by Vincent Frank
More than eight years after being charged on crimes relating to animal abuse and dog fighting, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Michael Vick is still receiving criticism from those who don't believe he should be suiting up on a NFL field.
Vick, who Pittsburgh signed to back up Ben Roethlisberger back in August, will make his first start with the team against the Baltimore Ravens on 'Thursday Night Football'. For a quarterback that's well past his prime, it's Vick's last chance to prove that he can still be an impact football player.
Unfortunately, some in Pittsburgh have taken Vick's new opportunity as a chance to bring up crimes that he paid dearly for nearly a decade ago.
Coming to Vick's defense, music mogul Snoop Dogg had some pretty interesting comments to direct at critics of the 35-year-old quarterback:
"I love Vick. Before he got to the Steelers. I loved him when he caught the case, (and) after he caught the case. Mistakes are made to be made," the hip-hop artist said during a premiere event on Monday, via Complex. "I mean, he did his time. What y’all gonna do—hold it over his head forever?"
Snoop Dogg is clearly in the unspoken majority here. Not a single person of able mind will defend the crimes he committed years ago. They were among the most heinous we have seen around the football world in some time. Though, Vick has surely paid the piper and is looking to move on from this dark time in his life.
"It’s over with," Snoop Dogg continued. "He’s been punished, he’s been banned from the league, he came back, he's on the good foot, he ain’t been around dogs, he ain’t do nothing like that. He’s been about the positivity and that’s what’s wrong with people, we always judge people about what we did as opposed to what we’re doing."
It's the inability of some to move on from that past that has this story still out there in the media. Instead of talking about what Vick did so many years ago, the conversation should be about how he can keep Pittsburgh afloat with Big Ben sidelined to a knee injury for at least the next month.
A Facebook page titled "Pittsburghers Against Michael Vick" has received over 26,000 likes since it went live after Vick signed with the home-town team. That group is expected to hold a rally near Heinz Field in the lead up to Thursday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Unfortunately, it appears that those hellbent on refusing to forgive Vick for his past crimes will be those propping up this story until the veteran quarterback calls his NFL career quits.
At the very least, Vick has one outspoken supporter in the entertainment world.
Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL.
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