Eagles quarterback Michael Vick didn’t attend the pre-Super Bowl party he had been slated to host, but he did stop by Dallas over the weekend, where he picked up a key to the city.
And now the mayor of Dallas wants everyone to know that he wasn’t involved in that decision.
“The action taken was not sanctioned by my office and was not an official ceremonial honor on behalf of the City of Dallas,” Mayor Tom Leppert said in a statement. “Official Keys to the City are presented by the Mayor, or an elected official designated by the Mayor, and reserved, on a limited basis, for an elected official of international status. Clearly, this was not the case in this situation and done without my knowledge or approval. Given these circumstances I have requested the City Manager propose guidelines to prevent this situation in the future.”
So what was Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway thinking when he gave Vick the key to the city? He says he was under the impression that he has the authority to give keys to the city, and he believes Vick has become a good role model.
“Since making some bad choices, Michael Vick has devoted time to speaking to children about staying in school, staying away from drugs, making positive choices about picking friends, and the importance of education,” Caraway said. “For those reasons, Michael Vick deserves such an action from my office.”
Whether you agree with Caraway on the merits or not, you have to question the politics of honoring the quarterback of the Eagles in the heart of Cowboys country.