Friday, Sep. 11, 2009

A Vick-torious Return?

After spending 17 months paying his debt to society for his role in an interstate dogfighting ring, former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was cleared by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to return to the league on July 27, 2009 ("You can go ahead and Tweet that," Goodell told reporters at a press conference). The disgraced athlete signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, a rehabilitation Goodell understandably is selling as a "success story" that "would be good for our society and good for the NFL." The truth, however, is in the playing: Will 2001's No. 1 draft pick be as electrifying on the field as he was before his incarceration? Will his public contrition win over Philadelphia's famously tough-to-please fans? Stay tuned for the season's Week 13, when the Eagles visit Atlanta, to see how his erstwhile hometown receives him.