There are few more polarizing public figures today than Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. For every person that finds his story to be an inspiring story of redemption, there are others who find Vick unredeemable due to his conviction on charges of running an illegal dogfighting ring. For these people, the two years spent in federal prison were hardly sufficient for someone who engaged in such a brutal crime.
This week, Vick was rewarded for on-the-field excellence with a six-year, $100 million dollar contract. Much of this, at least initially, will be used to pay off his creditors. (Vick declared bankruptcy while still in prison.)
Many people find it hard to empathize with someone who will make more on one fall afternoon than they will in their entire lifetimes—especially someone who was convicted of a crime of premeditated cruelty. And to his credit, Vick has not asked them to do so. Instead, Vick has been a model of humility, displaying a level of maturity that was notably lacking when he first entered the league.
“Everything I’ve been through over the last three or four years of my life has just been a challenge mentally to see how I was going to respond to it,” says Vick. “And I responded in the right way with the help of a lot of people because I couldn’t have done it by myself.”
Among those who have helped Vick respond appropriately is Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who has played the role of surrogate father. Reid’s commitment to Vick may stem from his own family issues—his two sons Garrett and Britt have both spent time in prison for drug offenses.
“Listen, this is a great story all the way through, and this is really what America is all about,” says Reid. “Second chance, you know, and Mike took full advantage of that. Then, when he was given a second chance at having an opportunity to start in the National Football League, he took again an opportunity there and turned it into this.”
Obviously, Vick has a lot of reasons—some might say 100 million reasons—to succeed where other ex -prisoners have failed. But there’s little doubt that having the “help of a lot of people” like Reid is a big reason Vick has been able to stay out of trouble. For those who lack the resources available to someone like Vick, positive role models and mentors are even more vital to success. To find out how you can be a mentor to an ex-prisoner, visit Prison Fellowship’s Get Involved section and find out what opportunites are available in your area.