Eagles QB Michael Vick's redemption came before starting nod ...
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Updated: September 22, 2010, 12:12 PM ET
Michael Vick's redemption
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By Jemele Hill
ESPN.com
Archive | Contact
When star athletes have nothing, that's when we find out something. It's not moments of glory that define them,
but moments of disappointment.
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Eagles QB Michael Vick's redemption came before starting nod ...
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Mark Cunningham/Getty ImagesWith
offseason work and opportunistic play,
Michael Vick has earned the starting nod from
coach Andy Reid.
Pete Rose went from outright denying he gambled on baseball, to admitting it when his book hit the market, to
recently tearfully apologizing for his behavior during the 25th anniversary ceremony of his record-setting
4,192nd hit. Only now, after all these years, is it apparent that far worse than the public scorn was Rose having
to live with the emotional burden of having let down his teammates.
Shame can be telling. Today, there will be lots of people praising Michael Vick because Philadelphia coach
Andy Reid announced on Tuesday that Vick will be his starting quarterback. This is a momentous reversal, since
the Eagles traded franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins during the offseason to
pave the way for Kevin Kolb, who now is Vick's understudy.
Some think Reid's making Vick the starter is the official culmination of Vick's comeback, but that would be
severely discounting what Vick has done since losing everything and serving 18 months in federal prison for his
role in an illegal dogfighting ring.
But it's not regaining a starting quarterback position in the NFL or his apparent growth as a pocket passer that
stamps Vick's complete comeback.
Winning the starting job is just a result. The real victory was how Vick dealt with the shame of losing untold
millions, his freedom and his reputation.
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More From ESPN.com
Going with Michael Vick is a mistake and out of character for a team that usually doesn't make
reactionary moves, writes John Clayton. Blog
By choosing Michael Vick, the Eagles have painted themselves into a corner with two quarterbacks,
writes Matt Mosley. Blog
• NFC East Blog | NFL Nation
"One of the great things about America is you're given a second chance, if you handle it the proper way," Reid
said in a press conference Tuesday evening. "He's handled it the proper way. His teammates would all stand up
for him, for what he's tried to do and how he's changed his life around. I sit here and do the same."
Vick has been a gifted athlete since he could breathe. He was dazzling at Virginia Tech, and he later became the
No. 1 pick and the face of the NFL. But he cut plenty of corners, and not just when he decided to involve himself
in an illegal enterprise.
Great athletes often are the worst at taking their own greatness for granted, and Vick is no exception. He was
perhaps more unfair to himself than he ever was to the fans who unconditionally supported him Atlanta. It was
extremely telling that in his first interview after being released from prison, he told "60 Minutes," "I was lazy.
You know, I was the last guy in the building, first guy out. I know that. You know, I hear everything that people
say. And that hurt me when I heard that, but I know it was true."
Shame can be a humbling teacher. This isn't to say that prison was good for Vick, but had he never undergone
such a humiliating fall, it's fair to wonder if he would have ever respected his own talents the way he seems to at
this moment.
Vick has a 105.5 passer rating, three touchdowns to zero interceptions, and has grown exponentially as a pocket
passer. Before, you would wonder if he ever looked at film. Now, he seems a step ahead of defenders.
The same Vick who admitted that during the height of his popularity he was "lazy" fought his way into shape for
this season after coming to the Eagles 20 pounds overweight last year.
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Leon Halip/Getty ImagesAt
one point in Michael Vick's
saga, it was unclear we'd ever
see him on a football field
again.
The same Vick who said he thought he could escape consequences as easily as would-be tacklers has admitted
he deserved the punishment and backlash he received. He also admitted he put himself in a "vulnerable
sitaution" in June by holding a public birthday party, after which Quanis Phillips, a co-defendant in the case that
landed Vick in prison, was shot.
"I deserve to lose the $130 million and, you know, on the flip side, you know, killing dogs or doing the wrong
things, why ... [wouldn't people say] he don't deserve it," Vick told "60 Minutes."
And the same Vick who once made an obscene gesture toward Atlanta fans as he was leaving the field stuck up
for Kolb after Vick threw two touchdown passes in a 35-32 win over the Lions on Sunday -- even though it's
clear now that Vick's performance against Detroit cast quite a bit of doubt in Reid's mind about who should be
the starter.
"It's totally OK [that Kolb is the starter]." Vick told ESPN anchor Hannah Storm following that victory. "Kevin's
our leader. Kevin has worked very hard throughout the offseason. I know how good he is and what he can do.
He'll have success."
Vick hasn't always been a good person and, sometimes, not a good player. But the classy way Vick sought his
redemption has created this burgeoning opportunity with the Eagles.
No matter how this season plays out, Vick will win, even if that's not represented in the Eagles' record. Vick has
shown he can be a starter in this league, but most importantly, he has proved that sometimes when you lose
everything, you gain some things that are far more valuable.
Jemele Hill can be reached at jemeleespn@gmail.com.
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595 comments
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ajthrowback says:
September 22, 2010, 4:3 PM ET
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. It's as simple as that, people. I don't condone one bit of what
Michael Vick did in his past because it was deplorable, cruel and idiotic. However, his past is just that: his PAST.
Can we please leave Michael Vick's off-the-field actions off the field? No one DESERVES a second chance?!?! I
hope the same people saying that are atheists because if that's the case, then a good amount of us wouldn't be
alive today or where we're at now in our lives if we weren't forgiven. Contrary to popular belief, we are not the
true Judge, the Jury or the Executioner when it comes to forgiveness. Michael Vick and the rest of the
God-fearing world have a higher being to answer to than any of us who thinks that because he electrocuted and
tortured animals, he can never be forgiven for it or ever be "classy" in his actions four years removed from the
fact. Miss me with the BS...
At the end of the business day, there's nothing that any of you can do about him being in the NFL again because
Roger Goodell reinstated him and the Eagles gave him a chance--although the owner was not ecstatic about it.
It's a done deal, so get over it. There's nothing you can do about him getting a chance to be a starting QB again
because he has risen to the challenge. Only time will tell if Andy Reid made the right decision. For now, I see it
like this: maturity is not an impossible feat if you will yourself towards it. It's staying stuck on stupid that scares
me.
bigbruddah says:
September 22, 2010, 3:36 PM ET
Vick's character will alway come into question. Let's see how he behaves in the future after he retires when he's
back in Newport News hangin' with his so called friends. Michael Irvin? Lawrence Taylor? I hope I'm wrong
and he really did have an epiphany in prison. That would be a miracle.
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Eagles QB Michael Vick's redemption came before starting nod ...
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afram1sports says:
September 22, 2010, 12:35 AM ET
The guy paid his debt to society. He did terrible things to those dogs, and it cost him 18 months of his freedom,
the loss of respect from a LOT of sportsfans, and *$130 MILLION.*
That's one heck of a debt to pay. He will never earn that kind of money back, and yes, he did it to himself.
He's paid up. The shame and punishment has made him more humble, that makes him a better person. Might not
matter to you, but it will to his family, his children.
BuckeyeBattleCry2002 says:
September 22, 2010, 12:17 AM ET
Am I the only one over looking the fact that this guy "Played Well" against the Lions?
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