the ex-Atlanta Falcon, convicted felon, formerly dog-abusing Humane
Society volunteer spokesman and current Philadelphia Eagle, is the
subject of a 10-part series that begins Tuesday night on
“The Michael Vick Project.” The word “project” in the title indicates
that we are meant to take this seriously (its meaningless use in “The
Rachel Zoe Project” notwithstanding). It suggests hard work and the
possibility of transformation. That the subject of the series is also
one of its producers is worth noting but also par for the course in the
new reality we call “reality.”
The game plan is laid out clearly in the opening
narration: “Against all odds, one man escaped and uplifted a family.
But his humble beginnings led to a very tragic ending. But from
darkness he saw the light. Blessed with a second chance, he must once
again rise above to heal his family, his community, his legacy.” (Heal
his legacy?) It is a redemption story, couched in religious terms: “I’m
Michael Vick,” Vick says over the opening credits. “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.”
You can decide for yourself whether this process is already, for all intents and purposes, complete. That Vick’s
sportsmanship and courage,” seems to indicate that it is, as does a
online poll in which 85 percent of those responding agreed that the
quarterback had already done enough to “repair his image.” It also
indicates that the likely audience for this show is already on the
star’s side.
Indeed, there are plenty of people in this world who
would not regard Vick’s adventures in dog fighting as anything to
apologize for in the first place — nothing to go to prison for, anyway,
as he did. Many humans are insensitive to the sensitivity of other
species. (For that matter, many humans are unconscious of the humanity
of whole classes of other humans.) And though Vick admits here that his
treatment of his dogs was “inhumane and barbaric,” the bloody specifics
of his operation are avoided, including the fact that his partners —
and Vick himself at times — would kill dogs who did not perform well,
shooting them, hanging them, drowning them.
I am with the dogs in this but admit that wealthy,
feckless, gifted athletes are people too; I wouldn’t deny Vick his
second chance or question the sincerity of his remorse. We see a few
photos of him as a child, to remind us that he was born innocent, and
are shown that he came from a hard place that left its mark on him, so
that even as he was signing the biggest deal in NFL history, he was
still operating under the influence of old bad companions, or at least
old bad ideas. And yet, walking around the now-empty house on the
property where he kept his kennel and lodged his friends, he sometimes
seems more nostalgic than contrite.
We get a brief glimpse of a pre-lapsarian Vick
deformed by money and fame, but the man we see interviewed here is
pleasant, neutrally dressed and well-spoken — straightforward if not
yet shown as remarkably curious as to the deeper meanings of his story
or the darker crannies of his psyche. And because — apart from a couple
of worked-up animal-rights activists, shown in sound-bite clips at
demonstrations and easy to dismiss — there is no one on-screen who is
not supportive of him, the show becomes more about what Vick has
suffered himself, or at any rate the pain they all shared, than it is
about the pain he has caused
Even in bankruptcy, the quarterback remains a
valuable commodity; for many, his redemption will be strictly a matter
of his playing football well. And if he doesn’t, well, at least he
won’t be shot, drowned or hanged for it.
‘The Michael Vick Project’
Where:
When:
Rating: TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14)
—
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