by JaLynne Johnson

Created on: October 04, 2009

Michael Vick should not be allowed to play in the NFL or participate in the NFL in any way. While he paid his debt to society for the extremely poor judgment he demonstrated, going to prison should not clean the slate and clear the path for him to participate in professional football again. There are several special circumstances in this particular situation which must be remembered.

Michael Vick is now a convicted felon. The number of job applications, for the jobs average people like you and me have, are more routinely asking if the applicant has been convicted of any felonies. More companies are requiring background checks. While companies will overlook certain convictions based on the type of crime, crimes which involve violence will disqualify applicants from many positions. The nature of dog fighting is definitely violent, regardless of the victims in the crime being animals.

Moral clauses are also used in certain industries. If an applicant is scandal plagued, has a criminal background, or is even seen as a potential detriment to the reputation of a company, his chance of being brought into a company with an upstanding background is slim. If after being being hired by a company with a positive background, either with or without a moral contract clause, an employee engages in negative, and/or criminal, behavior, that employee could face a pink slip for much less than the actions for which Vick was imprisoned.

Vick's reinstatement into the NFL is sending, whether consciously or subconsciously, a message to the public. The message is not a good one. Men with sports talents who choose to engage in deplorable activities will be welcomed back into the fold as long as they still have the talent to play. Regardless of whether athletes should be role models, they are. When young, aspiring athletes see their role models acting foolishly with no repercussions, the implication is one can do anything one wants as long as one does one's job well on Sunday. The career does not seem to hang in the balance. Even after jail time, if one keeps himself in top physical form, his career, and the money, will be waiting for him on the outside.

While Vick is definitely not the first NFL player to break the law, he happens to be the most well-known name in the NFL bad boy club at this moment. There is a history of players behaving badly then showing up on the field to play. For Vick, and other players who break laws Monday through Saturday, yet remain kings of Sunday, there should be no return. Bad boys tarnish the image of football and sports overall. While those who can not conduct themselves as mature, law-abiding adults make headlines, the many pro athletes who actually give back to the community, inspire the next generation of players, and mentor those future players in positive conduct on and off the field are being ignored and their actions are being negated by the select few who trample society's rules then still reap rewards they do not deserve.

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