Photo by Ed Yourdon

Mahatma Gandhi once said “We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” I wonder what he would say about Michael Vick. Just recently out of prison for running an illegal dog fighting scheme involving the abuse, torture and killing of pit bulls, Vick is now hard at play for the Philadelphia Eagles. Getting the gig with Philadelphia, at a sweet multimillion dollar salary, must have Vick sighing a huge sigh of relief. After all, he was ‘forced’ into bankruptcy when companies like Nike pulled their endorsements after his criminal activities were revealed.

True, the ‘resurrection’ of Vick by the Eagles drew heat from animal activists, and fans that picketed and threatened to boycott games. But in the end, the power of the almighty dollar won the day, and Vick plays on. In fact, it was the almighty dollar that saw Vick receiving a mere 23 month sentence in the first place. Faced with up to 5 years in federal prison, Vick plea bargained his way to a lighter sentence by ‘contributing’ almost a million dollars for the care of the 50 or so pit bulls rescued from his Bad Newz Kennels; many in such tough shape that their plight brought some seasoned investigators to tears. The Vick story is rife with irony, not the first of which is that Vick used his own funds – possibly ‘earned’ through illegal dog fights – to effectively get himself off the hook for . . . killing dogs who didn’t perform well in his illegal dog fights. Is that a paradox?

I get the distinct impression that Vick’s super-sports-star status has gone to his head, and he suffers from some grand delusion that he is above such mundane things as legal rules. The judge seems to have had some reservations about Vick’s sincerity, too, in part because of his attitude towards the legal proceedings. For one thing, Vick failed a simple polygraph test. Of course, that in itself doesn’t establish guilt, in a legal sense, but it is indicative of a willingness to ‘fudge’ on the truth, even where the possibility of being found out is remarkably high. Then, in giving testimony, Vick was evasive in describing the torturous ways the dogs were killed, and he couldn’t quite ‘remember’ if it was 6 (or was it7? 8?) dogs he’s personally killed. The sheer insensitivity of that boggles the mind. As if the death of a dog was simply incidental, hardly worth noticing, let alone remembering. What does that say about the man? And when he was finally released from prison, Vick promptly broke the terms of his probation, failing a routine drug test. All of which speaks to a certain lack of appreciation for the seriousness of his actions, and a marked disrespect for the legal system. Not to mention morality.

Perhaps the greater irony, however, is that Vick was recently selected to receive the prestigious Ed Block Award for courage and sportsmanship. Yes, courage. Yes, sportsmanship. Yes, you read that right.

The award is presented annually to a player from each NFL team who has overcome injury, acted as an outstanding community role model, or dedicated themselves to a worthwhile cause. It is intended to recognize and celebrate players who inspire others through personal strength of character, integrity, and a “commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage” in the face of adversity. The award is named after Ed Block, who was considered a hero. He severed in World War 11, was awarded the Purple Heart, then earned his Masters Degree and become an athletic trainer with the Baltimore Colts. He also worked tirelessly to improve the lives of neglected children, and end the cycle of child abuse.

So, just to be clear, an award in honor of a man who strongly opposed cruelty to man’s offspring is given to a man who sees nothing wrong with abusing, torturing and killing man’s best friend. That seems somewhat counter-intuitive, if not downright contradictory, and especially since the choice of Vick as the recipient implies that he displayed remarkable ‘courage’ in facing the consequence (prison, bankruptcy) of his own horrific, freely chosen actions. The leap of logic there just escapes me altogether.

All of which has me wondering if the meaning of “sportsmanship” and “courage” are somehow different in Philadelphia. After all, doesn’t the idea of ‘sportsmanship’ include ideas of ‘fair play’ and ‘sport’? There really doesn’t seem to be any element of ‘fair play’ in a contest between a fully-grown, fit, strong man and an abused, frightened, probably weakened, chained-up dog. Nor can I see how hurtling a 60 or 80 pound dog repeatedly against a wall until it dies of internal injuries could by any stretch of the imagination be considered ‘sport’. And there doesn’t seem anything remotely ‘courageous’ about Vick’s actions, either before or after his conviction. Courage is having the strength of character to refuse to initiate or participate in actions that are just plain wrong. Or, if having done something, courage is admitting it and taking responsibility for your actions. But Vick has done neither.

Vick’s public statement about the award makes it clear that he sees himself as both a hero and a victim. He says “I’ve overcome a lot, more than probably (any) one single individual can handle or bear. You ask certain people to walk through my shoes, they probably couldn’t do (it). Probably 95% of the people in this world, because nobody had to endure what I’ve been through. . .” Oh boy. In a warped, warped way this is probably true. Because, let’s face it, most of us don’t kill animals just for titillation, and most of us don’t own shares in dog fighting/gambling operations, so it’s probably safe to say that most of us would never have to serve 23 months in prison. Honestly, though, don’t you just feel like baking this poor, downtrodden soul some nice warm cookies?

Compare this with the comments made by Cleveland Browns’ Mike Furrey, who was nominated by his team in recognition of his extensive volunteer work with the area’s food bank, Christian Home, Clinic Rehab Hospital, numerous schools, the NFL Hometown Huddle and various other community initiatives. He says “It’s an honor to win the Ed Block Courage Award, and it’s very humbling as well. I don’t think it’s something I deserve.” Israel Idonije, another recipient, who created a foundation that works to encourage young people to stay in school, supports college scholarships, and works with disadvantaged families, said “It’s an honor. I’ve been fortunate to receive it, but there are a lot of people that come together to make all that good stuff happen within the community. There are tons of volunteers, and it’s all because of them.” These men are the real thing: role models, modern day leaders, good citizens.

Sports stars in our society are role models, whether they want to be or not. What message does giving this award to a convicted animal abuser like Vick send to kids? It’s pretty obvious really – if they can throw a ball well, whatever else they do in their lives will be forgiven and forgotten because of their ‘special’ talent. Is that what we want our future leaders to grow up believing?

The Vick legal decision was, in fact, a landmark, precedent-setting case. Previously, animals have been treated as the property of their owners; animal abuse was considered an offense on the grounds that to harm an animal is to damage the property of another human being. In ruling that Vick make financial restitution to the dogs rescued from his gambling operation, the court was for the first time recognizing that animals can be victims in their own right. In other words, the court was sending a very clear message: animal abuse is wrong because it causes unjust suffering to animals themselves.

This decision should be applauded because it represents a significant step in the right direction towards making for a better society. But the court’s message is effectively being undermined by Vick’s bogus award for ‘courage’. When all is said and done, Vick knowingly broke the law. He ‘paid’ for his actions by forfeiting his freedom for a few months. But being forced to face up to the consequences that followed directly from his own free choices and actions is not ‘courage’ – its justice. So, let’s not make a hero of a man who is so obviously lacking empathy, a sense of responsibility, and the conscience to know the difference between right and wrong.

As a dog lover, I cannot help but feel strongly about this issue. If you do too, then you might like to consider signing the petition protesting Vick’s award.

Link to petition:

http://animalrights.change.org/actions/view/petition_against_awarding_michael_vick_the_ed_block_courage_award#

What do you think? Should Michael Vick have received the Ed Block Award for courage and sportsmanship?

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