Has the public perception of a beleaguered Mike Vick already begun to change? I don’t know, it just seems that since Vick signed with Philadelphia on August 13th mainstream media has forgotten about what put him in this situation in the first place. Doesn’t it seem like some are trying to sweep the dirt under the rug a little prematurely? Reading about the boo birds that rained down on Vicks parade during today’s pre season game at the Meadowlands helped put it all back in perspective. Things just got a little too mushy in Philadelphia.
NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell has kept a very short leash on the Mike Vick reinstatement experiment. With all the hoopla surrounding the star crossed athlete’s comings and goings this should be expected. Which is why Goodells ruling today to allow Vick to play as early as week 3 surprised me. Did that just fall into his lap? Vick’s debt to society isn’t really supposed to mean THAT much to me is it? I mean, what has he really done to prove that he is a changed man? What has he done to warrant a reward when everyone else expected him to be out until at least week 6?
Well-respected former Colts coach Tony Dungy has been deployed to the “Mike Vick is a better person” camp. Ok, Surround yourself with good people. Check. Goodell revealed that head coach Andy Reid had “definitely provided (Goodell) with useful feedback” in regards to the situation. Alright, positive remarks from his peers. Check. Vick himself said “I have been trying to show (Goodell) that I’m moving in the right direction. I’m changing my life for the better.” Very nice, remorseful undertone with a touch of I’m a changed man. Check. Check. Check. On the surface its working almost seamlessly. But when Vick got photographed at a Philly airport bar sippin on some sizzurp last week, it provided onlookers with ammunition to question his judgment again. Really? So soon? Look, I don’t really want to make a huge deal out of this but it just surprises me that he would even come close to touching anything ever again after all it took for him to get back to the NFL. Maybe he and Goodell already predetermined it would be ok. Maybe he has pre-flight anxieties. Maybe he didn’t care. He didn’t violate the terms of his probation and apparently that is good enough for Goodell.
So long as Vick remains apologetic, soft spoken and out of “real” trouble the show will go on. At least I can play with him in Madden again.
-MJK
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