Michael Vick is currently leading all players in voting for the NFL’s Pro Bowl. It’s great that Michael Vick is actually getting his second chance; he has appeared repentant and made the right choices since his release from jail. I worry, though, that Vick’s second chance wouldn’t have been so quick in coming if he wasn’t leading the Philadelphia Eagles toward the playoffs or racking up points for fantasy owners.
As a nation, I feel we can be very forgiving, especially when it comes to athletes. If athletes are repentant and seem to change, we can forgive them. The process of forgiveness can be accelerated, though, by winning. If Michael Vick wasn’t having an MVP type season I don’t know if he would be as far along in his second chance as he is. If he was still riding the bench or having a mediocre season, he might still be that “dog fighting guy” instead of that “guy who won me my fantasy league”.
Everyone deserves a second chance, but that second chance shouldn’t be based upon whether or not someone is a winner or a loser. The second chance should be based upon grace and the person’s willingness to change and embrace the new chance he or she has been given. We shouldn’t withhold grace and forgiveness based upon performance; we should freely give them to the winners and the losers, because when we do, everybody wins. (Except for my fantasy team, they’re still losers.)
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