As mentor, retired coach Dungy will support Vick in football, life

[Forkboy]

Tony Dungy believes Michael Vick is focused on putting his life back together.

The former Indianapolis Colts coach has agreed to mentor Vick as part of the quarterback's conditional reinstatement to the NFL.

"I'm not sure what football is going to hold for him; that will be discussed at length in the sports pages over the next few weeks," Dungy said in a post on his blog Tuesday. "I believe in second chances for people who admit their mistakes and are committed to changing."
More on Vick
Tony Dungy's acceptance of a mentorship to Michael Vick was crucial to the quarterback being conditionally reinstated to the NFL, Jason La Canfora writes, because of the respect the retired coach has in league circles. More ...

Dungy retired in January, two years after leading the Colts to a Super Bowl title, and he has long been involved in prison ministries. Dungy met with Vick in May at the federal penitentiary where the former Atlanta Falcons star was serving an 18-month term for running a dogfighting ring.

Dungy said he also met Vick on a second occasion and has spoken to him on the phone several times.

"I think Michael deserves the chance to show people he has changed and learned from past mistakes, but my true hope is that he will make sound decisions about his future and, at the same time, let people know more about the person that I've come to know recently," Dungy said. "I know the public will be skeptical, but I think, over time, people will find there's a different side to him than what they've seen so far."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d811838e2&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Sounds like a perfect match.

[JVS]

1. Oh wow, this is going to be a great thread

:popcorn:

[flvegan]

2. He's going to bring Vick to Jesus, he'll play the "born again" card

and all will be well. How quaint.

:eyes:

[KamaAina]

3. I should have seen this coming a mile away

but I did not. I must be slipping.

Then again, all things considered, Fundie Vick is probably marginally more acceptable than Unspeakable Mistreatment of Animals Vick. :grr:

[Jokerman]

4. The homophobe and the dog killer.

They both disgust me.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Teach him being gay is a sickness?

[Wapsie B]

6. If he wants back in the NFL let him play at the league minimum every year he's in.

No bonuses, no juicy contracts at all. Those days are gone. Second, make sure he never plays for a contender. Put him on the last place team every year he's in. Let's see how much he loves the game then.

[MountainLaurel]

7. Birds of a feather

Should have guessed this one.

[MountainLaurel]

8. Self-delete

Dupe post.

[Bleacher Creature]

9. I'm so tired of the deification of Tony Dungy.

This is a guy who is involved in Indiana's version of Focus on the Family (i.e., Dobson's group). He is yet another example of the media's focus on athletes who are either (x) thugs or (y) "exemplary" people because of their religious convictions. What about the athletes who are decent people simply because it's the right thing to do, and not because some mysterious person in the sky will punish them if they are not.