answer is NO---reason....because...

No one loves animals more than I do. But.. Of course he deserves a chance.

He served prison time and is free to start over. He is human. We should not be so harsh.

If he does anything close to this again then he should be put to death.

As much as I deplore the hypocrisy of those outraged by the dog slaughterings but not by abortions, I agree with middlepathII's take on the matter and believe we all deserve a chance at redemption.

Fine. Let Vick out of prison for good behavior. But he should have been forever banned from professional sports. I WAS an Eagles fan for years, but I am boycotting any game they play this year, and that includes the Super Bowl, should they get that far.

Our kids watch and emulate pro athletes, and I definitely do not think Vick should be one of them. It makes me ill listening to him whine about how sorry he is. He is only sorry he got caught, IMO. And now he gets the chance to make back all that restitution money and then some? Nope. I am with Nancy. They banned Pete Rose for gambling, a much lesser offense. Whether or not Vick is allowed back in to the NFL should not even be a question. But it seems that crimes involving money are punished more severely than anything else in this country, even murder. Sad.

Yes, Vick should have a 2nd chance.

I love dogs...that's Bo as my avatar. <sidebar: Bo was the best freaking dog EVER. > Unfortunately I had to put him down at age 9 due to health conditions. BTW, I cried like a b***h! Now I have a boxer who is crazy as a, you-know-what rat. But I love him :)

I digress. 

Anyway, when someone is convicted of a crime in our country/system of justice, their punishment is probation, jail or prison. That is the punishment. Period. If the person gets 2 years and the person does 2 years, it's over.

Done.

Why some people feel it's their life's calling to continue to harass, harangue and bully the convicted is beyond me and says much more about them than the convict. What Vick did was terrible. Sick. Cruel.

I get it. But to deny him a career after his punishment is terrible, sick and cruel. Now Vick has to work with the Humane Society, talk to kids about the evils of dog fighting, pay for the care and rehab of the surviving dogs, tell the NFL Commish where he's going to live and on and on and on. When does it end? Ever????

This country has a love affair with criminals...certain criminals. But give Vick another opportunity to make a living and people get apoplectic!

Check it out. If he was not allowed to work again, what would he be? A drain on society and then a different group of wingnuts would be talking about another name on the public teat.

 Yea Vick may play football again but I know when he steps out on that field, your going to hear a lots of boos. All I'm saying is he doesn't deserve to play football and make millions, give him a job at wal-mart or something.

 Sorry about your dog gr8scott, he was a nice lookin dog.

 I just saw a clip of Vick talking about what he did was wrong and this and that, the look on this man's face is just blank like he was reading a script or something. All this man cares about is making millions and playing football again that's it. This man finally stopped and feels sorry now after all this time he has been running this dog fighting program. Remember he has been doing this for a good while how come he couldn't say enough is enough. They said he shot, electrocuted, hanged, and drowned these poor dogs now what if those dogs where one of your dogs, that would be a different story right. How can a human being just stand there while these dogs are fighting for there life. They said they found 66 dogs there and pulled out 8 bodies. He only did what 22 months in jail, wow. Like some people say this man only stopped because he got caught.

let me start off by saying i have never been a Vick fan.

with that being said, god does not walk the earth.  everybody makes mistakes.  mistakes happen when you throw millions of dollars at a young, naive athlete, who happens to live in the street gangsta mecca known as Atlanta, where dogfighting is part of the lifestyle

I think everyon deserves at least a second chance...the younger they are....the more chances they get

with Vick staring 30 in the face though, this should be his last chance

BTW.. i own 2 labs

 I can get what your saying learnem you have a good point but my main thing that i don't agree on is that they allowed him  to return to the NFL and now he can still make millions just like he did before and i just don't think that is fair.

they allowed him back to the NFL, because he is a moneymaker for them....his jersey sales have always been in the top 10 in the league.

it comes down to greed