Michael Vick: A Case Study in Mentorship

About ten years ago, I sat huddled around a television screen with my basketball teammates at the time, in our coach's house, watching Florida State pummel Virginia Tech for the national championship. Somehow, it was still a Hokie, specifically a freshman quarterback named Michael Vick, who stole the show that day, dancing around Seminole defenders and slinging the ball all over the place.

These days, everyone knows who Vick is, and not everyone loves him. But even as the Philadelphia Eagles were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Aaron Rogers' Green Bay Packers this past weekend, Vick was still one of the best sports stories of 2010. His convict-to-NFL-MVP-candidate climb was an improbable one. Just a season ago, he was sitting as a third-stringer, behind another black quarterback who has enjoyed his own share of success at "the toughest position in sports."

Vick, of course, still has plenty of haters. The PETA people will never forgive him for his involvement in dog fighting. On the other side of the political spectrum is right winger Tucker Carlson, who, "as a Christian," thinks "he should have been executed." (When was the last time PETA and Carlson were on the same side of something politically?)

I am on Vick's side. Sure, animals matter, and humans treating them poorly--especially for sport--is inexcusable. We should even treat animals "ethically," though I'm sure many of us would disagree with what that means. Vick made a violent mistake, but he has been forthright about that mistake, and he has paid his dues. I hope he continues to succeed at a high level, and I found it quite disappointing that his team faltered at the end of the season. I even hope he, as he has indicated an interested in, owns a dog some day. I think to hope for anything less borders on a lack of belief in redemption. Is animal abuse really the unforgivable sin? Do we really believe people can change? If not, what does that say about God? And perhaps just as importantly, hasn't Vick at least showed the beginnings of earning our trust?

One of the indicators for me that Vick may sustain the change evident in his life is the relationship he has with Tony Dungy, the former noteworthy coach for the Indianapolis Colts (and others). Dr. Steve Garber's book, The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior During the University Years has been one of the most influential books I've read in the past five years. In it, he concludes that people who sustain their callings with integrity for a lifetime do so by participating in a like-minded community, forming a worldview that makes sense of their work, and by finding a mentor or mentors who have traveled the road before them. I have personally experienced the benefit of mentorship from several men who cared enough to guide me at various points in my own life.

It is my understanding that Dungy has and is playing that role for Vick. Dungy's impact should not be underestimated, and not just because he wrote a book called The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams that Win Consistently. Dungy is one of the most respected names in football, and he risked that name in reaching out to Vick while he was in prison. He also encouraged teams like the Eagles to take a chance on Vick. So far, he has made it worth their while, relatively drama free.

As a society, we've unfortunately lost much of our reverence for history and wisdom. We believe more in experimentation and exploration--not bad things, necessarily--than we do in listening to the historical, the experienced, the wise, and the elderly. But Vick has gone "against the grain" in respecting what Dungy has done enough to listen. I hope he continues to, and if he does, I think Vick will pick up next season where he left off this season.