Michael Vick isn't someone you want your daughter marrying. You wouldn't invite him for a nice dinner with the neighbors. Frankly, I don't even want to look at him. If he lived in my neighborhood, I'd seek a restraining order to keep him away from our pets.
He fought dogs. He drowned dogs. He electrocuted dogs. He enjoyed the competition. How sick is that?
Vick's behavior was beyond despicable, but he was prosecuted, lost his job, went to prison and paid his debt to society. That's how the system works. Thursday night against Jacksonville, he began his attempt to rehabilitate his NFL career and his standing as a decent human being.
But enough about Vick. I could care less whether he is motivated by money, religious beliefs or some sudden moral epiphany. What I want to know is this: Can his acts of contrition with the Humane Society of the United States have an impact on the tens of thousands of youngsters engaged in dog fighting? Can his words condemning his cruel actions dissuade kids from acting similarly? Convince them that it's not OK to torture animals?
"Endlessly flogging Vick will not save one more dog," said Wayne Pacelle, the HSUS president and CEO who is overseeing Vick's involvement with an extensive anti-cruelty campaign. "Our approach here is purely pragmatic. He has been fighting dogs since he was 8 years old. If he connects with the kids, convinces one or more of them to go another way, then it's worth it."
According to the HSUS, about 40,000 people are involved in professional dog fighting in the United States, most of them white males in rural areas. Another 100,000 or so Americans routinely are connected to loosely organized dog fighting, with most of the illegal activity involving young males in urban settings.
"That wasn't the way that things was supposed to be," Vick explained during his recent "60 Minutes" appearance. "And all because of the so-called culture that I thought was right -- that I thought was cool."
Given the crippling budget cuts within the animal rights industry, Pacelle's idea is certainly worth exploring. It's essential to try something, anything. As Pacelle pointed out, Vick isn't a serial killer; the dog-fighting numbers reflect an industry, not a freak occurrence.
Of course, whether Vick or any other pro athlete can influence the way youngsters regard animals remains to be seen. The recruitment of Ron Artest by the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after the former Sacramento King was accused of neglecting his dogs played to mixed results. Artest often was late or missed events altogether.
"Yet the reality is, when such a high-profile athlete is involved, it certainly helps gain attention and money," said Rick Johnson of the local SPCA. "If that is the measurement, Ron allowed us to get our message out. And he did nothing purposefully to hurt animals. With Michael Vick, with someone involved so closely with cruelty ... maybe, maybe."
This entire matter should be greeted with a healthy dose of skepticism. Was Vick sincere on national TV or reading from a script written by advisers? Suddenly he has a heart? A conscience?
No, judgment day is five, maybe 10 years away, when the incidences of dog fighting have been reduced. Or not reduced. Let's hear from Michael Vick then.
(Contact Ailene Voisin at avoisin@sacbee.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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