Haters Insure Michael Vick Won’t be Finally Free.

by Staff March 13, 2013 6 Comments News Opinion Sports Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Michael Vick has done everything humanly possible to atone for his dog torturing past. He was tried, convicted and jailed. He accepted full responsibility for his actions. He’s virtually prostrated himself before every animal rights group around to apologize for his actions. He didn’t stop there. He’s spoken out every chance he’s gotten against people who commit acts that he did. He even fully cooperated with federal authorities in identifying dog fighting rings. He’s donated time, money, and his name to animal rights organizations. On and off the gridiron he’s been a model citizen. But that hasn’t been enough.

Mention the name Michael Vick on or off the playing field, and it still draws a predictable and seemingly orchestrated chorus of taunts, slurs, digs, and plain vile hate. Convicted murderers that have served their sentence, done penance, have gotten more love than Vick. In fact, the public pound on Vick before during and after his sentencing and release, and redemption, assured that Vick’s name would be spat out in the same breath as the names of the worst of the serial killers, pedophiles, and terrorists.

But the verbal trash of Michael Vick hasn’t satiated the professional Vick hate mongers. They got another chance to take a shot at him, this time maybe even literally, when he had the temerity that he would embark on a tour to tout his book, Finally Free, and publicly discourse on his epiphany and what lessons that holds. The tour was cancelled because of the reported death threats to Vick. Some wrote this off as over reaction, maybe the handiwork of a few kooks, are simply a cheap stunt to get even more publicity. All this is hogwash. Michael Vick doesn’t need any more publicity, good and definitely bad, since his name is practically a household word, and plenty of people would stand in line and plop down the price of his book to get his signature, a photo, and exchange a few words with him.

As for letting a few supposed oddballs ruin things for him and the publisher, the massacres in Newtown and Aurora, not to mention a nation armed to the teeth, and more than a few willing to use them to defend whatever warped ideal they have of justice or just plain vengeance was more than cause for concern of the book promoters for Vick’s safety.

Michael Vick was not just a dog torturer in the sight of many. He emerged from his shame, disgrace and punishment as still a rich and famous African-American celeb that went bad. This in itself was more than enough to stir a mob vendetta against him. The warning sign that he would continue to be in the hate crowd’s bulls eye came early when the Atlanta NAACP after his boot from the NFL issued a mild statement urging calm on Vick. It did not try to apologize or pretty up anything that he did but it did publicly plead that he not be permanently barred from the NFL. For this it was relentlessly lambasted and drew the inevitable squeal that it was playing the race card. But the NAACP branch understood that in the case of men such as Vick, even when they admit guilt and plead for forgiveness, the words mercy and compassion are alien terms.

Michael Vick could’ve spent millions and hired legions of pricey publicists, consultants and image makeover specialists and it wouldn’t have changed one whit the public’s hostility and negative perceptions of him. In fact, Vick has donated a small king’s ransom to charities and various causes, including humane societies, and it hasn’t meant a thing to the haters. The bad boy image of Michael Vick is indelibly plastered on their foreheads.

Public revulsion over Vick’s crimes and resentment at his fame, wealth and race only partly explain why he’s in a near hopeless spot when it comes to fully rehabilitating his image. He’s the latest and handiest target for a public sick to death of sports icons and mega celebrities getting kid glove treatment for their misdeeds or outright law breaking, even though he didn’t get that treatment.

Michael Vick will pay and continue to pay two steep prices for who he is and how many still see him. He’s done the jail time, coughed up a load of cash in fines and restitution and legal debts, and was ousted for a time from the NFL. This price was fair and warranted. The other price that he’ll never stop being asked to pay is that he’ll be the permanent poster boy for animal abuse and the bad behaving celebrity, a black celebrity that is.

Michael Vick was eloquent when he shouted to the world that he had put his shameful actions behind him and that he had moved on. He has, but many others haven’t and won’t. His cancelled book tour was just the latest proof of that. The haters will insure that he won’t be finally free.

Written By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

One can find more info about Mr. Hutchinson over at the following site; TheHutchinson ReportNews.

Also feel free to connect with him through twitter; http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson

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Jennifer says:
July 26, 2017 at 9:26 pm
I have been married 21 years and this argument is the closest we have ever come divorce. The man had an ‘Olivia Pope’PR Representative give him the spin doctor treatment so he would do and say all the right things to atone for his actions to his fans and the public. But, he is still the same person. Look how he is holding that dog. Does that look like a bond to you? Because it doesn’t to me. Psychologist say that it is nearly impossible for a person to change more 15% and that usually takes a life or death situation to spawn the change. Dogs are helpless in that setting, they are tortured and then hung to die on close lines and left as a visual trophy to the owner of the ‘winning’ dog. Dogs are the only animals that will love you unconditionally. Most people, even parents, don’t love that way. So torturing a dog is equal to killing a unicorn (if they were real). Nearly 10 years later my husband and I had an argument about this. He doesn’t understands that explaining Vicks atonement makes question his entire moral compass. How can I live with a man who can’t see or care about the pain this subject causes me. If the roles were reversed I would say ‘it’s terrible, it’s a crime, I’m sorry it hurts you. Let me give you a hug.’ Apparently to a football fan a man’s worth on the field is all that is needed absolve all sins. Go team ? P.S. he’s sleeping on the couch tonight.
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UNCLE RUKKUS (no relation) says:
February 2, 2015 at 11:53 pm
You can take the nigger outta the ghetto but you can’t take the ghetto outta the nigger. Vick is a shining stinking example of why monkeys and dogs don’t mix.
B.E.T. Forever!!!
Boombya boombya!
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Yanna says:
January 30, 2015 at 9:04 am
The fact he was in jail and his name was stained is the result of his actions,he was not a martyr, he just got what he deserved for his cruelty.
At least if Michael Vick has remorse for what he has done is good!I think is the biggest step! If he realised the suffering he provoked is even better!Maybe he is really changed!Hope so! But, to be honest, the time he spent in jail is nothing comparing to the suffering that poor dogs had to undergo!So, do not victimize Mr. Vick so much! He was not the victim in the story!
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toomanygrandkids says:
January 29, 2014 at 8:10 am
It’s the people who Michael Vick surrounds himself with who’ll insure that he stays in trouble. Since the dog-fighting incident, Michael has had fights and a shooting at his house. Someone shot someone else and among all the guests who attended, nobody knew or saw anything as usual. It’s not the public’s fault that his friends and family are out of control. It’s Michael’s fault for allowing them to (get away with) tarnish his image even more. He his to do something most black people don’t wanna do: LET THEM GO! Michael will continue to have a negative image as long as he hangs with troublemakers. Even the public knows that.
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Steph says:
March 14, 2013 at 11:10 pm
I believe that whatever path we take, we are hated. They killed Malcolm X and Dr. MLK. Remember? Leaving in a society where from birth we hear on a regular basis that we are considered less than humans, I give my hats off to our people who are still able to remain sane and are able to not resent people who make us go through hell since centuries!
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Papacool says:
March 13, 2013 at 4:22 pm
Only God should judge him, but in this society we exist in people have taken to the role of playing God. If Vick has asked God for forgiveness it does not matter what others say or do to him. Once God forgives, he is free indeed. Mr. Vick’s problems did not start with the dog fighting incident and it will not end there. With that being said, the man has the right to live the rest of his days like any other human being can, to the best of his ability. Common sense would dictate that he without sin should throw the first stone. The exception to this is that Mr. Vick has been hit with huge boulders. By going to prison, he has served his time and should focus on getting on with his life by putting all things in order. Mr. Vick has been blessed with talents and abilities that has made alot of people very envious and hateful towards him. Place the fact that he has not won the Super Bowl and my God this man becomes the poster child for failure. I would hope that Mr. Vick will understand that through all of this, he does indeed have people that are rooting for him to succeed. Success is always the best revenge in cases such as this. Before people continue the haterade rampage, they should ask the question of what would they have done if they were in Mr. Vick’s shoes? The man has a family to support and God knows his younger brother has not exactly been role model material. The amount of pressure associated with being famous is something that the majority of us will never have the opportunity to experience. Life is hard enough just getting past problems that naturally occur, so think about how hard it becomes when others purposely try to bring you down. In closing, Mr. Vick please continue to be the best that you can be and if you happen to feel alone, remember God is always there. Peace out, Papacool.
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