Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Remember when Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick led an illegal dogfighting ring, a cruel bloodsport that pits canine against canine for the sole purposes of gambling and violence, often resulting in the death of innocent animals? Remember that guy? Yeah, well, he's getting a TV show.
Tentatively titled "The Michael Vick Project", the BET docu-series will follow the athlete-cum-convicted felon (who was accused of "directly participating in dog fights and executions") as he seeks remorse for his actions. In doing so, the program will chronicle Vick's return to the NFL, as well as his attempt to find redemption for his actions, which have not been forgotten among the animal activist set. In fact, PETA spokesman Dan Shannon tells the L.A. Times, "People who abuse animals don't deserve to be rewarded, [nor should they] be given multimillion-dollar contracts ... or the privilege of being a role model."
We must agree with PETA (although that shouldn't come as a surprise). No matter how regretful Vick may (or may not) be of his actions, the fact that he has so quickly bounced from behind prison bars to the front of a camera lens seems blatantly opportunistic and ultimately in poor taste. Furthermore, Vick's claim that the show will be "a blueprint for so many kids" is laughable. Considering all the societal ills threatening children today, remaining a filthy rich sports star after being punished for killing dogs for more money isn't necessarily at the top of the totem pole.
Exactly what good will "The Michael Vick Project" do? More over, what good can "The Michael Vick Project" do? An idea such as this says less about genuine redemption than it does about both ratings-hungry television executives and overeager public relations staffers eagerly taking advantage of "how entertainment works now." The prospect of handing Vick a reality show steeped in themes of atonement and salvation -- for which his compensation hasn't been disclosed (um, hi, animal rights charity?) -- should read less as a socially conscious act and more as a tactless, crafty method of image repair, all in the name of -- you guessed it -- money.
Sponsored Links
Add your comments
Advertisement
Can't Miss Galleries
Today's Popular Articles
"Hachi: A Dog's Tale" DVD Giveaway- Prinny, the Cat Who Swims Like a Fish
- Golden Retriever Eats Three-Carat Diamond Worth $20,000
Hide your Beagle
Vick's an Eagle
At least give him a chance to see if he's changed. You can't blame him for being a celebrity...Once a celebrity, always a celebrity, so even if he's a completely different man than he was when he commited those crimes, he's still a celebrity.
Being a celebrity does not give you extra special rights, and the belief that they do is helping destroy our society. If Brad Pitt raped and murdered 30 teenage girls in painfully malicious ways, but, "did his time", would he deserve to bounce out of a prison and onto his own t.v. show about how he makes his, "way" back? Vick has yet to apologize to all the dogs he tortured, nor has he made any movement in the way of voluntarilly contributing to numerous animal humane agencies and shelters a single penny of the million he'll be making between his NFL contract and his outrageous show.
He drowned live animals and stopped only because he was forced to. He served his time because he had no other choice. Make no mistake, there is nothing humble or noble going on here, just greed.
Michael Vick is who he is at his core. I'm not saying people can't change because I've seen many who did so. But bouncing out of jail onto the t.v. without taking a breath, does not speak of much change, it expresses no remorse, other than that that is to his benefit, no regrets, except that he got caught, no grief other than that for the money he didn't earn while in jail. Except for no longer participating in dog fights, because he is legally prevented from doing so, this looks like the same big-headed, self-involved, greedy, angry Michael Vick to me and he looks like he still doesn't really, "get it." In his world, those were, "just dogs" and he, the great Micael Vick has been embarassed and done a disservice and so he will make it up in the only way he knows, the only thing he holds close to his twisted heart - greed. Being a celebrity has nothing to do with anything as far as justice goes. He served his time because he was forced to. He seems just as lost in self-pity as the day he went in.
I hope the show is an enormous failure, but this is America, where money talks and dog killers walk.
I agree. Give the guy a chance to see what he's doing. I would think that those who despise his actions might welcome this as a teaching tool for the country's youth to educate them about how wrong dog fighting is. Has it ever occurred to anyone who wants to eternally punish this man that he may honestly be remorseful and want to use his celebrity to try and fix what he broke? Maybe if someone had done this when he was a kid, he might have stayed away from the dog fighting himself. You can't simply assume that people should know better. Not everyone does. Maybe, if this is done right, it will steer his young fans away from his mistakes and toward a better path. If it turns out to be pure exploitation, then by all means criticize it, but to preemptively judge the way people are doing is just wrong. Let's first see what is going to be done before passing judgment. It may end up being a valuable insight to kids who may otherwise remain unreached.
AMEN! Eliot! Everything you said! Vick makes me sick andall I have to say is he better hope his life never depends on me!
Now this is utterly pathetic!
Michael Vick made a horrible mistake. Let it go! Is he suppose to pay the rest of his life for this mistake? He paid for his crime - 2 years of prison. He has the right to make a living to support himself and his family. I wish him luck
He served 18 months of a 2 year sentence and has yet to apologize or truely show remorse. He apologizes for what went on but distances himself by shifting the blame to his crew, said he didnt know what was going on on his property, yeah, right! He has yet to take reponsibility for the role he played. This lack of accountability is not the act of a role model, he should rot in Hell and not be rewarded for his henious behavior.
The only reason he quit the dogfighting biz is that he got caught!Remorseful, ha!
I AGREE WITH YOU AND ANYONE WHO THINKS HE CHANGED IFORGET.
What is wrong with BET for even considering airing a Michael Vick reality show?? With so many notable black americans to chose from, they pick low life criminal/ animal torturer Michael Vick to parade as a roll model. Hummm and we wonder why there are so many problems in the black community. BET you have a responsibilty to the black community. By holding up somebody like Michael Vick as a shining example of black success your telling young people that this type of behavior and sick cruelty is something to aspire to. You make me sick. Myself, my family and my friends will be boycotting BET and their sponsors until you no long flaunt thugs, pimps and criminals as roll models.
This guy should be made to work in a dog pound for minimum wage for the remainder of his misbegotten life. A role model? You've got to be kidding! He is a lousy exploiter. His ego and vanity would fill a football stadium and spill over into the sewers. He makes me sick and he makes me angry. People with money never seem to suffer do they. Tar and feather this creep and ride him out of the public life on a rusty rail.
it sickens me that vick is making more money off what he has done, hes not sorry for any of it and now hes got everyone fooled of course hes going to say hes sorry and he has changed its all about the money, only in america do we make people like him some kind of hero , come on BET take a stand dont give him his own show im really disapointed you have sank this low any animal lover or even decent human being will not watch this show maybe you should show the dogs and how they were found because obvisouly you need your memory refreshed.
All of those who feel sorry for Michael Vick or say Give HIM a Break are not looking at this horrib ordeal for what it truly was- murder pure and simple- a life, many lives, albeit canine, still lives. Shame on him.
i dont care where you come from. this is, and always has been wrong. you do not need someone to tell you that killing a living creature, particularly, causing pain and harm to a living creature is wrong! if it is not done for food or your own personal safety there is no excuse for this. NO EXCUSE FOR THIS! My parents did not have to tell me not to kill or harm animals.
i belive in forgiveness. 100%, but not for INTENTIONAL harm or death of any creature.
this entire thing is aweful and pathetic. what is wrong with this country!?
money. money. money. money. money. money.
This man makes me sick. I'm all for forgiving him but this man has done damage to a beautiful breed of dog. It's people like him that do not deserve to be forgiven. The best part of this story is I hope and pray his show fails, miserably! I think the only thing he understands is money. Whoever said he should have to work in an animal shelter making minimum wage for the next several years read my mind. Actually I'd love to see him thrown in a pit with a 400 pound wrestler with both hands tied behind his back for about 2 or 3 hours. Then pull all of his teeth out without being sedated....I'm sure I could think of more mean and cruel things to do to him that would come close to what he did to his dogs. He is one pathetic human being!
If Mike Vick get his own television show, then I think Charlie Manson should be released and given his own television show as well...In fact, why not release all prisoners and put them all on television...This is despicable and I know that all animals lovers in the world will stay as far away from his show as is humanly possible...Anyone convicted of any kind of animal abuse should spend life in prison and not be given all these second chances to try to redeem themselves...Animal abuse is not something that you just do and then expect it to all be forgotten...He should be chained to a post in the middle of the Arizona desert and left there to the elements and to all of mother nature's little desert creatures..The two years he spent in prison will in no way even begin to compenstate for all the crime and suffering he put those poor dogs thru...Dogs that probably wagged their tails when they saw him coming, thinking he was their friend...I hope his show is a complete flop and I hope BET wises up and only puts people on their channel that deserve to be there...People that are good people and have accomplished great things in their lives, not common criminals that are no good to themselves or to anyone else...
So many Americans..... So many christians..... Yet so quick to judge, condemn, and never forgive..
~“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6.37)~