Dungy On Vick: “I Believe In Him”

Former Colts and Bucs coach Tony Dungy offered the clearest statement yet regarding his belief that quarterback Mike Vick should be reinstated to the NFL. Without actually saying that he believes Vick should be reinstated to the NFL. “I believe in him,” Dungy said on Friday’s edition of The Dan Patrick Show. The statement came in response to an on-air question from Dan Patrick regarding the advice Dungy would give to Colts owner Jim Irsay, if Irsay were to ask Dungy whether the Colts should sign Vick. Dungy offered no details regarding his recent prison visit to Vick, saying only that the experience was “similar to what I’ve seen so often” while visiting other prisons. He categorized Vick as "[a]nother young person with potential who kind of got short-circuited and needs to get back on track.” That characterization made us a bit uncomfortable, as did Dungy’s use of the term “mistake.” As we’ve said almost as repeatedly as Vick fought dogs and gambled on dog fights and participated in the killing of dogs deemed unfit to die while fighting, it wasn’t a mistake. It was a six-year lifestyle. Dungy also offered some intriguing advice for Vick, who presumably will at some point take the “Get My Money Back” tour to Larry King’s chair and Oprah’s couch. (She might want to cover it in plastic, given the whole “Ron Mexico” thing.) “I wouldn’t try to repair my image in the media at all,” Dungy said. “I don’t know that you’re ever gonna win the public opinion battle by going on shows or doing interviews.” Dungy feels that way even though he believes "[t]here’s no doubt” that public opinion will be against Vick. Actually, our sense is that public opinion is beginning to coalesce in Vick’s favor, possibly because we’re collectively intrigued by the possibility of seeing Vick back on the field. (And, frankly, we’re becoming intrigued by that as well.) Near the end of the interview, Patrick posed an intriguing question to Dungy: Should Vick voluntarily sit out the 2009 season? Dungy said no, without saying no. (He’s very good at that.) Initially, Dungy answered by expaining that it’s "[h]ard to say.” And then he basically gave what came off to us as an easy answer: Dungy thinks Vick needs to be in an NFL locker room, so that he’ll have that support system. Setting aside the fact that the support system from an NFL locker room didn’t help him in Atlanta (primarily because the Falcons’ organization consisted largely of Mike Vick sycophants and wheelchair-pushers), we agree with Dungy on that point. Vick needs to be around peers who are willing and able to hold him accountable for his actions, and to influence him to stay on the right path not for the duration of his federal probation, but permanently. So, yeah, we eventually think Vick should play again. But we also think that the question of whether he should be permitted to exit federal custody and enter an NFL training camp without an additional suspension is far more complex than most people realize.