1 COBRA

I wonder if Michael Vick ever broke a fight between two pitbulls.

Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:24 am EST
Eagles players honor Michael Vick with award for courage

By Chris Chase

According to Philadelphia Eagles players, the most courageous man on the team in 2009 was one who started the year serving time in prison for an act of extreme cowardice.
Today, the Eagles announced that Michael Vick was the 2009 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award, an honor given to a player who shows courage in the face of adversity. Vick's teammates voted for the award, thus demonstrating how tone-deaf and out-of-touch NFL players are with reality.
According to the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation Web site: One recipient is selected from each NFL team, usually for things like coming back from injury, doing good work in the community or long, dedicated service to a franchise. I'd be surprised if the award's founders intended for the honor to be given to someone doing community service as part of the terms of his parole or for showing courage in the face of reporters asking legitimate questions about federal crimes.

The Eagles' vote is not only a slap in the face to the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation, but to the other 31 players who won the award for their respective teams. Some men are truly deserving of the honor, like Ravens safety Dawan Landry(notes) who was nearly paralyzed last year, but has come back in '09 with four interceptions and a touchdown or Mike Furrey(notes) of the Browns, who does extensive volunteer work in his community. Adding Vick's name to the roll makes the award seem illegitimate and meaningless.

Apparently Philadelphia players confuse Vick handling dogfighting questions and booing with a measure of class as some sort of courage. That Vick only got a chance to show this mild courageousness because of the extreme cowardice it takes to murder helpless animals isn't something that crosses their mind. They confuse Vick's desperation with some sort of integrity.

I'm all for second chances and find myself rooting for Vick to redeem himself both on and off the football field. He's served an appropriate sentence (and then some) and I see no reason for him to keep paying for his past transgressions. But I also see no reason to celebrate his character.

Michael Vick(notes) is very much a work in progress. A few years from now, I hope he will be deserving of such an honor. At this time, however, he has only just started down the path to redemption.

stangfoeva

Wow.... I think Chris Chase needs to come down off of his soap box

houtex

I think he doesn't, and is exactly right. Dude hasn't done anything except be a backup QB after jail time for killing dogs. There have GOT to be a few others that deserve this more.

stangfoeva

*sigh* the world is so quick to pass judgement....yet so slow to forgive

houtex

One can be forgiven rather quickly for stealing a bottle of juice after paying and/or serving time for it. Done deal. Forgiving for what Vick did is a different matter altogether.

However, just to be sure, the man did his penance, I hope he's changed his habits, and is going to be 'fine'. No different that I'd treat anyone else that did what he did. He's just a pro football player instead of a bus driver or something. I'm not a hater. Dude has a right to work, good for him for finding it.

The issue isn't that in the first place on this thread... it's what I said before: There has *got* to be a better deserving person than a backup quarterback who only has to live with what he's done in the past, and the boos he'll have to endure for a while. Seriously. The award, like the Nobel Peace Prize, is now tainted with under achievement as a standard, and THAT is what is not cool about him getting it.

stangfoeva

Its just funny to me that no one realizes that the severity of what he did is all relative (relative to the cultures in which different people are raised). For me personally I find it just as cruel when people force horses to race all their lives only to be put down as soon as they're injured. Or the way bulls are treated at rodeos, etc. I could go on and on. But that is besides the point and not really here nor there.

Back on topic, I don't think it taints the award. There are what about 50 players on an NFL team? I think if they all felt he deserved it, then he probably did. After they all know him a lot better than we do. All we see of Vick is what the media chooses and nothing else.

Quoting the definition of the award, "an honor given to a player who shows courage in the face of adversity." I think he qualifies. It took a lot of courage for Vick to get back on the field under intense scrutiny with pretty much everyone hating you. It's already tough being an NFL quarterback, let alone missing two seasons, with everyone wanting you to fail (some of it deserved), AND being in Philadelphia. To me that takes courage

1 COBRA

It would have taken a lot more courage not being a sadist.

Had he not been caught, would he be endorsing pet adoptions or bankrolling clandestine dog fights and enjoying every second of flesh and blood flying all over the place?

BoogieNights

Ok what Vick did doesnt even compare to what you mentioned. As for the race horses they are not forced to race. It is in their blood . They are bred to race. Also them being put down due to any injury is not true. They only put them down when the injury is too much for the horse. For example if they break a leg it will not heal like if we were to break one so the most humane thing to do is put it down.



Ok I think it does taint the awarddue to what he did was an illegal act. He got busted. Yes he did finsh out his sentence but still. He knew already people were not going to like him returning. Giving him that award to me just shows people hey you can do something illegal and get caught and still be awarded for things. So those that actually deserve the award just got beat by someone that got busted doing an illegal act and came back to playing football. This is just my opinion stated thats all.

stangfoeva

The same can be said for anybody that ever did anything wrong. Would they have ever felt sorry for what they did if they never got caught? Who knows....maybe...maybe not...

First off let me say this, I don't agree with what Michael Vick did. As a matter of fact I hate what he did to those poor dogs. BUT, I don't hate him.

So Let me adjust the first sentence, "Ok what Vick did doesnt even compare to what you mentioned in your opinion."

Like I said it's a cultural thing. Just like a cow is sacred animal to Hindus, and to most Americans its just an uncooked hamburger. To you horse racing is fine because "its in their blood" or "they are bred that way". But to me, I feel if the horses had a choice they would choose not to be whipped on the back, forced to stay in stalls, and have people riding on them. I could use the same argument for the dogs, they are bred to fight too.

But who knows which one of us is right?

I just want people to consider the fact that culture has a lot to do with what he did when they start portraying Vick as some sort of psycho dog serial killer.


We'll probably just have to agree to disagree here. I think its just as much worth celebrating when someone cleans up their act, as someone who never messes up. The story of the prodigal son best illustrates this...

BoogieNights

Thank you I forgot to put that in there.

I said that due to the fact that I do have a horse ranch. Yes I do have to agree with you one one point and that is the whipping them on the back. I hate when the jockeys do that. You bring up the point that dogs are bred to fight. Dogs are made by their owners to fight. They are not bred that way. Yes the owners only choose agressive dogs. Anybody can train any breed of dog to fight.

The only thing I see when I see him is what he did. How he served his time. and returned back to football. To me there is no reason to place him above anybody else.




That is true. Yes it is worth celebrating when someone cleans up their act but, why should they recieve an award like this when they have yet to prove that they actually cleaned up their act.

stangfoeva

Well Dirk I think the only place we disagree is in the first paragraph I quoted you on above. I try to look past what he did when I see him, believing that he only did it because he was raised in a place where that was ok.

As for your second paragraph I'll have to concede there, as I have no way of proving that he has truly cleaned his act up. Basically, I'm just giving him the benefit of the doubt based on the fact that his team voted on the award.

I'm glad we had this little debate though. It's enlightened me to another point of view

BoogieNights

I didnt think it was a debate. I was just thinking that we were just sharing our point of views.

Now if he proves that he has changed and cleaned up his act I will start looking at him as a respectable person. I am not trying to down the guy I just think that in my own opinion he shouldnt have been given the award. There again his teammates are the one that choose him to recieve it. I got some respect for him in the fact that yes it took a lot of guts to get back out on the field after what he did. So maybe there is hope.

stangfoeva

Yes lets hope he does prove himself worthy

1 COBRA

Which culture are you referring to? The only one which comes to mind is the opposite of what parents usually teach their kids. Besides, if an ambiguous culture type of reasoning were to be the justification for his actions then why the underground secrecy? If anything it proves his awareness of right and wrong. He had choices and made the one he preferred since he thought he could get away with it. Add the fact that the NFL has a Code of Conduct just as most major corporations do and every associate, vendor, subcontractor, and employee without exception is covered on a annual basis. That is why innocense or ignorance to the facts were never part of his defense stratery.

Such a person to be celebrated with a short time redemption is a farce. The only sure thing is Michael Vick has done is to comply with the terms of his parole therefore he has no choice given prison would be the alternative.

Yet I am not surprised at his supporters or apologists, given our present state of decay in our anything goes society.

stangfoeva

1. In the culture he grew up dog fighting is just another part of life. They have "underground secracy" for the simple fact that is illegal. But just because something is illegal does not imply it has moral consequences. (i'm not saying dog fighting isn't immoral, just stating that just because he knew it was illegal doesn't mean he knew it was immoral.) I have no clue about your background or upbringing, but it really would be impossible for you to understand unless you grew up in a similar situation as Vick

I am also not surprised at the people who jump at the chance to bury anyone the second they make a mistake given the present state of decay in our society.

Evil_Capri

I think the key issue is "time" as noted above and it is not as if Vick solicited this award on his own accord (at least from what I have read.) Perhaps after a couple years of trying to redeem his character he would (and perhaps should) be rewarded with this award and be deserving of it at the same time.

1 COBRA

You are correct. Our own words are the antidote to the fog within sight.

It appears we both jumped at chance to clearly state our positions. Regardless of imaginary excuses, there is no gray area on this topic. Perhaps Michael Vick will be selected as the NFL's MVP as well and we can once again reaffirm our ideals.

burningman

This I can agree with 100%

He has done nothing more than do what he could to get away with the minimum punishment.

And I'm sorry Jason but I can't even for minute think there was a least deserving person for this award...but that is my opinion.

stangfoeva

that's fine. I tend to think his teamates know him far better than we do anyway...