The Philadelphia Eagles unanimously nominated quarterback Michael Vick as their team’s 2009 recipient of the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award. The Eagles said in a statement:
Each year, the Ed Block Courage Award honors those National Football League players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. They are selected in a vote by their teammates for team effort as well as individual performance.
This is a weighty honor, especially considering that Vick has only played in 12 games with the Eagles so far since joining the team this season following his release from jail for his role in running a dog-fighting ring on his Virginia property.
Much has been said and written about Vick and his return to the NFL, even more than a few words on this Web site. He has served his time and returned to his previous employer for a million-dollar-plus salary, which is a lot more than most convicted felons can say – particularly just a few months out of jail.
What I’m struggling with is the concept of courage and Vick’s own willingness to bang the drum of how deserving he is.
“I’ve overcome a lot, more than probably one single individual can handle or bear,” Vick said. “You ask certain people to walk through my shoes, they probably couldn’t do. Probably 95 percent of the people in this world because nobody had to endure what I’ve been through, situations I’ve been put in, situations I put myself in and decisions I have made, whether they have been good or bad.
“Probably 95 percent of the people in this world because nobody had to endure what I’ve been through…”
Hold on. Cut. Um, people go through stuff, Michael. People all over the world deal with terrible things every day that they totally didn’t inflict upon themselves, hear? They might not have to go to JAIL, no. They might not have to face losing bajillions of dollars they were never going to make in the first place. They might not have PETA on their asses, right. But they deal with things. You might even know some of them.
He went on to say that he needed to continue proving himself, yes, so I think he maybe 30 percent gets it, maybe, I’m not at all proficient in math, but I still don’t get this award, and I do not in any way, shape or form understand the Philadelphia Eagles although I know some pretty hard core fans who still nonetheless do not like to speak of Vick at all. Seriously. Super quiet, quieter than Redskins people.
Really? I don’t have to actively rail against Michael Vick, no. But I am equally opposed to supporting him, or anyone who was ever responsible for such a thing. There are so many people out there to support who never found it necessary to engage in such horrific activities. I can leave him to his devices and let him do what he does, as he’s been allowed to do by the NFL, but I still have to wonder about him and courage existing in the same sentence just yet, much less standing on a stage receiving an award for it.
I just don’t think that walking back on the field is necessarily courageous, when it’s his job and he was lucky to get one. I’ve heard him talking a lot but the test of time hasn’t shown the extent of his capabilities or his rehabilitation.
I also have to wonder what other examples of courage exist on the Eagles roster, if Vick’s was sufficient to beat them all.
Vick will be honored along with players from each of the other NFL teams at a March banquet in Baltimore.
Photo credit: Nflfootball2.blogspot.com
“The Philadelphia Eagles unanimously nominated quarterback Michael Vick as their team’s 2009 recipient of the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award. ”
The Philadelphia Eagles are unanimously a bunch of idiots. He overcame his criminal dogfighting ring and prison sentence? He went back to his job only making $1 million a year? He moved to Pennsylvania?
Screw that. If he is the most courageous person on that team I am worried about the rest of those guys.
It’s the sportsmanship thing that gets me too. I just think transitions take longer, and I’m wondering if this wasn’t a concerted effort to speed his up in the court of public opinion.
Or maybe I just think nothing is genuine anymore when it comes to things like this. I’ll have to think about that some more.
Ugh. That’s just awful. And stupid. I mean really? Overcoming his own mistakes?
Yeah. Courageous. Let’s give him a medal while we’re at it. Or maybe a trophy that says, “Stopped Killing Dogs.”
This whole thing just amazes me. He is out of jail, playing football, making a million dollars a year, AND THEN THIS! Courageous my ass. Try being an ex-con in America and getting a job. Now that is courageous.
I believe I deserve an award for having the courage to not strangle, electrocute or drown any dogs for not just this last year, but for the last 41 years.