2 Quarterbacks

It's been an interesting week in the NFL... what with Michael Vick coming back from serving time for running a brutal dog-fighting ring & signing with the Philadelphia Eagles and Brett Favre coming back from retirement (again) and signing with the Minnesota Vikings. There's been a lot of huffing and puffing in the television and print press about these two men returning to play in the NFL, and I largely do not understand all the hub-bub.

In the case of Brett Favre, the man holds every significant passing record that there is in the NFL. Most career yards passing, most career touchdowns, most passing attempts, most passing completions, most interceptions thrown, most victories by a starting QB, and most consecutive games started by a QB (only one game away from tying the most started by a player at any position). This last stat is probably the most impressive...for nearly 20 years, he has started every consecutive game in both the regular season and playoffs. This is not a kicker who is on the field for 6-10 plays per game. We're talking about a QB... he's on the field for probably half of every game. Even with a great offensive line, that's still a lot of blind-side hits over a career without missing a beat. If the guy wants to come back... if he is having some trouble letting go of the game that he loves so dearly... if there is someone out there willing to pay for his services (someone like the Minnesota Vikings)... who on Earth are we to get so worked up in a tizzy over the prospect of him playing again? "But he lied to us about wanting to stay retired!" Oh, come off your high horse!! Accept as fact that a guy who played the game with such unabashed joy might find it hard to walk away. "He only came back for the money!!" So what!?!? Who are we to attack the man' motivations. Don't tell me that if you decided to retire from your job, and then another employer came and threw several million dollars at you to work two more years, you wouldn't at least consider it. What right do any of us have to tell him when to walk away. I say as long as he's got the will and an employer who wants to pay him, let him play. If a 60 year old Doctor, or Lawyer, or Custodian wanted to continue working, we wouldn't dare say "You're too old!" So what gives us the right to say the same to this 40 year old football player? I for one am looking forward to watching Mr. Favre on Sundays again for at least one more year.

As to Michael Vick, his story seems a little more complicated to me, because of the horrific nature of what has kept him out of the NFL for a number of years. I grew up with dogs, and would fairly describe myself as a dog-lover. I miss owning a dog very much, and look forward to owning a house so that one day we will be able to introduce Erin to the joys of having a dog, and the responsibilities that come along with it. So, like everyone else, I was more than a little disgusted and horrified by crimes Vick was charged with and convicted of committing. The man funded a dog fighting ring... he had dogs fight each other to the death. He electrocuted them, drowned them, hung them from trees... there is truly a frightening aspect to the sheer cruelty of his crimes. All that being said, however, he has served his time... paid his debt to society so to speak. He was fired from his old team, suspended from the league, and lost out on millions and millions of dollars because of his actions. That is not to say that just because he served some prison time and endured some self-inflicted hardship, he is entitled to return to the NFL... playing in the NFL is a privilege, just as working for any employer is a privilege, not a right. The Atlanta Falcons cut him, and if no other team wanted him, then he would have to find something else to do. There are no guarantees in life. But, in this case, another team was interested in his potential services, and having served his time and ridden out a league suspension on top of it, he should have a chance to turn his life around. What are the chances that he will not get in trouble again? I don't know, probably pretty slim... the harsh nature of the crimes he committed point to a certain sociopathy in his psyche, it seems to me. But in this country aren't we all about redemption, about second chances and making things right? Look, I am not defending what he did, and I don't really care for the guy as a person or a player. But we give politicians, entertainers, heck, even our own family members second chances all the time. Michael Vick deserves a chance at redemption, not so much because he has earned it, but because we are America, and it is part of the American way.