It's official now. Michael Vick has been conditionally reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell to the NFL. He now has the chance - the chance - to rebuild his career, his reputation and his life.
For the past two years, one of the most polarizing debates in the sports media world today has been the discussion about Michael Vick. Regardless of your personal opinion, the facts are the facts. Vick served his sentence. He paid his debt to society based on what the legal system deemed an appropriate punishment. He lost his freedom and went to federal prison at Leavenworth (which is no Martha Stewart country club, nor is it the "NFL Jail" Pacman Jones served time in for multiple game suspensions).
Please understand, nobody is dismissing his crime or diminishing the severity of what he did. The question now is how will Vick fare under the conditional reinstatement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and then, what team will take the chance on bringing him on board.
Although he has paid his debt to society, in the court of public opinion, Michael Vick is still guilty, has a lot to prove, and has some work to do to repair his image. So, in keeping with the themed approach to these blogs (athletes and accountability), let's focus on what steps need to happen from a public relations and crisis communications perspective as the re-branding of Michael Vick begins.
Now that Vick has been reinstated into the NFL, there is no doubt is that Commissioner Goodell wants to see how Michael handles himself publicly, see if he is really a changed man, if he is truly remorseful, and how he will deal with elevated degrees of public outrage from those who believe he is nothing short of an abomination and should never be granted the privilege to play in the National Football League again. The League will watch how he handles interviews, press conferences, traveling alone or with his crew, tweeting, going out or staying in, etc. Ultimately, they will want to see what he is willing to do to put the past behind him, move forward, before believing this former overall number one pick can and will represent the NFL shield in a positive way.
Since his release from federal prison, it's obvious Vick has hired and is working with a public relations team. More importantly, he seems to be following their strategic approach regarding how he will be re-introduced into society and hopefully regain a position with an NFL team. I say this because there is a stark contrast in how he (Vick) is handling things now versus how he handled them prior to his arrest and leading up to and through his conviction. Back then, his public statements and actions seemed nothing short of contrived, insincere, unapologetic, and anything but remorseful. (Kind of Chris Brown-ish, if you will, but without the really bad made for YouTube script and the five month delay in releasing it.) Vick's initial statements were rushed. They were not focused. The strategy was not a strategy, but more of a series of tactics that were not focused and ultimately insulted the public's intelligence.
You CANNOT go from making these vehement denials with an outward show of arrogance, to, in no short order, "I found Jesus, I'm listening to my spiritual advisors, and I'm deeply sorry about what happened." Listen, I'm a spiritual man with Tebow-size faith, but when you do the things that Vick was accused of, offend the vast majority of the population (not to mention a very active portion of the population — the animal rights activists) making a public proclamation such as this in the form of a poorly scripted (or maybe poorly executed) press conference, will never be accepted. People will NEVER buy that.
So let's fast forward to the immediate future like Mike raced through the defenses he played. The strategy of maintaining a low profile, saying little but letting actions speak louder than words, showing humility and remorse — and meaning it sincerely — will be the cornerstones in the re-branding of Michael Vick. The contrition he appears to show now is what was needed back then. It has to be real. Look, you cannot fake this or script this. The change has to be heartfelt, come from within, and be truly sincere if it is to be believable. Then and only then, do you have a chance to turn the tide from negative to neutral (if not positive).
Granted, it's going to take a while and he may never be forgiven by many of his detractors. Working with the Humane Society (and not doing PSA's right now is smart) and getting their President and CEO Wayne Pacelle to state that he looked Michael Vick in the eye, believed his level of sincerity and that he wants to make a positive change and that it's a new day, is another step in the right direction. It is a HUGE step towards reputation recovery. And having Tony Dungy as a mentor is a very wise move as it relates to rehabbing his image and putting the right people around him.
These few things are merely the first steps in a long road to recovery and re-branding for Vick. But they are important ones nonetheless. Mike still has a long way to go. Let's not forget Vick must encounter, handle, and rise above a ton of negative things said and written about him, understand his reputation has been decimated and that it will take time to rebuild, and deal with activist groups chomping at the bit to protest outside and perhaps inside the stadiums that he may play in.
I'm sure there will be a strategy surrounding how that will be handled. But for now, Mike needs to continue to go one step, one breath, one day at a time. Listen, I'm not condoning what he did nor giving him a pass. I for one do believe in second chances, but understand full well that Michael Vick cannot afford any additional mistakes.
Those of us who have played and understand the game of football (and sports period for that matter) always say, "the most valuable lesson in sports is knowing how to apply what you've learned on the field to how you handle life's adverse circumstances." Vick must now be the epitome of this statement. He needs to stay the course, not get rattled, remain poised and understand this is a journey, and now that he has been given a second chance, understand there is no room for error — off the field.
Good luck Mike. Stay the course. Be sincere and understand what's ahead of you. Keep good people and a strong, qualified team of advisors around you. Recognize what's happened and if you follow the strategy, you will come out on top in the long run.
I believe you can do this.
