As I drove to a meeting this morning, I listened to sports talk on ESPN and was taken aback by the passion of Colin Cowherd, discussing the future of Michael Vick. Colin made no bones about his contempt for the man as he engaged a discussion about Vicks future.

He made various points, including pro sports not being a ‘privilege’. Hell, I dunno how that enters into the discussion. If you have a skill set that merits pro consideration, I guess you’ll get to play professional sports. Vick has just completed about 23 months in jail, is reportedly penniless and whether there’s a team out there willing to give him a chance, remains to be seen. But if there is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, is there not a presumption of remorse, after a convict has done his time and paid his penalties? Vick surely regrets the consequences of his hobby.

Vick surrendered a humongous amount of salary and endorsement millions with his conviction. He spent almost two years behind bars. His crime: supporting and participating in dog fighting. What seems to particularly offend Cowherd is the aspect of ‘torture’; that element sends him over the edge, bristling with outrage and disgust, characterizing Vick as a sociopath, “either with very low IQ or with something missing, something wrong upstairs”. When Colin compared Vick to Jeffrey Daumer, then asserted that there are worse crimes than killing people,I began to question his objectivity.

Now I don’t know Michael Vick, personally. I doubt Cowherd does either. I am not a fan of dogfighting or pit bulls…but I do know that there are quite a few aspects of sports to which I don’t personally subscribe – like cock-fighting. Or cagefighting, ultimate sports. Not every shot taken by a hunter is a killing shot; I’m sure many animals crawl off in agony to die or recover. When fish are caught, they suffocate as they are brought on board. And football is as much a game of skill as it is of violence.

I’m not condoning dogfighting or whatever brutality Michael Vick committed as a participant. I’m just saying that two years of prison and probation and bankruptcy would seem meaningful punishment . And if sufficient talent remains and a team is willing to take a gamble on him, bad PR and all, should he be denied that opportunity?

In the realm of crime and punishment, far worse has been done with far lighter criminal consequences, so why the special vehemence for Vick? I’ve always enjoyed Cowherd’s commentary, tho I may not always agree with his points but in this case, it seems something else is operative. I’m not playing the race card here (I dunno how many Latino or white athletes approve of animal deathsports) but such outrage, following Vick’s incarceration strikes me as a bit of overkill.

21 May ‘09