Redemption (Michael Vick)
A Man’s Path to Redemption Every Sunday, of every week, for the past 10 years of my life has been special. From waking up extra early to talking trash with friends, watching football has become a religion for me. But it was not always this way. It all started out one day, when the Atlanta Falcons were playing against my favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles. I do not quite recall the conclusion of the game, but there is one thing I do remember; Michael Vick. Michael Dwayne Vick was born on June 26, 1980, in Newport News, Virginia. According to the American Sports Outlet article "Michael Vick Biography,” Vick 's father began teaching him the fundamentals of football when he was just three years old. Although he is right-handed, he started throwing the football with his left hand, which he still does today. Michael Vick was a football star at Warwick High School. Turning down an offer to go to Syracuse University, Vick chose to stay closer to home and sign on with Virginia Tech in nearby Blacksburg. As ESPN.com reported, “He won the ESPY for Top College Player in 2000.” All of these accolades combined with his outstanding speed, arm strength, and ability to elude tackles led the Atlanta Falcons to pick him first overall in the 2001 NFL draft, signing Vick to one of the largest contracts, $130 million plus a $37 million signing bonus for 10 years, in sports history. His outstanding speed, arm strength, and passing prowess made the Atlanta Falcons quarterback, not only the game 's most dynamic player, but a paradigm of what every kid dreamt of becoming. Yet, even the greatest of men can crumble to dust because of a mistake. One grave, terrible action that destroys all the good they have worked to achieve in life. But a real man, who is truly great, will make the walk down the long road to redemption, carrying the weighty burden of his mistake and once again become great. But there would be no Super Bowl parades. Plagued by
Cited: "American Sport Outlet." American Sport Outlet. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. "Falcons ' Vick Indicted by Grand Jury in Dogfighting probe." ESPN.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. e