NFL fans, I hope you're sitting down for this one. Today the Philadelphia Eagles announced Michael Vick is the 2009 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award, which goes to a player who shows courage in the face of adversity. This comes during a time when concussions and other head injuries are coming under closer scrutiny by the League. Maybe this award shows all members of the NFL have taken too may blows to the head!

By now, most people know, at least, a little about Michael Vick--dog fighting, public humiliation, prison, and then finally picked up by the Eagles after a long lay-off from pro football.


Now, the fallen star is trying to turn his life around and tone down his public image. That's all well and good and I hope he's successful in his efforts. What he did was despicable, make no mistake about that, but he's trying to turn things around. The trouble is, every time I start to root for the guy, something like this comes along.

Yet, we all, myself included, must remember that Vick didn't vote on this himself and it was a choice made by his peers. Unless it comes out that Vick was involved in vote buying or some such shenanigan he deserves our support--to some degree.

As a work in progress, I support Vick's attempts to rehabilitate his character both on and off the field. However, this award is a bit premature!