Yesterday NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ruled that Michael Vick will be fully reinstated to play for the Philadelphia Eagles for week three of the regular season. Commissioner Goodell took into account a lot of factors in making this decision. He had several conversations with Philadelphia’s team personnel, with Mike’s counselors and probation officials, and at least two meetings with Mike personally. His goal was to ascertain not only if Mike was remorseful and should be allowed to play again, but if he was emotionally and mentally ready to handle life in the NFL. I think the Commissioner has had two things in mind during this whole process. One was to have Michael come back and be integrated into the NFL as smoothly as possible, but even more than that, he wants Michael to succeed.
That’s one of the things I think people have not realized in this whole case. Commissioner Goodell views Mike as one of the NFL family members. And as the leader of the family, the commissioner has to invoke discipline when rules are broken. But like any good father with a son who has done something wrong, the goal of that discipline is to change behavior and put the person on the right track. If you care about the person, you want them to grow and return to being a positive part of the family. And I really believe that’s what he has looked at in deciding how to handle this case. Commissioner Goodell believes, as I do, that Michael can not only have a productive career on the field from this point on, but he can help other young men understand, and avoid, some pitfalls off the field. That can make our league, and our society, stronger. I’ve felt through all my conversations with the Commissioner, that he is much more concerned with Michael the person than Michael the player. And, like a father, he’s had to look at his role and balance punishment with compassion and I think the Commissioner has done a great job of that. He’ll be criticized by some for being too hard and by others for being too lenient. I know, because as a head coach, I had to make the same decisions many times. But I have only grown in my respect for Commissioner Goodell through this process, and I totally support his decision.
Now the rest is up to Michael. He has to justify the NFL’s faith in him. For all the people who don’t think he’s really changed or say he shouldn’t be allowed to play again, Michael has to prove them wrong. He has to live up to his end of things and be a great citizen. He has to be a loving parent number one, but also do all the community service projects that he’s pledged to do, and stay out of any kind of trouble. He has to intentionally speak to young people, including young NFL players, about how things can go wrong if you don’t focus on the proper things in life. He has a lot of support people in place, but in the end, he’s going to have to do it. And I think he will.
