We have all made mistakes in our life. Some have been minor, some have been major. Either way we can all agree we want forgiveness afterward.  Michael Vick has finished his jail sentence and moved on in life by signing with the Philadelphia Eagles.  However, many fans are still ready to chastise Vick for his past and the Eagles organization for having the audacity of signing him.  We should all calm down and forgive Vick.

Many people who are unfamiliar to the NFL don’t realize how important Vick was to the NFL.  He was a superstar, a role model, and one of the most renowned Quarterbacks in the league. Though many don’t know it, Michael Vick has the most career rushing yards for a quarterback in the entire existence of the NFL.  He was the face of the Falcon’s franchise and led them to many wins and playoff games.  He had countless endorsements including some major companies such as Nike, Powerade, and EA Sports.  Before the incident, Mike Vick was possibly the most popular quarterback in the league.  That all changed when Vick was indicted on charges of dog fighting.  Property that belonged to Vick was found with dogs that were battered, abused, and deceased.  He lost all of his endorsements, was released by the Falcons, and had to file for bankruptcy.  Vick was then sentenced to 23 months in jail which he completed and was released from on May 21.  He recently signed a one year, 1.6 million dollar contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.  We should be proud of the man for turning his life around.

However, there are still many protests to Vick returning to the NFL.  Eagle fans have now pledged that they will no longer follow their team since the Vick signing.  Others have said that the Vick signing has completely ruined the image of the Eagle’s organization.  In addition, there are those that believe that Vick shouldn’t have even been reinstated. Even many Legacy students are returning to the NFL.

“I was a Vick fan before the dog fighting. But now, I don’t think he deserved to be re-instated. Why would he do that to the dogs? I don’t forgive him,” sophomore, Josh Highland said.

“I think that if you were that cruel to animals you don’t deserve to be re-instated just because you’re an icon,” junior, Kalli Vil said.

Before you’re ready to condemn Vick, put yourself in his position.  He was a very talented quarterback and an icon to fans and followers that just happened to make one slip up.  Would you want to be put down by one mistake?  We don’t know how far the ripples of our decisions will go, but if it does go bad everyone wants a second chance to redeem themselves.  Let’s give Vick another shot and in time he might become the comeback player of the league. Then he’ll be a better icon than he was before.  This time he won’t just be a talented athlete, he’ll be a man who weathered a mistake and had the courage to turn it around and make things right.