Anyone writing anything about Michael Vick these days a required to start off with something similar to this, so here it goes. I am a dog person. I had a dog all growing up that I still miss some times even today. I don’t condone what he did nor do I condone any dog fighting at all.

Okay now I can get to talking about what I wanted to talk about.

How does the league approach reintroducing Michael Vick?

First off, what exactly did he do? He ran a dog fighting ring which is against the law. There was gambling which is against the law. That is what he was tried and convicted of. He paid the price by doing the time and now there is a real question about what to do with him after being out of the league for a while.

As for the crime, the league needs to understand that this is a cultural issue. To be completely honest, at the time when it all came out I didn’t even realize that dog fighting actually occurred on such a large scale. In part because it is so far from the culture I live in. The league needs to understand that Michael Vick grew up and lived in a cultural setting that permitted and probably encouraged this. Whomever he plays for needs to help Michael Vick better understand every aspect of why this is illegal and also make sure that the culture Michael Vick is in does not allow for or tolerate such actions.

Truth be told, the NFL needs to understand that it has a culture problem. If you take young kids and hand them large sums of easily expendable cash they are going to get themselves into trouble unless they are in a cultural climate that can help them make good and sound decisions. Their high school friends are not likely to help them make great decisions about how to spend a few million dollars.

That is why the NFL needs a big brother program. Retired NFL players who made it through are given a paid position to mentor the younger athletes and help them develop quality decision making skills. The mentorship program can also help the players association deal with a serious question they already face; what to do with retired players?

Another step the NFL should consider looking into is a finance class for the NFL youth, a mandatory class. The finances of the average NFL rookie are not going to be finances that most people have ever tried to balance. They need to understand the issues facing the average NFL player and how decisions they make now can drastically affect their own future once football is over.

Until the NFL faces up to the underlying issues that face a young athlete when getting that first big check and working with them to create an atmosphere conducive to a functioning member of society and up to the standards the Roger Goodell has set forth they can expect many more helicopter shots of players’ houses.

Before I set this topic to the side for a moment I do want to address Michael Vick’s return to the league. Many sports commentators view him as a toxic asset right now and that is their right to do so, but I hope that the fans won’t. His crime was against us as humans, his teammates and the owners of the Falcons, but not against us as fans. He made a mistake in part because of his social setting and completely out of poor judgment. I think it would only serve to extend that poor judgment by not permitting him to use his talents and grow from his mistakes. He is a great player and hopefully he can learn to be a great person, but not if we don’t give him the chance. Lets get a number 7 back on him.