Would you protest Vick joining the Ravens like Steelers fans are?

[Tenacious Faulker]

Understand, I'm a long time dog owner and have forgiven (not forgotten) Vick on his crimes.  To me he seems to have at least learned he was wrong, paid his debt, suffered severely as he should've, then went on to help canine causes and resume his life.  America is a place of second chances and where you can transcend your past or upbringing. 

 

I get that he will never again have the respect of many NFL fans especially dog loving NFL fans (in my case I never respected him as a player anyway), but I respect that he's now rehabilitated and a contributing member of society doing more for the community now than most of his detractors currently are.   

 

Eagles fans vehemently protested him joining the team and I agreed at the time.  However, he kept his nose clean and helped them win for a spell.  They calmed down and accepted him by and large.  The Jets fans barely made a peep about his past even though he was awful in NY. 

 

Now Steelers fans, a proud if not, sanctimonious fan base, are again out in droves literally protesting as fervently as Eagles fans from SIX YEARS AGO.  In light of Roethlisberger's multiple sexual assault allegations, Pouncey's support of convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, and James Harrison's own DV charges, I find their reaction to this hilarious and sad at the same time.  Mostly it's just perplexing.  Their puritanical ire from them seems to have faded on those hero-players rather quickly and I expect it will eventually in Vick's case too.

 

So, what makes Steelers fans so pious about their franchise?  And would you, as a Ravens fan, accept or protest Vick if Ozzie brought him in as Joe's likely back up and why?

[FlackAttack]

would rather have vick than schaub

[JoeyFlex5]

i wouldnt want him, and i am absolutely a dog lover, and i can never respect him again, but i wouldnt be protesting it because he truly does seem to be a changed man, i just can never forget something like what he did, no matter how much he has rehabilitated his image. 

 

i wont act like the ravens are full of saints, our favorite defensive player did try to bleach his wifes face after all, and we still root for him, so i wouldnt be able to contradict myself as blatantly as the steelers fans are, i just wouldnt appreciate vick being on this team.

[Willbacker]

I wouldn't vehemently oppose it.  I would just quietly hate it. Animal fighting is a sick sick sport and it takes a sick human being to watch and support it.

[hawkprey]

I think people make too much of off-field behavior. This is a team I like, not my family. I don't have to think everyone's a good person to want to watch them play. I'll watch criminals entertain me, then I'll do something else and they'll go back to not mattering.

[SteelerEmpire]

I'm a dog lover, but there comes a point when you just have to let it go after a person serves their time and seems to be a determined, law-abiding, contributing member of society. I wouldn't even be surprised that at some point Vick gets a pardon for his conviction as people who've done worse have in the past.  

 

Just like in the case with all the teams Vick played with since his release from prison, the protests will gradually fade away. If you can remember, some fans even protested the hiring of Mike Tomlin (to a healthy degree)...things turned out well.

 

Don't really know how good Vick's game is now days, but I do know that as of a few days ago the talent level dropped "dramatically" at the QB position after Ben. Landry Jones doesn't have it anymore like he did in his college years and is simply a terrible passer. The other guy is a rookie and of course Grad. is out.  

 

All that being said, as of right now, I think the acquiring of Vick "as a back-up" was a fairly good decision. He and Tomlin being friends for many years probably didn't hurt his chances either.       

Edited August 27, 2015 by SteelerEmpire

[Dr. Kelley]

I got crapped on for saying the ravens needed to dump ray rice, which was an unpopular opinion until the second video came out. I believe in second chances, but depending on the crime, those chances are better left for teams like the raiders to gamble on. If greg hardy joined this team, I wouldn't watch the season.

[52520Andrew]

The guy did his time and seems a changed man, it is not on me to judge him.

There were apparently like 4 fans that protested though

[Tenacious Faulker]

i wouldnt want him, and i am absolutely a dog lover, and i can never respect him again, but i wouldnt be protesting it because he truly does seem to be a changed man, i just can never forget something like what he did, no matter how much he has rehabilitated his image. 

 

i wont act like the ravens are full of saints, our favorite defensive player did try to bleach his wifes face after all, and we still root for him, so i wouldnt be able to contradict myself as blatantly as the steelers fans are, i just wouldnt appreciate vick being on this team.

I agree with you on Vick - don't want him, but won't protest him either.  Let's back up on Suggs though. 

 

I have a friend in MD CPS whose office responded to that.  Straight from her she said that bleach thing was more because of their tussle over holding the child in that moment while in the laundry room.  I was told that she eventually admitted to the bleach being accidental and she used it to gain leverage in the moment.  Once they explained what those accusations meant and that she wouldn't come out on top in this as she had thought she relented.  Whether that was her making false accusations or just gaining perspective on how to save her relationship is anyone's guess.  He ended up marrying her.  That's the story I got from a pretty direct source.

 

Now, back to Steelers Nation and Vick...

[Ravens4Real]

Understand, I'm a long time dog owner and have forgiven (not forgotten) Vick on his crimes. To me he seems to have at least learned he was wrong, paid his debt, suffered severely as he should've, then went on to help canine causes and resume his life. America is a place of second chances and where you can transcend your past or upbringing.

I get that he will never again have the respect of many NFL fans especially dog loving NFL fans (in my case I never respected him as a player anyway), but I respect that he's now rehabilitated and a contributing member of society doing more for the community now than most of his detractors currently are.

Eagles fans vehemently protested him joining the team and I agreed at the time. However, he kept his nose clean and helped them win for a spell. They calmed down and accepted him by and large. The Jets fans barely made a peep about his past even though he was awful in NY.

Now Steelers fans, a proud if not, sanctimonious fan base, are again out in droves literally protesting as fervently as Eagles fans from SIX YEARS AGO. In light of Roethlisberger's multiple sexual assault allegations, Pouncey's support of convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, and James Harrison's own DV charges, I find their reaction to this hilarious and sad at the same time. Mostly it's just perplexing. Their puritanical ire from them seems to have faded on those hero-players rather quickly and I expect it will eventually in Vick's case too.

So, what makes Steelers fans so pious about their franchise? And would you, as a Ravens fan, accept or protest Vick if Ozzie brought him in as Joe's likely back up and why?

Lol out in droves?! They showed the protestors yesterday on ESPN. There was a grand total of 4 females protesting, at their practice.

[Purple Punishment]

Their starting QB was at the center of 2 rape/sexual assault allegations. Where there's smoke....there's fire

[GrimCoconut]

I'm as tired hearing about Ray Rice's bad decision as I am of hearing about Michael Vick's bad decision.

[redrum52]

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I don't really care what guys do off the field if they're there on GameDay. I don't put stock in the character nonsense. I'm watching for their talent on the field, not who they are off it. Truth is, a lot of these players are probably scum bags behind the scenes. This whole image thing, to me, is a public perception to help them make more endorsement money. I'd take the 70s Raiders over a team like the Patriots, cause at least they don't put on a front like they're the "class" of the league.

[beanfigger]

He would easily be the best backup QB in the team's history. He would be an asset in the locker room with his veteran leadership and attitude of a clearly changed ex-con. You couldn't ask for a better player to help us prepare for athletic QBs. What is there to protest?

Vick has actually been convicted and paid his debt to society, which is a lot more than almost all the other criminals in the league, most of which committed their crimes against other human beings. People seem to be fine with them getting a slap on the wrist and then signing a new big contract to play a game for a living as punishment.

Edited August 28, 2015 by beanfigger

[K-Dog]

*shrugs*

He served his time.  We all do stupid stuff.  I am not better than him.

[ravensdfan]

I would certainly protest if we brought in Vick as a back-up. His skill set does nothing for us which we already discovered with Tyrod and I think he's reached the end of his talent pool.

 

I would not protest over his past crimes though. He served his time and has kept his nose clean since then.

[ravensdan]

He would easily be the best backup QB in the team's history. He would be an asset in the locker room with his veteran leadership and attitude of a clearly changed ex-con. You couldn't ask for a better player to help us prepare for athletic QBs. What is there to protest?

Vick has actually been convicted and paid his debt to society, which is a lot more than almost all the other criminals in the league, most of which committed their crimes against other human beings. People seem to be fine with them getting a slap on the wrist and then signing a new big contract to play a game for a living as punishment.

As for protesting I agree with everything you say here.

As for being even a good backup QB I strongly disagree. The guy didn't even prepare to go into a game his on the field skills leave a lot to be desired at this point. Now the situation in Pittsburgh and potentially baltimore would be completely different than NY with clear cut starters in place but I don't see him being a positive influence with his Blaise attitude.

[beanfigger]

As for protesting I agree with everything you say here.

As for being even a good backup QB I strongly disagree. The guy didn't even prepare to go into a game his on the field skills leave a lot to be desired at this point. Now the situation in Pittsburgh and potentially baltimore would be completely different than NY with clear cut starters in place but I don't see him being a positive influence with his Blaise attitude.

 

I suppose you are referring to his season with that garbage fire team that is the Jets. I'm not a huge Vick fan, but I can assure you nothing you stated about his attitude and preparedness was ever the case when he played here in Philly (he was just beaten to a point that he could hardly move, so that would be the concern of mine if he had to step in for an extended period). He was great for this city that didn't really want him, and he was great for that team that was going through a renassaince. I'd be willing to bet the Steelers are going to get that version of Vick, who is clearly humbled now at 35 or so. Shoot, even with the awful Jets he was able to beat the Steelers last year. That's the type of game they would hope for if he had to play a game in place of an injured starter, so they made a good pickup, in my opinion.

[Tenacious Faulker]

Lol out in droves?! They showed the protestors yesterday on ESPN. There was a grand total of 4 females protesting, at their practice.

Figuratively.  This isn;t the 60's anymore and protesting happens all over the web.  Split hairs much?

[ravensdfan]

Lol out in droves?! They showed the protestors yesterday on ESPN. There was a grand total of 4 females protesting, at their practice.

eh a bit more than that,

 

http://my.xfinity.com/articles/sports-nfl/20150827/Steelers.Vick.petition/

[52520Andrew]

Ha and yet they are perfectly fine with James Harrison on that team

[ratedr]

The protestors are dumb. Are they forgetting who their QB is?

[JanetV]

Figuratively.  This isn;t the 60's anymore and protesting happens all over the web.  Split hairs much?

Yes, only a few were there but there are nearly 26,000 signatures on the petition to yank Vick and polls are showing about 70 to 75 percent of those responding do not want him in Pittsburgh.

[cobrajet]

I think I would have to trust Ozzie, I don't think I could put my name on that petition, it would feel like I was stabbing Ozzie in the back since the incident happened so long ago, Vick had served his time, and has kept himself from further trouble. 

[ravensdan]

I would be more apt to sign a petition against an Ahmad Brooks signing. Not entirely sure how much of a role he had but I am shocked how little is said about mcdonald who is clearly one of the most despicable human brings alive compared to Vick and a decade old animal cruelty act that he paid his dues for.

[George70]

*shrugs*

He served his time.  We all do stupid stuff.  I am not better than him.

 

Yes, we all do flat-out dumb things.

 

I am willing to forgive Michael Vick, even now.

[RaineV1]

Can't say I particularly forgive Vick for what he did, but he did his time and seems to be genuinely trying to do good things now. That said, I wouldn't be on board taking someone that has a hard time staying healthy and isn't accurate as the backup qb. 

[theblackdog]

I would question the logic of signing him at this point but that has more to do with his on the field performance.  However, I'm in the "He's done his time" camp and he has kept out of trouble since then.  If we were to sign him, I would also have to create a list on Facebook just for posting about the Ravens and leave certain people I know off.  Otherwise every time I posted about the Ravens, I would have to hear from them about how Vick is a dog-killer and by proxy I am a terrible person for supporting the Ravens because they have Michael Vick on them.

[jdynamite]

I feel like the moment I saw those stories of Steelers that they needed to get off their high horse. I mean the man served over a year in jail for his crimes against animals, while his friends basically got off ( for saying he provided funds and shelter for all of the proceedings). Since then he hasn't gotten into any type of trouble, he's been active in working with Humane Society get messages out against dogfighting, he gives speeches about his story going to jail, etc. I mean it's been 7 years, the man went to jail, lost millions of dollars in real estate property and various of facets of life.   

 

People deserve second chances and so far he's done well with his

[Corvus]

You know most of the people protesting in Pittsburgh probably consider themselves Christians who preach forgiveness and redemption. The bottom line is Vick is a better backup QB than Gradkowski and Landry so it was a good insurance signing for them, especially considering that as tough as Roethlisberger is he has only played all 16 games a handful of times in his career. I wouldn't have a problem with Vick here but our backup QB is far less important comparatively considering Flacco's reliability. We've all seen Joe take some vicious hits and pop right back up.