I don't know why we wouldn't attemp to sign Vick. He is a great QB and has not been out of the game that long and is still young. He paid for his mistakes and has expressed regret. It's not like he was taking drugs and could slip back into it. You know he is never going to step near a dog the rest of his life, I mean look what happened to him?

He will be a good QB for somebody.

mmaland wrote:
I completely agree.

I think he'd be great on San Francisco or New England. Pittsburgh could probably use him in a variety of ways as well. He would have been perfect for Miami, but they drafted Pat White.

I disagree. No Vick in the NFL, ever. He forfeited his opportunity. Violence against animals is not the self-inflicted failing that drug use is. He paid his debt to society, but that doesn't mean he is entitled to work anywhere he wants. There are PR consequences. That's not what's going to happen obviously, but it is the way I feel. I wouldn't be upset if a lot of other law breakers forfeited their pro sports opportunities, either. On the other hand, where can I pick up a cheap Vikings Favre jersey? I would like to add it to my collection including my Etan Thomas Wolves jersey.

College Wolf wrote:
Co-Sign that Line!

ogishkemuncie wrote:
Hmmm. Interesting take. Any strong feelings on the Stalworth issue? Does it make a difference that these animals are legally "property" and nothing else? Surely it has to. Our emotions aside, society is governed by law, not our emotional connections.

In other news, the Vikings can continue to piece together the best team in the NFL now that Mr. Drama himself has decided not to tarnish his legacy anymore. GO Jackson! Go Sage!

ogishkemuncie wrote:

Wooooooow.

Talk about being close-minded.

daddyfatsax wrote:
Stallworth is a bit of a tough case for me because it sounds like the pedestrian did stupidly run out in front of him. The guy who I have long considered the one elite professional sports player I would never accept being a fan of is Lenard Little. He killed a Mother of a few kids drunk driving. God off basically scott free. And has gotten a DUI since.

Little is 100x worse than Vick.

College Wolf wrote:
As I've gotten older plenty of aspects of professional sports have come into perspective (I don't even want Tim Duncan to lose a leg anymore). My burning hatred of Favre really hasn't faded that much. The though of being in the same room with him turns my stomach.

Knowing he was good in his prime has nothing to do with anything. He could still be great right now and that doesn't change that he was the enemy for too long to be the leader of this fan base for those of us who've spent their formative years watching the Vikings compete with him.

pants wrote:

Couldn't agree more. What a joke.

ogishkemuncie wrote:
Jason Kidd abused his wife and he is still playing basketball. Michael Vick abused his dogs and he was kicked out of the NFL forfieted his bonus money and was sent to jail penniless. Something is wrong with this picture.

daddyfatsax wrote:
What does being a "property" has anything to do with torturing and murdering animals. There is a strong correlation between animal abuse and serial killing. Unfortunately, there are places in this world that consider women to be "property", African-Americans used to be considered "property" - Does it make raping and lynching acceptable?

Emotions and morality do matter and should matter, that's why I don't like Kobe Bryant.

College Wolf wrote:
So let me understand, hating an opposing Hall of Fame QB is okay, but hating an animal-abuser criminal QB is wrong. Sure,that makes a lot of sense.

Seriously, who's the real close-minded person you or ogishkemuncie .

guibec wrote:

Wrong. You are not making equitable comparisons here. It's not the same thing. He's close-minded about his reasons for not ever letting Vick play in the league again. I don't give a shit about whether or not he hates Vick.

guibec wrote:
There is a big difference between personally hating and banning for life.

EDIT: The above post didn't exist when I hit reply and preceded to make the same point. Just covering my tracks during the official anger management day on TWB. Who knows who is 6'4'' and waiting to kick my ass.

P.S. Regardless of what anything thinks about Vick, he was the most unfairly and excessively scapegoated "celebrity/athlete/famous person/etc" in recent history. I think a lot of it was due to him being young, famous, rich, and black.

mmaland wrote:
Exactly. Thank you MMaland.

At the risk of sounding insensitive and harsh, dogs are not people. There is a difference. I'm sorry, but there is. What Mike Vick did was awful. Terrible. Unexcusable. But the guy went to jail for almost 2 years...he has paid his dues. He has paid his dues a lot more than many wifebeaters, violent criminals, drunken drivers, etc have.