The Road Less Travelled

The fall was incomparable. The rise has been incomprehensible.

It was July 17, 2007. Atlanta Falcons star QB Michael Vick is indicted, along with three others on multiple charges in relation to their dogfighting ring, Bad Newz Kennelz, which was housed on property owned by Vick in Surry County, Virginia. The details of what went on at these dogfighting events were enough to weaken the knees of animal lovers everywhere (or just people who have a soul). Dogs would be electrocuted, shot, drowned and hung; it’s hard to tell whether or not the brutality even stopped there. The behaviors of Vick and his co-defendants were beyond reprehensible.

Then, somehow, things got worse for Michael Vick.

After the charges were filed, Vick issued a widely criticized prepared statement, in which he seemed to show little emotion and even less remorse. Initially, Vick and his co-defendants plead not guilty, but all changed their pleas after Tony Taylor had issued his “summary of the facts”, which detailed the unconscionable treatment that the Bad Newz Kennelz dogs went through. Taylor’s account put Vick at center stage; fingered him as being the ringleader the whole time. Within days, Vick and his other comrades changed their not guilty pleas.

Most football fans expected Vick to get preferential treatment. Perhaps a short stay in a cozy, low security prison (maybe in a cell next to Martha Stewart). When two of Vick’s co-defendants received 18-21 months, and Tony Taylor received 60 days, that expectation persisted.

Then, Judge Henry Hudson threw a haymaker. Vick would receive a 23 month prison sentence, and there would be no cushy, lavish celebrity prison.

Vick was heading to Leavenworth, Kansas; to one of the largest, highest security prisons in the country. Months into his prison sentence, after continuing to support friends and family, Michael Vick filed for bankruptcy, nearly a year after his indictment.

The collapse was complete. It took one year for Michael Vick to become the biggest pariah in sports since O.J. Simpson. Almost universally despised and with no money in the bank, Vick hit rock bottom. Not many people expected a return to his glory days with the Falcons; some wondered if he would ever play football again. Perhaps more telling was the fact that no one wanted to see him return.

I should know. I was one of them.

I’ve grown up, as many of us have, with a true affinity for dogs. Man’s best friend? You’re damn right they are. I struggled to hold back tears thinking about what happened at 1915 Moonlight Road. I rejoiced when I heard Vick’s sentence, overjoyed at the severity of his punishment. In 2007-2008, I counted myself among Vick’s biggest detractors. I was more than happy to watch him fade into oblivion.

But then something strange happened. Vick started doing all the right things. While he was in prison, and after his release, Vick called upon the Big Brother of the NFL, Tony Dungy. Dungy was able to help Vick contact teams to gauge interest, and along with a nudge by quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Philadelphia Eagles took a chance on Vick. PETA protestors took the streets of Philly, calling for owner Jeffrey Lurie’s head. All the while, Vick silently pressed on, working diligently with the Humane Society as one of their main spokespeople.

One thing was plainly apparent though. Vick had lost a step. When on the field, Vick looked uncomfortable and out of shape; a far cry from his days with Atlanta.

Regardless of his performance on the field, praise started to slowly roll in. He was the unanimous winner of the Ed Block Courage Award, which was voted on by his Eagles teammates. After the offseason trade of Donovan McNabb, Vick graciously accepted the backup role once again, this time to youngster Kevin Kolb.

Then fate intervened. On opening day against Green Bay, in a lopsided game, Kolb was crushed by Packers star linebacker Clay Matthews, suffering a concussion and unable to return. Cue Vick’s opportunity. Vick took over the game, slinging the ball with accuracy that he never had, and running with the legs that we wrote off years ago.

The league hasn’t been the same since. Vick has combined his physical gifts with the work ethic and mental tenacity that is necessary to be a star quarterback. That was certainly on display this past Monday night, as Vick dissected the Redskins defense in one of the most dominating performances in NFL history.

The turbulence of the past 3 years has led us to one question: Who is the real Michael Vick? Is he still the same person who coldly proclaimed his innocence in front of reporters? Or is he the happy, hardworking star quarterback and animal rights activist? It’s a question that every football fan has pondered over the past year. We didn’t have a choice, Vick’s post-prison behavior forced us to ask it. The fact that we’re even considering that Vick could have changed should be seen as a victory.

Regardless of whether or not you believe that Vick is a different person now, we ought to thank him. Vick has made us question our preconceived notions, both of troubled athletes, and broadly, society as a whole. We must at least consider that people can, in fact, change. Americans pride themselves on being a forgiving and tolerant people, a nation of second chances. Hell, America was founded as a second chance. So can we live up to that? Do we have it in our hearts to embrace the repentant?

It is a question of faith and trust. And mine are in Michael Vick.

When Will the NFL Wake Up?

One of the biggest issues that has faced the NFL this summer was the examination that concluded that deceased Bengals WR Chris Henry had suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which was only previously found in players who had long since retired. I had expanded on this last month.

As the NFL season rapidly approches, the NFL has addressed this problem. How, you may ask? With a poster.

Some sportswriters are coming out in praise of the NFL, saying that it is a significant step in the right direction.

I'm not one of them.

Imagine you worked in an office building. You've begun to notice a few of your colleagues getting sick, the number growing larger and larger as time passes. Now imagine that an outside source has discovered that the office building is absolutely laced with asbestos, and that is the reason for the rampant illness.

Imagine still, that your bosses caught wind of the situation. You come into work one day and you see a poster at your desk which states, "This office building has asbestos everywhere. You might get sick. Please go back to work".

Would any of us want to work there? Probably not. That's the situation that NFL players are now in. The NFL has taken the stance of "There is a problem" rather than "There is a problem, and here is our plan to attempt to fix it".

In the wake of recent events, the NFL has been given a golden opportunity to firmly establish itself on the cutting edge of sports; to take a problem that has existed throughout its own sport and others, and stand up to it. When seen through that scope, the NFL's response is paltry at best. Criminally negligent at worst. The NFL is scoffing at its responsibility to the safety of their employees. It's not my nature to defend people who make millions for playing a game, but in a case where their overseers care more about profits than people, I make an exception. A racecar driver wouldn't step into a car unless it was of the highest safety quality, so why should an NFL player step foot on the field without being guaranteed the same?

This is not simply a scathing critique. It is a call to arms. Until both fans and players unite in common cause, the NFL will continue to treat this issue passively. The time has come for the NFL to both accept responsibility for it's lack of action and to prove to all who love football that the league cares about safety and honor above all else.

If only safety and honor were profitable.

Note: Expect another post (actually a Pittsburgh related one! shocking!) later tonight.

Chris Henry's Brain Offers Reprimand of NFL Complicity

Just over six months ago, tragedy struck the NFL when troubled Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was thrown from the back of a pickup truck and killed after an altercation with his fiancée. Friends and colleagues noted Henry’s sincere attempts to change his previous ways.

Today we understand more about Henry’s behaviors.

In a sensational article by the Post-Gazette’s Chuck Finder, we’re offered a look inside the brain of Chris Henry and a scathing critique of safety in the NFL.

It’s a lengthy and in-depth read, so you’re pressed for time, the article simply discusses how Henry likely suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), the same disease attributed to the depression and eventual deaths of former Steelers Mike Webster and Justin Strzelczyk. People who suffer from CTE have similar behaviors to those with Alzheimer’s or dementia. According to doctors, the tissue in Henry’s brain was very similar to someone eighty or ninety years old. According to Finder, Henry is the first active player to be diagnosed with CTE.

Taken alone, the article is disturbing enough. However, when all things are considered, it becomes shocking. Food for thought:

1. Henry was NEVER diagnosed with a concussion through high school, college or pro football.

2. Henry is by far the youngest football player (he was 26 at the time of his death) to ever be diagnosed with CTE. Mike Webster and Justin Strzelczyk were both long retired before experiencing serious troubles.

3. In comparison to Webster and Strzelczyk (both offensive lineman), Henry played a fairly docile position (wide receiver). While Webster and Strzelczyk were getting hit on every play, Henry was not.

When most people think about head injuries in the NFL, they think of the lineman or linebackers. Large men in the trenches putting their bodies on the line every single play. Outside of a kicker, the position of wide receiver is the least punishing. However, here is a wide receiver that was clearly suffering from severe trauma.

Let this situation serve as an indictment of the NFL’s lack of concern about the safety of their sport. I consider myself to be a typical football fan. What has always attracted me to the game is the passion and physical play. However, when that physicality begins to put people’s lives at risk; and Finder’s article DOES attribute many of Henry’s behaviors to the injuries he sustained, the NFL must re-evaluate its priorities. If a 26 year old wide receiver with no concussion history has the brain tissue of an 80 year old, something is drastically askew.

As players get bigger and stronger, the problem will get worse. Action needs to be taken now. If you have to outlaw head shots, do it. The sport and its fans will adapt. If they don’t, they were never fans to begin with.

Men like Chris Henry, Mike Webster, Justin Strzelczyk and many others cannot have died in vain. If this type of damage happened to Henry, it can happen to everybody and anybody in football.

In what has already been an extremely tumultuous offseason for the National Football League, this story will be overshadowed by the Roethlisberger situation, among others. Don’t be fooled. This is the most important thing that’s happened involving the NFL this year.

Don’t be afraid to stand up and hold the NFL responsible.


Note: I’ll update later tonight about the other happenings of the past weekend in sports. This was simply to important to skim over.