The road ahead of Michael Vick has been paved and the former superstar QB is ready to walk it. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced yesterday that the convicted dog fighter has been conditionally reinstated and can now participate in practices and even play in the final two pre-season games. Of course, he still needs to find a team to sign with.
The part about his partial reinstatement that bothers me is that he can’t apply for full reinstatement until week six, which essentially means that the commish has suspended him for the first five weeks of the season. Goodell thinks this is a good idea because it will help ease Vick back into the game, but, as I detailed before, don’t think that banning him further is necessary at all.
Another condition is that Vick sees a psychiatrist, which would make all the sense in the world if he hadn’t just gotten out of prison. Do you not think he would have worked through his obvious issues while in the clink? And is forcing him into this scenario really the best thing for him? While I won’t debate the merits of head-shrinking, I do think that this condition should be voluntary.
So now, all he needs now is a team willing to give him a chance, like Goodell has. Whether he’ll find any takers is still highly debatable, but if I had an extra spot on my roster, I would have no problem taking on a superb scrambling QB, just on a flyer. What’s the worst that could happen? If he stinks, you cut him and move on. If he’s still half decent, well now you have another weapon to incorporate into your offensive scheme.