Vick's Confession Won't Satisfy All

The latest fallen celebrity to seek redemption via reality television is Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback whose brilliant career was lacerated by his conviction for being involved in a dog fighting operation.
One-time superstar is the subject of a 10-part series on BET called The Michael Vick Project, which had its debut Wednesday.
There are those who find what Vick did to defenseless animals is unforgivable and protest giving the man airtime to apologize for his actions and seek forgiveness. But Vick has served 19 months in jail for his crime and has returned to the NFL gridiron. Surely television can’t claim higher standards.
The Michael Vick Project drew 1.6 million viewers Wednesday night making it the highest rated original show on the network this year.
Vick is an executive producer of the series, so it is not surprising that it offers a fairly sympathetic appraisal of his situation. The story is told mostly through interviews with Vick, his brother, his mother and his girlfriend.
He grew up in a tough neighborhood, Newport News, Va., a town locals called Bad News, Va., because that’s all came out of there. He recalls getting used to gunshots in the night as a child, and seeing the big kids making dogs fight as a seven year old.
From schoolyards to high school to Virginia Tech, Vick proved to be a football legend, and the doc shows his memorable runs and throws from the Sugar Bowl. He was the first African-American quarterback to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and later earned a $100 million contact from the Atlanta Falcons.
In the first episode, Mr. Vick confesses that some of that wealth went into setting up a dog fighting operation, an activity he was fascinated by. Vick wanted his to be the biggest and the best. He says he was proud of his growing reputation in dogfight racket, so to some degree he wasn’t shocked that his involvement didn’t stay a secret.
At first he thought his money and fame would keep him out of big trouble. Then the feds moved in, and he was forced to accept a plea deal or face even more charges.
He confesses to crying as he thought about going to jail and being separated from his children.
But he’s determined to redeem himself, on TV and in life.
“My fall from grace was tragic but it was all my fault and I’m on a mission to get everything back. Not the money and the fame but to restore my family’s good name,” is how he puts it. He calls his past behavior “inhuman” and “barbaric.”
While not a quite a whitewash, the series uses a glossy finish to smooth over the ugliness of what happened to his animals. And with his crimes and punishment covered in episode one, it can be expected that the next nine installments will focus on personal growth and redemption and his return as a football star.
“Blessed with a second change. He must again rise above to heal his family his community his legacy,” is the way an announcer on the show pitches it.
That may be too much sugar coating even for cable.