Today the Eagles announced that Michael Vick has won the Ed Block Courage Award. It’s a yearly honor given to players that “exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.” Some of the past winners include Chad Lewis, Correll Buckhalter, Duce Staley, Jerome Brown, Mike Quick, and Ron Jaworski.
It’s safe to say that Vick may not have been the best choice for the award, despite being unanimously selected by his teammates. I firmly believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and we can debate whether his crimes are worse than others in the NFL, but the fact remains that he was convicted of brutal, premeditated acts.
While a player should never overshadow an entire team, that’s easier said than done with Vick’s history. He’s done his time, and while we should allow him to start over, the decision to give him this award has only further stirred the pot.
I respect that Vick has made positive steps to turn his life around and I can whole-heartedly cheer for him as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, but Michael Vick the man needs to do more than a few appearances to help abused dogs. This is a worthy cause, but the Ed Block Courage Award specifically highlights players who help abused children and families in crisis.
This is neither the time nor the place to award him. His first year back in the NFL should have been all about redemption and getting back into playing shape – save the awards for when they are truly deserved and don’t use them as some hollow PR gesture.
Many of Phinally Philly’s Twitter and Facebook followers sounded off as well. Here are our some of the comments:
Frank T.: “He was/is not without courage, but I would think they could have found someone more deserving of that award.”
That Dude: “I think his teammates thought he deserved it. Now, I think his teammates need to be taught the proper definition of courage, but I digress.
Joe F.: Vick made a series of bad decisions, he owned up to them, and he did his time. I think he deserves the award for being able to turn his life around. I mean come on, he did two years in jail, lost millions of dollars, not to mention just about everything he had, was villafied relentlessy in the media, and is living under intense scrutiny where if he even has a drink in an airport he gets attacked. Let’s cut the guy a break, to go through everything hes been through and be able to turn your life around takes a lot of courage.
Terence M.: Donovan McNabb goes through a blizzard to play Santa to a shelter for kids and everybody hates him!! But this guy, gets rewarded for facing the music he brought on himself!! You can see the rationale here!!
Thanks to everyone for their comments.
