Our society is an interesting one. It’s one that likes to forgive people despite atrocities that they may or may not have committed. Ray Lewis might have killed someone at the Cobalt Lounge years back. Now, we see Ray Lewis as an inspirational leader and an incredible football player. Rams defensive end Leonard Little killed someone when he got into a car accident and blew a 0.19 BAC at the scene. Yet, after serving his time and doing his community service, Little is seen as more of a problem for offensive coordinators to contain than as a reckless individual in society.

This brings us to Mike Vick. We all know what Vick did, I’m not going to retread the story over and over. Yesterday, Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison, a hefty sentence that will clearly give him some time to think.

Fast forward two years. Mike Vick has just been released from prison and is applying for reinstatement into the NFL. Obviously there will be mixed feelings about this process and surely there will be a bunch of people who call for him never to see the field again. That’s our opinion and we are entitled to it.

While I’m not asking for everyone to suddenly forgive Vick (that’s something that will simply not happen), I ask that you take into account our judicial system and the way it works. Vick will serve his time. The purpose of that time is to rehabilitate him as a functioning member of society and it should be understood that after he serves his 23 months he should be given the same opportunity to redeem and prove himself once again. I’m not saying we should be enamored with the guy once he comes out, but I think we should give him a shot. He committed a horrific crime and now he’ll serve a good amount of time for it. It’s as important for us to set aside our personal vendettas and give him a shot as it is for him to bring himself back to respectability and repair his image.

Robert Byrd, a senator from West Virginia, has very strong opinions about Mike Vick and his involvement in dogfighting. Lets just say that Byrd’s tear jerking speech makes you realize how barbaric Vick is.

There’s a hell of a chance that none of us will ever see the electric, the immortal, the unbelievable Mike Vick play football again. Vick pleaded guilty on Monday to dog fighting charges and brokered a plea deal with the federal government. The charges pending have a consequence of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.

See ya Mike. To hell with you. Finally all those patriotic warriors of the legal system can shut up about Vick “not being guilty until he got a fair trial.” He’s done. Not only is he going to spend at least the next year in prison, he’s going to get suspended by Roger Goodell when he returns from the jail sentence. There’s always that team that is willing to take a gamble on someone despite off the field issues but I think this is an entirely different situation. Adding Mike Vick to an NFL team is P.R. suicide. In a country that seems to be so infatuated with their pets, it appears that this crime is more heinous than even murdering another person. What kind of person murders this kind of face in cold blood?

If Vick returns, does anyone really believe he’ll be able to play quarterback? He couldn’t play quarterback even when it was his daily job, now he’s going to be in a cell block and not on the field for a few years. America loves to give people second chances in life, but I’m not so sure Mike Vick will be one of those people. Even if he turns his act around, this is something that’s going to live with him forever. Good. Enjoy your next 18-36 months inmate #846242, errrr Mike Vick.

Hosts: Sonny, Rich, and Ryan

In this episode, Sonny, Ryan, and I break down the week in sports, hitting on the topics that are dominating the headlines. Is Tim Donaghy just the tip of the iceberg in the referee betting scandal? What is Roger Goodell supposed to do now that Mike Vick faces jail time? What’s going on with the Brewers? All this and more on this episode of the Sportable Spot.

You can find this episode here. (Download mp3)

Six years ago, the fortunes of two NFL franchises changed forever. Those two teams are the San Diego Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons. The Chargers were coming off of a 1-15 season and still trying to escape the tragedy of selecting Ryan Leaf 2nd overall back in 1998. The Falcons, just a couple years removed from the Super Bowl, were in a state of transition and finished 4-12. The Chargers were slated to have the first overall pick, while the Falcons had the 5th pick.

While Vick and Tomlinson weren’t traded for each other, the picks that were used to select them were swapped. There were a few reasons the Chargers were afraid of Vick. Signability was one of them, as was the Chargers’ need for additional picks. But it was also the influence of then Chargers offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who reportedly tested Vick on a number of drills. After being left unimpressed by Vick’s prowess in the pocket, the groundwork was laid for the deal. San Diego traded the rights to the 1st overall pick for the 5th pick (used to select Tomlinson), a 3rd round pick (Tay Cody), a 2002 second round pick (Reche Caldwell) and Tim Dwight. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Chargers made a number of great decisions on that fateful day in 2001. In the second round, they selected an undersized quarterback by the name of Drew Brees, who went on to become a Pro Bowler. However, Brees’ early struggles in San Diego caused the team’s fortunes to turn around even more, when they traded Eli Manning for Philip Rivers and a few draft picks, which ultimately became Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.

So what if the Chargers ultimately chose Vick? There’s no doubt that he was one of the most electric talents to ever come into the league. Hell, he led the Falcons to a win at Lambeau Field back in the 2003 playoffs while Tomlinson was still gaining yards in near-secrecy for bad Charger teams. Could Vick’s problems have been alleviated if he was a Charger? I think it’s doubtful. While he may have been away from the dog fighting culture of the Deep South, Vick/Mexico would have been just miles away from the international border, where he’d be subjected to even more STDs, cockfighting, and even the occasional donkey show. Remember when Barrett Robbins disappeared into Tijuana a night before the Super Bowl? That would have been Vick every single Sunday.

As far as LT goes, it’s hard to say where he would have ended up. Between Tomlinson taken first and Vick taken fifth, there were two busts and one solid pro. Leonard Davis was selected by Arizona, Gerard Warren by Cleveland and Justin Smith by Cincinnati. Both Arizona and Cleveland could have used running backs at the time. The Cardinals split carries between Michael Pittman and Thomas Jones, while the Browns’ last-ranked offense were led by Errict Rhett and Travis Prentice. The Browns were this close to LT. Instead, they’ve given up 374 rushing yards to him in just three meetings.

This is not what the Atlanta Falcons had in mind. When they traded backup quarterback Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans, they made it clear that Michael Vick would be their quarterback of the present and future. But I don’t think this is the “Vick Era” they had in mind. Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury for “conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting venture.” While new Falcons coach Bobby Petrino contemplates suicide, I ask myself: What do the Atlanta Falcons do now?

We all remember the electricity Vick created when he first stepped into the Falcons’ huddle a few years back. There was that overtime scamper against the Vikings, followed by that memorable playoff upset at Lambeau Field. But since then, not much has gone right for Vick and the Falcons. The team is 15-17 in the last two years and Vick has been involved in scandals involving a mysterious water bottle, as well as a Ron Mexico alias.

Depending on what kind of punishment put down on Vick (hopefully harsh), the Atlanta Falcons have a decision to make. Their quarterback situation behind Mexico Vick is murky at best. Joey Harrington is the #2 guy but a man by the name of Daunte Culpepper is currently looking for a job. Do the Falcons make a run at the big bastard?

You can’t underestimate the commercial appeal of Michael Vick, especially in a city like Atlanta that has a large African-American population. But at this point, I’d say #7 is more trouble than he’s worth. So, readers. Tell Sportable: What should the Falcons do about Michael Vick?