A few hours ago I finished talking with the media assembled at the Philadelphia Eagles’ press conference announcing their signing of Michael Vick. Not surprisingly, it was a very emotional event, with tough questions for Mike and the organization. There are strong feelings on both sides of the issue of whether he deserves another chance at playing in the NFL and those sentiments all came out today.
I came away with a great deal of respect and admiration for the Eagles. Their organization did something “Uncommon.” Owner Jeffrey Lurie and Head Coach Andy Reid are going to take a lot of heat for signing Mike. They know it won’t be popular in some quarters but I believe they signed him because they felt it was the right thing to do. They both interviewed Mike at length and felt he was truly repentant. They think he can be a positive part of their team and that he can help make an impact for good with the young people in Philadelphia. They also feel he has paid enough penalty for his actions. Because of those factors, they made a decision to sign him even though they know many people will disagree with them.
Eagles QB Donovan McNabb also had a big part in this by supporting his coach and offering to take Mike under his wing. McNabb could have taken the approach that his time to win a Super Bowl is waning and he didn’t want anything to distract the team. But he, too, did the unusual and went out of his way to help someone else’s career. I can’t tell you how much I respect that and how it goes against the grain of the “me first” attitude that we often see in professional sports.
There was a great deal of talk today about second chances and forgiveness and a lot of debate about whether they were appropriate in this case. People were very divided on this. As much as we all believe in the concept of forgiveness, it’s harder when it comes down to actual practice. Are there some things that are just too awful to forgive? Human nature tells us yes, but I believe the bible is very clear that if someone is truly repentant, it is our Christian duty to forgive, just as God forgives us. However, this is easier said than done. Believe me, I know I don’t forgive as readily as I should.
So Michael, and now the Eagles organization, will have to be ready to move forward knowing that everyone doesn’t forgive him and many people think the Eagles are wrong for giving him that second chance. I applaud the Eagles, and especially Coach Reid, for their stance I believe Christ is applauding them as well. From here it’s up to Michael to justify the Eagles organization’s faith in him and I believe he’s going to do that with his actions.
