Continuing with the football theme, Michael Vick took the field last week for the first time since he was suspended in 2007 for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. I tip my hat to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie for giving him the second chance that, apparently, some think he does not deserve. As the New York Times set out, the decision to bring Vick to the Eagles was not easy for Lurie on the most personal level.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ owner, Jeffrey Lurie, said he wanted to see self-hatred in Michael Vick, wanted to know that the player his head coach and quarterback both wanted for the Eagles could grasp the “cruelty, the torture, the complete disregard for any definition of human decency” that disgusted Lurie. This week, in a one-on-one meeting, Lurie, who called himself an “extreme dog lover” who thinks every day about two family pets who have died in the last two years, said he came away convinced that Vick could do more than just provide a dynamic element to his offense. Vick, Lurie said, had so completely transformed his life that he could complete what has become his new mission: to help save more animals than he had harmed.

[...]Lurie spoke of Vick’s crimes in often-harsh language and said Vick had “disgraced” the league. Lurie indulged in considerable soul searching, and sought to learn all the details of Vick’s troubles, before giving the go-ahead to sign Vick, who will make $1.6 million this season. Lurie said he would measure Vick’s success not in yardage but in whether he can create social change and diminish the level of animal cruelty, particularly in the inner city.

He also had to worry about animal-rights groups and, heck, just plain-old dog lovers, and how they would take to anyone allowing Michael Vick a second chance at football- and all the wealth, fame, and power that can come with it when you've got star potential like Michael Vick has. Apparently, these same folks generated a considerable amount of media against Vick when he was under investigation and may have played a part in the fact that he prosecuted and the time he spent in jail for his crime.

But despite Lurie's own deeply held beliefs and reservations, and the potential hit the Eagles might take from dog-loving fans, Lurie is giving him a second chance. But let's be clear: At the most fundamental level, hiring Vick was not about saving Vick. It was a business decision the Eagles made to upgrade their roster.

Still, I can't help but be impressed with Lurie. Standing up for someone who's done something criminal and, even worse, cruel, isn't easy. We do it every day in our practice. And we all believe that there is something to be proud of in standing up for people in trouble.
Even more, in our practice we try to take the Jeffrey Lurie position and pull something good from something that's pretty bad. When it's appropriate, we work hard to convince prosecutors that giving someone a second chance is often a lot smarter in the bigger picture than locking them up and throwing away the key.

Lurie is going to be sure that Michael Vick uses his position to educate children about animal cruelty. Vick would never be able to do that as an ex-football star. But as a current football star? Well, that's a whole 'nother story.

Labels: dogs, football, second chances, standing up for people

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