Guilty by Ian Kim
In October of 2008, in an attempt to combat Pennsylvania's reputation as the "Puppy Mill Capitol of the East" and better the life of dogs bred in his state, Governor Ed Rendell signed into law House Bill 2525. Tonight, the Philadelphia Eagles announce they have signed Michael Vick to a one-year contract worth $1.6 million with an option to renew for $5.2 million. What is with Pennsylvania and dogs?!
I know he has paid his debt to society, and he has not officially been reinstated to the NFL by Commissioner Roger Goodell (who will decide in week six when Vick can play), but I am still appalled. I wonder how Philadelphia fans will react? What puppy mill crusaders who are very active in the state will do? What should I do? I love football. Thoughts?
9:13 pm update: Well, this is something. At least negative backlash is on their radar:
Tony Dungy, the former coach of the Colts,
has
acted as Vick’s mentor. Dungy has said that he spoke with several
head coaches about Vick, and there was a small pool of teams that would
be a good fit for Vick, particularly because team owners feared that
adverse fan reaction would follow him.Dungy has said that he spoke with
several head coaches about Vick, and there was a small pool of teams
that would be a good fit for Vick, particularly because team owners
feared that adverse fan reaction would follow him. [via NYT]
What's up with Tony Dungy, the uber-Christian?!
9:19 update: Dan Brown calls bullshit on the Eagles at The Huffington Post:
they're going to blather more sanctimony about second chances and
media-friendly themes of redemption. And now we– the fans– will have
to live with this garbage story all year. Commentators and beat
reporters will lap up this distraction more than they would a Manny
Ramirez-Brett Favre hybrid clone. What the Eagles ought to say is:
"We couldn't care less about Michael Vick's past, the dogs he
killed, the families he harmed, or any moral lessons anyone wants to
infer. All we are thinking about is winning the Super Bowl and we will
put any eligible player on the field we can who can possibly give us an
edge in any way."
Because that has to be the truth. If the Eagles cared in any way
about the messages they sent to pet-owners, football fans, or human
beings in general, they would never have invited this ugliness into our
house.
9:27 pm update: The Vick Dog Blog features stories from the dogs who survived Vick's Bad Newz Kennel. They deserve better than seeing their tormentor rewarded so generously.
Related Links:
Anti-Michael Vick T-shirts
Michael Vick's Jury by Gary Varvel
More Anti-Michael Vick Cartoons
