Michael Vick, Role Models, and Redemption

I happened to be sitting in the stands of the Eagles/Patriots preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field when, midway through the 2nd quarter, cell phones everywhere started beeping and buzzing. "The Eagles signed Michael Vick? No way! The Eagles?!?!? The "we are only interested in character guys" Eagles? Are you serious?"

It's not yet two weeks since that announcement, and there have been volumes written and heated discussions held around the signing among sports and political pundits, animal rights groups, die-hard Eagles fans, and those who don't know a Philadelphia Eagle from a Philadelphia soft pretzel.

There is no doubt that what Vick did was horrific and inexcusable, and it would be difficult to argue otherwise. But let's put aside our reprehension for a minute and stop to consider the influences that shaped Vick's early days. He grew up in a rough area of Newport News, Va., where he was exposed to bad characters and illegal activities that were a regular and recurring part of his childhood. While many of us have never, nor will ever, witness a dog fight, Vick likely encountered several a week among the other regularly occurring illegal activities. What seems abhorrent to you and me was Vick's daily existence.

Even with his NFL stardom, he continued to remain loyal to the friends he had made in the Newport News projects. The same friends with whom he shared his childhood and who played with him on his youth teams. The same friends that continued to be involved in the same illegal activities even after Vick's success, and who saw Vick's success as an opportunity for themselves. The same friends who later got involved in the dogfighting ring and used Vick to fund their illegal activity. The same friends who ultimately were his downfall.

We often hear about the stories of the inner city athletes who go on to become successful professional athletes who find a mentor, a coach or other adult who is able to connect with that person and guide them toward a better path. From all accounts, it appears Michael Vick never found that person, and while he alone is responsible for his actions, the absence of that guiding hand probably had much to do with his self-destructive decisions and associations. Those coaches and influential adults who go beyond their responsibilities as just coach or advisor, the unsung community leaders and heroes who guide young people in formulating strong moral character and help them weed out the bad influences and the true friends, did not reach Vick in Newport News.

There have been many who have studied the forces to which inner city athletes are subjected, the codes of loyalties and indebtedness that exist in the inner-city environments, and the ways in which the "entourages" hang on to and eventually drag down their so-called friends. There are countless stories of the instantaneous fortunes that they receive upon signing their lucrative playing and endorsement contracts after having lived in poverty for their entire lives without any knowledge of, experience with, or guidance in how to handle the sudden fame and fortune. Far be it from me to profess any expertise or knowledge of these subjects. But there are plenty of stories where a person of Vick's circumstances has been guided away from those same influences by a strong parent, coach, or influential adult in their life.

As parents, coaches, and people involved with youth sports, we can have a profound impact on the lives of the young people with whom we interact. We can never know which of our words or actions may resonate with a young person, either positively or negatively. Even the smallest and shortest interactions may have a lasting effect on a person. We can, however, be diligent in the way we conduct ourselves and in the lessons we teach through sports. We may never coach a Michael Vick, but our responsibility is no less than for anyone with whose time and talent we are entrusted.

If we take the Michael Vick situation and frame it in the proper context, there are many powerful lessons that can be not only taught to our youth, but learned by us. Michael Vick has an opportunity to redeem himself not by his play on the field, but by the changes he makes to his life. In Tony Dungy, the spiritually strong former NFL coach, he may have finally found that strong, moral, guiding hand with whom he can connect and whose counsel he will accept. We may be able to judge Vick's character in the next weeks or months if he shows himself to be insincere. Or we may have to wait many years, maybe long after his playing days are over and we can measure the sum total of his changes and works and not just those that enabled him to return to the NFL.

In the movie "The American President," which stars Michael J. Fox as presidential aide Lewis Rothschild and Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd, there is a scene where the two are arguing about America's desire for leadership. Rothschild implores the President to take on his political adversary. "People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone." he says. "They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand." To which the President responds, "...People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference." Maybe a young Michael Vick didn't have anyone to tell him the difference between the sand and the water.

Posted By: Jim Roynan

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