Fallen from Grace: Mike Vick

     Mike Vick, just saying that name is going to evoke a different reaction from just about everyone you ask.  After serving 2 years in prison on dog fighting charges Mike Vick returned to professional football and is still a polarizing figure.  Many hate him for the cruelty he displayed through his underground dog fighting ring, while countless others also view him as a reformed man.  Vick took several actions to attempt to improve a horrendous public opinion.  

     The first of which was he tried to change was the attitudes of the public through focusing on the educational aspect of attitudes.  After getting out of prison, Vick appeared on numerous television programs speaking out against the actions he took in dog fighting.  He became an advocate for teaching about the horrors of dog fighting and was often a guest speaker on the subject.  Through the very story alone the public learned how rampant illegal dog fighting rings were in America.  By using himself as an example, Vick succeeded in teaching younger people the wrongs he had committed and how much he regretted what he had done.  Ultimately, Vick shed a light on the subject through his own follies, and has done all he could to discourage such behavior. 

     Vick also influenced the public through “events, rather than just words” as Seitel described in the text.  Soon after his release from prison Vick appeared before congress to lobby for passing anti-dog fighting legislature.  On the football side of the story, during Mike Vick’s first season as an Eagle he had a sign in his locker that simply read “Walk the talk”.  According to team personnel Vick worked extremely hard in the film room, studied, stayed late at practice and was extremely supportive of his fellow teammates.  Vick also exploded back onto the NFL scene in 2010, posting career numbers and leading the Eagles to a post season berth.