A Message From the Heart

Earlier today it was brought to my attention that some of our readers may have inferred from our recent Tweet of the Week post highlighting a comment by Michael Vick, that SmackJabber.com supports Michael Vick and, by extension, condones or tolerates his well-publicized crimes. Such a concern, particularly at this critical early stage of our development as an interactive sports entertainment site, presents us an invaluable opportunity to more fully elborate on the purposes and perspectives of out growing venture.

First and foremost, the views and opinions expressed in the SmackJabber blog, unless expressly stated otherwise, are solely those of the author and in no way reflect the views or opinions of other members of our organization or the organization as a whole. Further, while I cannot speak to Josh's personal opinion of Mr. Vick (Josh Beck regularly handles our Tweet of the Week feature), I can offer you my view on the topic.

I am the proud owner of a beautiful 13 1/2 year old Siberian Husky named Nikkita. And I support Michael Vick.

I love Nikkita dearly and would do anything for her. The amount of money I have spent on recent vet bills alone would make some heads spin and I would spend much much more than I can afford if it were necessary in the future. I know that not everyone has grown up with the opportunity to experience the immense love and inseparable bond that can be formed with a pet (or a dog, in particular). I have grown up loving dogs and other animals (at one point I had a dog, a hamster, 2 guinea pigs, 4 mice, 2 parakeets, a sun conure, tropical fish, and a few tree frogs... I think you get the picture). The mere thought of even minor animal cruelty turns my stomach, and there is no legitimate excuse for Michael Vick's previous actions.

But I believe that everyone deserves a second chance and I understand that some people are products of their environment. Now, I don't know Mike personally. I cannot say that he is a product of his environment. I cannot say that he has been or ever will be fully rehabilitated. And I do not know whether his stated remorse for his actions is genuine. It is quite possible that the words he has spoken and actions he has taken (e.g., work with the Humane Society) are simply politically correct and financially expedient posturing. That said, I like to think that there is some inherent good in all of us and that sometimes, unfortunately, it takes enormous mistakes and corresponding falls from grace to figure it out.

I am also hopeful that Michael Vick's story will have a happy ending (and I don't just mean success on the football field - if I'm being really honest, I may beg Justin Tuck to snap him in half on Sunday!). Men and women much wiser than me have often paraphrased a man much wiser than them in noting that if we do not learn from the mistakes of history, we are doomed to repeat them. I believe that Michael Vick's very public shaming may serve as a wake up call to a lot of people whose hearts and minds may not have been reachable in any other way.

In closing, I'd like to remind our beloved readers that a significant purpose of SmackJabber is to promote debate and conversation on controversial topics related to or influencing the world of sports. We make no bones about our aim to promote heated discussion in the spirit of competition. And we welcome you to post your views and opinions, and engage your fellow readers and contributors on this topic, as well as any others that move you. We do however ask that you do it tactfully and respectfully of course. If there should ever be material on any of our sites that you find to be offensive or ethically objectionable, we will always aim to devote our full attention to addressing your concerns.

Thank you for your continued support of SmackJabber.com.