Michael Wilbon’s article on the Michael Vick signing. He touches on the racial implications and the relationship between Vick and McNabb. The press conference with Vick, Dungy, and Reid just ended and I think they did as good a job as they possibly could. As far as the dogs go, Vick said something along the lines of “I’ll try to help more animals than I hurt” and addressed his past excuse of dog fighting being part of the culture he was raised—he realized that excuse was something he was hiding behind. As for football, he said he’s maintained his weight in prison and he feels ready to ease his way in and contribute. He replied “You gotta crawl before you walk” when someone asked about accepting a non-starting role. As far as I’m concerned, he was sincere in all his answers, mostly because he’s never been much of an actor. Proof: Nike’s Michael Vick experience commercial, where he has a single line at the end and he butchers it.
August 14, 2009