Vick Becoming a Steeler? A Dog of an Idea.

Michael Vick (shown left, with his attorney) is asking for a chance. I don't know if this has involved getting on bended knee and groveling, but the former Atlanta Falcons star did meet Wednesday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell concerning Vick's possible reinstatement.

We Americans tend to have a short memory when it comes to things like this, so let's recap what Vick did: using money he earned playing football, he funded a dogfighting ring: an activity that is not only illegal, but immoral and downright deplorable. This activity took place in a house that Vick owned, again paid for with revenue from football.

If you are not familiar with dogfighting, it is a brutal, horrible bloodbath of a "sport"--dogs are bred to be aggressive, to attack animals, and to fight to the death. People pay to see this, and apparently Vick was happy to bankroll this operation.

When these charges first surfaced in 2006, Vick denied any involvement. His denial continued for months, until his former associates presented evidence against him, and testified against him at the trial. Vick was subsequently found guilty of charges associated with operating a dogfighting ring, and was sentenced to 23 months in a federal prison. Personally, I think the punishment of 23 months did not fit the crime, but that discussion I will save for another post.

So now Vick wants to return to football. I have mixed feelings about this (again, for another post), but his reinstatement is up to Commissioner Goodell. Sources say reinstatement will likely happen, perhaps with a four-game suspension once Vick is signed with a team.

Of course, speculation is running rampant about who might sign Vick. Experts agree that once signed, keeping Vick out of the limelight would be advisable, so a starting quarterback position would be all but out of the question. With this (possible) scenario in mind, it's likely that the team most likely in a position to sign Vick would be an NFL teams who already have a solid starting quarterback already, but might need a relief, second-string player.

And who might those teams be? The New England Patriots and....the Steelers! An article published on Yahoo! reported that the Patriots and Steelers "both have fan bases that would be accepting of the team taking a chance on Vick."

What? What?!! Pittsburghers may have a mentality that said "give the kid a chance" when it came to electing Luke Ravenstahl, but there is no way on God's green earth that Steeler fans are going to come close to embracing this former operator of a dogfighting ring.

Not to mention the players themselves: many of the Steelers are dog owners and admitted animal lovers, including Deshea Townsend, Charlie Batch, Jerome Bettis, and Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers has lent support to area animal shelters: shelters that provide a safe haven to the kinds of dogs that fall victim to organized dogfights.

I can only hope that what the experts are speculating is just that: speculation. But let's nip this thing in the bud, and tell the Steelers organization that despite what the experts think, we don't want to see Vick on the bench, wearing a black and gold jersey. You can contact the Steelers organization and tell them exactly what you think about the idea of Vick becoming a Steeler. Here's their contact information:

Administrative offices:

Pittsburgh Steelers

3400 South Water Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203-2349

Phone: (412) 432-7800

Fax: (412) 432-7878