Vick forgiven?

A controversial issue that has been adressed in the media recently is if Michael Vick is and should be forgiven for what he has done in his past. Obviously no one will ever forget the fact that he killed dogs and used them to fight eachother, but is it time to forgive him? ESPN recently ran an article about the fact that most fans have forgiven Vick, mostly based off of his on the field play. Michael Vick has played great this season, and it has made it easier to look the other way at what he has done in his past. The ESPN article (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5838668) does a good job explaing that it is more than that. Vick, like everyone else deserves a second chance. He is not the first to do something very wrong and he certainly will not be the last. The most profound point made in the article is the following, "The one thing Michael Vick will never outrun is his own past. As he himself said, his life is a work in progress -- as it is for me and for you and for everyone everywhere." People need to recognize that they themselves are not perfect and that is why they should find it easier to forgive Vick. Another article (http://thepulpit.freedomblogging.com/2010/11/22/what-does-mike-vicks-redemption-say-about-forgiveness/8172/) uses a quote from religious scholar, Anthea Butler, "Perhaps this is sacrilege, but the football field, basketball court, and golf course, make for better spaces for repentance than the altar." It is easier to forgive him because we watch him on TV every sunday and we feel somewhat of a personal connection to him because of all the media attention. Americans see how this man has been through the worst and has picked himself back up and without blaming others got back to the top. This view of him has made it easier for Americans, because we are not a perfect people, to forgive him.