Comments on: Dungy Visits Vick

By: 12thman

12thman — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:43:02 +0000

So, if Dungy wants to stir up some publicity about going to minister to Vick, it’s all fine and dandy.
But if Kurt Warner did it…
Vick still has not paid his debt to the Old Dominion.

By: chipthejackass

chipthejackass — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:36:41 +0000

All I can say is if you want to bash Vick that is your choice. I don’t agree with what he has done but he has every right to change and prove he has changed. I am not his judge as I am guilty of plenty of wrong doing in my time. Not to the extent of his transgressions but I none the less have been guilty of doing bad things at a time or two. As for Dungy, if you want to step up and try to smear the name of a good and decent person who by all accounts has tried to do nothing but improve lives of those around him, I say you need to see a shrink. His motives must be only to try and help a young man who made a grievous mistake and now is finding it impossible to get back into the good graces of the public. Child molestors have had less trouble being re-established into society. Let us stop judging and start trying to make ourselves better and in turn make the lives of those around us better. That is, as far as I can tell, all Coach Dungy is trying to do in this case.

By: KWR

KWR — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:37:06 +0000

@ jwill007
Racist huh? Well, my black father, black wife and black son all agree with me. So you tell me who’s racist. Only racists call other people racist.
@Fanthom
There’s NOTHING wrong with any question. The real “shame of it” is that you probably think that you’re actually a worthwhile human being. You probably think you’re a good person instead of a worthless POS.

By: BigMatty

BigMatty — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:02:34 +0000

There are a lot of things that these pro-Vick guys seem to be missing. I keep hearing how he deserves a second chance, and I would tend to agree if this were an isolated incident that could be chalked up to a temporary lapse in judgment. But it wasn’t. It was an ongoing, brutal, criminal enterprise. People like this do NOT deserve a second chance, because they basically had a second chance each and every day that they woke up and had the chance to turn their life around. But he chose not to do that until he got caught. So if he has been bankrolling this since he started in the NFL…he played for 6 years…6×365=2,190… so basically he had 2,190 chances to turn his life around. And if he were truly a quality human being, he would have. Ask any blue collar guy out there and he will tell you that the fact of the matter is that sometimes life is tough and you just don’t get a second chance. Let alone 2,190 of them. In no way do I want there any chance of my son looking up to this man.
By law he has a right to earn a living… but that doesn’t mean that that living has to be made in the NFL.

By: GregO

GregO — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:58:01 +0000

@Fanthom
Methinks you have me confused with KWR. I never made any such comment.
Apology accepted.

By: texasPHINSfan

texasPHINSfan — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:28:21 +0000

i think many of you forget that Vick lied to Goodell several times to his face, even after this was uncovered (before he went to jail). someone who lies even after being charged is not showing remorse.
too many people are making a stink about the “genuine remorse” argument. it does not constitute a tearful apology on tv. you can determine this based on the individuals’ actions. as i said in another post, claiming a Ms. Pac Man arcade game on your bankruptcy case as a possession you’d like to protect does NOT show remorse to me. Angling for a plea-deal to serve the least amount of prison time doesn’t show remorse. Lying to Roger Goodell about your involvement after the initial charges were filed doesn’t show remorse. I’m guessing that those of you who are wondering about remorse didn’t even read his bankruptcy documents, and i’m guessing you didn’t hear his plea-deal demands. As has been said, his only remorse was that he was caught. It was a lifestyle, not a singular event or one-time bad choice. If he could do it again without getting caught, he would.
Regarding Dungy – this is strictly for publicity in my opinion. I’m an empathizer to the struggling prison-goer, within reason. If i was a ministry outreach participant, i’d be more interested in the possibly not-guilty guy behind bars facing an uphill legal battle; not a convicted felon who has had a nicer life than most. That’s why i question Dungy’s involvement. With all the incarcerated African Americans, the fact he chooses the most well-to-do and (arguably) famous one, really makes me question the motives of this thing.
If Dungy comes back and doesn’t say something to the effect of Vick learning his lesson, let him back, etc…. i’d be VERY surprised, and i’ll eat my shoe. i’ll even put it on youtube for you guys to see. Why do i say that? when is the last time you saw Dungy NOT support a fellow man? that should clearly illustrate a level of bias on Dungy’s part as we know he cannot be impartial, especially given the racial implications of this….
I know Dungy means well, but he can’t do anything but endorse…. so how can we weigh his opinion with any level of weight?

By: texasPHINSfan

texasPHINSfan — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:03:51 +0000

put me in the “this drops dungy down a couple of pegs” group….
dungy has no business talking to vick; and if he comes back and says goodell should re-instate vick (which he will do b/c he has a big heart), i will lose a ton of respect for Dungy. If he does that, this clearly becomes a racial issue for Dungy and not a morally correct issue. Vick has shown nothing to prove he’s learned a lesson (you mean claiming a Ms. Pac Man game on your bankruptcy filing proves remorse???).
I hate to play the race card, but this smells of dungy running to vick’s aid more than anything else. if Goodell wanted to feel out Vick, he could talk to him, himself. If Dungy had been Vick’s coach, that’s one thing. But he’s just a 3rd party that has nothing to do with any of this.

By: jwill007

jwill007 — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:21:11 +0000

“KWR says:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
How many white people does he visit in prison? ”
Dungy just got the job and he works for the NFL now if we get some White football players doing time that want to come back Im sure he would visit them……RACIST PEOPLE UNFORGIVING PEOPLE!
If it was their son or daughter they would be BEGGING the NFL to take him/her back…….Dont expect to go to heaven with that attitude..ENjoy hell!

By: olcap

olcap — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:44:23 +0000

“Genuine remorse” is something that can be shown in actions. Some Actios that Vick has recently engaged in show that he does not have “genuine remorse”. Take, for example, the fact that Vick feels entitled to millions in property, (mansions, cars, Ms. Pacman game), even while declaring bankruptcy. That action alone suggests a man that does not have any remorse for what he did genuine or not. Vick is a thug; always was and always will be, and if he is remorseful of anything, it’s the fact that he got caught. Think about how many inidents Vick was involved in before the dog fighting arrest. One after another, except he didn’t have to go to jail or lose any of his millions. Clearly, any type of “remorse” at this point is superficial and phony.
That said, “Don” Goodell will reinstate him and he is probably the one that suggested that Dungy do some PR work by his Vick visit. Disgusting!

By: Fanthom

Fanthom — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:35:28 +0000

GregO, you showed your true colors with your first comment, “How many white people does he visit in prison?” Do you have any genuine remorse for asking a question like that? The shame of it is that you probably don’t know’s wrong with that question.

By: Fanthom

Fanthom — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:28:05 +0000

Florio, you are unbelievable. You are on a lifetime rant about Michael Vick and that’s all there is to it. How many people get visits in prison from other people? Thank you. Stop overanalyzing Dungy’s intentions. Sverything I have read about Dungy is that he is a very spirtual person. And having heard him speak about subjects that you probably cannot begin to comprehend. They may have actually spoken about life in general and not so much about football, if at all. maybe Dungy wanted to counsel him right before he gets out. That does have its value, you know. And who among you gets to define remorse. That is so much crap. Florio, if he says he’s sorry, no matter how he says, you’ll question his motives. As wrong as Vick was for doing what he did, he is starting to get my sympathy simply because of Florio and those like him who are going overboard and blowing this whole thing out of proportion. You’re getting a little fanatical.

By: buzzbissenger

buzzbissenger — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:34:20 +0000

atl_since82,
I’ve loved dogs all my life, and not one of them has ever tried to make me kill for them, or kill me because I wasn’t adequate at killing for them. Yes I would rather live next to (and probably do) someone accused of harboring a murderer or someone conspiring to distribute narcotics rather than live next to someone who gambles on and kills inocent animals. Idiot.

By: noseman81

noseman81 — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:20:54 +0000

I, for one, would love to see Vick on my Skins. He’d make our offense dramatically better in an instant, and I know a lot of you guys have gotta be thinking the same thing.
However, I’m not so sure if him having a big run once out of fifteen snaps would be worth the constant pestering from the media and groups outside of the NFL. Any game he plays in from now on is going to be filled with the haters that bought a ticket, not as a fan, but just to yell profanities the entire time. Having him play in the NFL won’t ruin football by any means (it’ll make someone significantly better), but the crowd that follows him will go out of their way to. Any media interviews are going to be about the same old BS every day. It might be Gooddell’s best interest to keep that whole crapfest outta his league.
It’s a real shame when you consider his talent, and how someone like Jamaal Lewis goes to jail for cocaine trafficking (way more serious) and is able to resume his career without a hitch. And did we all forget how Ray Lewis killed a guy? Not a dog, another person. Yeah he knows what he did…

By: justinkwang

justinkwang — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:19:50 +0000

I am just amazed Florio admitted that the NFL has law-abiding players.

By: butterk2

butterk2 — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:52:17 +0000

@airborneavenger
completely different scenerio. Betting on the sport you are playing/managing is dangerous to the sanctity of the game and results. What vick did was outside of football and did not affect any game that was played. Either way i don’t care if he plays or not, I’m not an animal lover.

By: F00kFl0ri0

F00kFl0ri0 — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:01:52 +0000

Wow there’s a lot of anger on this website over dogs…… I wonder how many of the so-called outraged have adopted dogs from the local animal shelter? Maybe a few, but I bet less than half… Then the attacks on Tony Dungy and the suicide of his son, is just beyond belief. When Jack Kemp and Lou Saban died there was nothing but respect and honor attributed to these two men, but derision and insults with Dungy’s loss of his son….. This doesn’t add up……. You’re just going to have to come to your own conclusions….. You’re angry for some reason, and it’s easy to be a tough guy with the anonymity of the internet behind a keyboard….

By: VonClausewitz

VonClausewitz — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:00:31 +0000

Dungy’s just trying to help a man who made a bunch of mistakes get his life back rather than watch him be discarded and a message get sent to other disaffected kids that nobody gives a damn. Was Vick a douche for doing the things he did and subsequently lying like a rug with no apparent ability to feel remorse? Yes. But that doesn’t mean he’ll always be a douche. And to the whole ‘spin angle’ – If Vick’s a douche through and through he won’t be able to hide it from the league. He’ll be gone quickly. So what’s the loss in trying to change this guys life?

By: DJSlyBri

DJSlyBri — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:44:59 +0000

If Tony Dungy asks that people give Vick a second chance, many people will do so. Mr. Dungy appeals to many Christians, including my wife and I, and his word means something.
The one thing I find strange is people like you Florio and others questions Dungy’s motives. What does Dungy have to gain by standing up for Vick? If Dungy cared about bringing attention on himself, he would have never quits the Colts. Or, he’d pull a Favre and say he wanted to get back into coaching. Really, how fast would, say, Daniel Snyder fire Zorn for Dungy?
I know I am in the minority here but I think Vick deserves a second chance. Many of the readers here I am sure benefitted from a second chance at some point. I certainly did.

By: hayward giablommi

hayward giablommi — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:12:41 +0000

“If anyone other than Dungy did something like this, the cynics would say that Dungy decided that a visit to Leavenworth would be more dramatic and compelling than a cup of coffee in Mike Vick’s kitchen.
We know that Dungy’s reputation generally insulates him from such suspicions.”
———–
In my opinion, Tony Dungy is an egotistical narcissist with a messiah complex, a very dangerous combination. Only the fact that he’s soft spoken and not a loudmouthed blowhard makes him “safe” and lets him slide in middle America and in the bible belt. But just because he is well spoken and doesn’t present himself like, for example, a Warren Sapp, people are (apparently) fooled into thinking he’s a “dignified man”.
I call BS. It’s already been documented that the man is a hypocrite on many levels, and whose fundamentalist views on gays can only be described as hateful and discriminatory.
So it doesn’t surprise me at all that he would make a spectacle by going into a notorious federal prison just to show America what a forgiving, pious man he is. Its all for show. I’m telling you, Dungy and Favre are almost the same person. So lets start taking the pickaxe to his reputation now, because he doesn’t deserve a free pass on this or anything else.

By: Garret

Garret — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:09:58 +0000

“i would love for one of the new found dog lovers to answer this question for me if the activity is as bad as yall make it seem why didnt anybody stand up and fight the light sentences the other guys got (1mth,6mths,18mths) his celebrity status aside if you people stand for a cause then go all the way if dogfighting is wrong its wrong for everybody not just mv.”
Questions usually end with a question mark (?). I suppose in that mess of run-on sentances, there’s a question in there somewhere. BTW, Ray Lewis was NEVER charged with murder.

By: atl_since82

atl_since82 — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:47:41 +0000

Its amazing how all of a sudden everybody cares so much about dogfighting once vick got caught. if america cared so much about this why did it became a felony in most states after he got caught. for years i member the penalty for dogfighting in georgia was a $1500 fine now since he got caught you people act like its one of the 7 deadly sins. i think most people who talk s&*t about this guy never have and never will lose one minute of sleep worrying about some dog fight going on. i would love for one of the new found dog lovers to answer this question for me if the activity is as bad as yall make it seem why didnt anybody stand up and fight the light sentences the other guys got (1mth,6mths,18mths) his celebrity status aside if you people stand for a cause then go all the way if dogfighting is wrong its wrong for everybody not just mv. dont get me wrong hey the bottom line is he broke the law and has paid his price. jamal lewis (tried to buy a kilo of cocaine from the the govt), ray lewis (plead to a lesser charge in a murder case) mike vick (dogfighting) of the three who would u really want in your neighboorhood?

By: joswald

joswald — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:47:21 +0000

Does anybody really give a @*&! anymore? Time will tell if Vcik has an opportunity in teh NFL again. But the ship has sailed on this gig…Let’s move on.

By: rusH1023

rusH1023 — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:32:41 +0000

Elaw6 says:
May 5th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Mike Vick is almost home. As far as the date of the visit: Better sooner than later.
Operation Make My Money Back- What is Mike Vick Supposed to do? Not try to feed his family anymore?
I want Mike Vick To succeed and Pat White to BUST based on the HATE that florio dishes out whenever this man is brought up.
florio acts like he has never done anything illegal in his day.
Someone should show you the footage again of the sh!t he was doing to the dogs, you fkng idiot.

By: F00kFl0ri0

F00kFl0ri0 — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:30:42 +0000

@Bendak,
Since you’re so well-versed in “Thug Life” please define this for us, who originated it, and how does one live the “Thug Life”….. I haven’t heard of “Thug Life” in over 10 years so I would love to hear your version of “Thug Life”……

By: empty13

empty13 — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:29:27 +0000

what sterling rep for dungy? his teams choked repeatedly until the pats fell apart and the bears (lovie!) left rex in too long.
and his son had a racist myspace page and then ended his own life. of course that doesnt matter if yer black hay-soose. so yes LJ i agree dungy should have spent time with his kid and not the con-vick.
btw there are plenty of good white athletes. those kind of college and high school teams win a lot. there is a template in who gets recruited, however.
i do not believe the bullshit mantra about the black ubermensch. dont try to sell that to me. what the media tries to pass as fact in this country is usually just propaganda.
how many black QBs have quarterbacked a super bowl champion, btw? last time i looked – one. and they had a superteam around him. and he was incidental to the game result.

By: reo

reo — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:24:28 +0000

It’s Dungy. What the hell are you expecting him to say? He’s going to say how great a visit it was and how good a kid Vick is and how sorry he is and then probably talk about how much he seems to have matured. He’ll probably then say something about him being a changed man and how hard this whole thing has been for him etc etc…

By: airborneavenger

airborneavenger — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:10:35 +0000

Pete Rose Gambled on baseball
Pete Rose Lied to Cover it up
Pete Rose was banished from baseball
Pete Rose came clean years later about his misdeeds
Pete Rose remains banished from his sport and the Hall of Fame he deserves to be in.
Michael Vick’s crime are much more egregious. He should be banned for life. Welcome to the real world Michael…………..

By: Topher

Topher — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:06:45 +0000

@ Bendak
Could you give us the name of the last black person Dungy met with in prison before Vick?

By: Bendak

Bendak — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:56:37 +0000

Mike Vick is a thug. He wanted to live the “thug life”. He did that. Nobody forced him. Now, he’s reaping the consequences of acting like a thug. Let him finish his dream, leave him in prison where he belongs, he can live out his fantasy “thug life” for life without parole.
As for Mr. Dungy, if he is trying to help “Thug Mike” for the right reasons, he’s wasting his time. If he’s helping for the wrong reasons, that’s on him.
On a side note, since a previous poster pointed out that Mr. Dungy has a prison ministry and visits everyone, black, white or brown, would the aforementioned poster, since he/she has such a thorough knowledge of the matter, please give us the name of the last white person as well as brown person that Mr. Dungy visited in prison?
Thank you.

By: ryanmc

ryanmc — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:55:28 +0000

“As Commissioner Goodell has said, Vick needs to show genuine remorse for what he did, not for simply being caught.”
Not in my opinion. Just don’t do it again. There’s something perverse about people demanding to see a tearful public emotional meltdown before making a decision on the guy’s future. I guess we just live in an age where people need drama all the time.