Vick, PETA Inching Toward A Deal

Several months ago, there was talk of imprisoned quarterback Mike Vick doing a Public Service Announcement for the animal-rights group PETA. But Vick’s camp reportedly wanted PETA to support his bid for NFL reinstatement, and PETA wanted Vick to submit to a psychological evaluation. Apparently, Vick is thinking about caving on both counts. In order to get back to the NFL. According to Advertising Age, via Darren Rovell’s Twitter feed, Vick’s potential work on behalf of PETA “is part of a comprehensive PR scheme aimed at rehabilitating the quarterback’s image and gaining him readmission to the league that banned him from playing.” If that’s true, then we don’t think Vick’s efforts would constitute the kind of “genuine remorse” that Commissioner Roger Goodell expects to see before letting Vick back in. Instead, Vick would be merely engaged in “genuine manipulation.” But if Vick and his handlers are merely using groups like PETA and influential voices like Tony Dungy in the hopes of putting some punch back into the meal ticket, the truth likely will be sniffed out. Especially if the results of the psychological evaluation reveal that Vick’s remorse doesn’t flow from reflections on the strangling, drowning, electrocution, and/or slamming to the ground repeatedly of dogs, but from the fact that he allowed himself to get caught. The fact that Vick is even considering submission to a psychological evaluation shows that Vick and those around him realize the stakes of the biggest (legal) gamble that Vick ever will be taking. Still, Vick has yet to decide to submit to the evaluation, and PETA seems to be unwilling to do business with Vick until he does. “We’re suspicious this may come from a place of simply wanting to repair his public image, rather than genuine remorse,” said PETA director of youth outreach and campaigns Dan Shannon. “He was dishonest all the way up the line until he finally had to admit to what he did, which is a hallmark of [antisocial personality disorder]. If he can’t tell the difference between right and wrong, we can’t get in bed with this guy.” Actually, Vick was dishonest beyond that point; he reportedly failed a polygraph test regarding his role in the killing of dogs deemed unfit to fight after he pleaded guilty. “At this point, he hasn’t chosen to submit to an evaluation,” Shannon said. “We hope the NFL will require that evaluation as a precondition of reinstatement. The bottom line is: Everybody knows he’s going to apologize, go on Oprah and Larry King and say he did wrong, that he learned his lesson. But there’s no reason for anybody to take his word for that based on the pattern of dishonesty and the severity of cruelty he took part in.” That said, there are potential benefits to PETA from Vick’s involvement. “We want him to discourage people from taking part in dog-fighting,” Shannon said. “I can do it until I’m blue in the face and it might not convince anybody. Michael Vick sure can. He can say, ‘Look, I did it, I was wrong, and it ruined my career.’” At this point, it looks like Vick would be doing it merely to salvage that career, and not because he truly wants to discourage others from making the same mistakes. Or, more accurately, living the same lifestyle.