Roger Goodell says he admires Michael Vick
Michael Vick's efforts to rebuild his reputation have drawn praise from the league offices. (Matt Rourke/AP)
After Michael Vick signed with the New York Jets, local media and fans brought up the 2007 dog-fighting investigation that landed Vick behind bars and caused him to miss years of his prime.
While Vick's story was a black eye for the league and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell publicly spoke up about his disappointment with the then-Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Goodell has said that he and Vick have grown close and there is mutual respect between the two now.
“I’ll be happy to talk about the general views toward Michael,” Goodell said, via Pro Football Talk. “I think Michael is a young man who made a tragic mistake. He paid a very heavy price for it. But I’ve seen him, in everything he’s done, exceed expectations. He has worked very hard to be a positive force in a lot of different areas. And I think that’s something I admire about him. When we went through the process of reviewing whether he would enter back into the league, he demonstrated he’s somebody who’s committed to saying, ‘I’m going to do this the right way. I’m going to be a positive force.’ And he has. I’m proud of the work he’s done.”
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Some people may not forgive what Vick did in the past, but he has certainly taken the steps necessary in his career to show maturity and earn a second chance in the league.
