Enough already: Give Vick a second chance

Maybe 11 weeks away from work has made me soft, but I don't see why everyone is dissecting every word Michael Vick says. Is he sorry, really sorry, he executed those dogs, people want to know, and if he is, why isn't he communicating that better? Why doesn't he just say, "Man, I have nightmares about those little puppies, and I'm so sorry I bludgeoned them to death."

Take yesterday, for example. Vick spoke to about 200 freshmen at a Hunting Park high school in a joint appearance with the head of the Humane Society of the United States. He told the kids to listen to their parents, use their teachers as role models, and be leaders and not followers. He told the story about how he lost everything because of his "foolish" decision to fight dogs, and how sorry he was that he messed up his life as a result.

But he didn't apologize for killing the dogs. He said he "didn't choose to go the right way, which led to 18 months of being in prison," something he called "the toughest time in my life."

"I wish I could take it all back, because I did so many things that was wrong and was influenced by so many people," Vick added.

To some people, that wasn't enough. He sounded too rehearsed. There wasn't enough contrition. He seemed sorry only that he got caught, not sorry for what he did. And his partnership with the Humane Society looked only like a partnership of convenience, a vehicle for Vick to rehabilitate his beleaguered image and regain entry into the National Football League.

That could all be true, but at this point, what is more important is that Vick has learned his lesson, knows now that fighting dogs is wrong and won't do it again. If the reason he won't is because he's afraid of losing what he has, well, so be it. Isn't the goal to save dogs, not hurt them?

I had an opportunity to watch this Vick saga unfold from afar, and it was fascinating how people tried to make Vick into who they wanted him to be. Some wanted him to be articulate and remorseful, to prove he was really sorry for doing something that was a part of his life since he was a child. Some wanted him essentially to disavow everything he knew, and to express regret. And when he didn't do it to people's satisfaction, they crucified him.