Athlete support for Michael Vick continued earlier this week when D'Angelo Hall, a former Vick teammate with the Falcons, spoke out on ESPN 980. But the Redskins DB hasn't been the only D.C. sports figure to support the fallen star.
Last week, Wizards guard Mike James wrote on his Twitter, [sic] "Welcome home mike vick. Now take yr name and fame back. It wont b hard just more dedication. U a pit bull u r a fighter so this is nothing." Probably not the best idea to equate Vick with being a bull dog, considering he drowned, electrocuted or hung some of his own pit bulls.
And on Wednesday, Wizards center Brendan Haywood blogged his seven reasons why Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL again (via Yard Barker).
Haywood makes some compelling points, citing Vick's "road to redemption will serve as a great model to youth. It will show that even if you make mistakes, you can rise above them. You can be down and out in society but if you put your mind to it, you can work hard and bounce back." Good advice.
Certainly such a polarizing issue still sparks a wide range of emotions, as there has been over 100 comments on Haywood's blog entry. Keeping up the interaction with his fan base, the Wizard has responded to a handful of comments himself, telling one Vick-hater, "Wheelman your outta control! lol! Mike Vick must have stole your prom date!"
Fact is, no one person holds the power to deny someone a second chance. The United States is a country infatuated with redemption, and Vick will most likely get another opportunity on some level.
No matter how you feel about the Michael Vick issue, what's refreshing is when athletes such as Haywood use social networking tools to express intelligent opinions and interact with fans (Haywood has also written about Obama and fan behavior).
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Disagree with them if you will, but at least these athletes aren't too wrapped up in their own world to express an opinion.
