That Reid selected a running back named Thomas Hamner in the sixth round of the 2000 draft. A year later, when Hamner was cited for beating his pit bull in public and failed to show up for a court appearance, Reid released him.
No second chances, no shot at redemption. Hamner's football career was over without intervention from Tony Dungy or meetings with the NFL commissioner.
That same season, 2001, Reid released defensive back Terrence Carroll after Carroll was arrested for possession of marijuana. The other players in the car with Carroll, running back Correll Buckhalter and defensive back Darrel Crutchfield, were suspended for a game. Buckhalter, the only one who went on to have a significant NFL career, also saw his playing time reduced after the incident.
How did That Reid become the Reid who introduced Vick as the newest member of the Eagles on Friday morning? Based on 10-plus years of covering the man and his teams, there seem to be three compelling factors.
The first became apparent Thursday night when Reid voluntarily brought up the travails of his sons Britt and Garrett - a topic he has gotten up and walked out of news conferences in order to avoid. Nothing will erode a man's sense of certainty about himself or about life as quickly and profoundly as serious problems with his children.
"I've seen people close to me who have had second chances and taken advantage of those," Reid said, stepping way out of his brusque news conference character. "It's very important that people give them opportunities to prove that they can change, so we're doing that with Michael."
