Aug 26, 2015 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Michael Vick is now a member of the Steelers.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you already knew that. And you’ve probably formed an opinion regarding whether it’s a good idea.

Thanks to the magic of social media, those opinions have quickly been put out there.

To call Vick a polarizing figure doesn’t cut it. Those ripping the signing are vocal – though a “protest” Wednesday outside the Steelers’ practice facility drew only five people.

It’s OK to trash Vick for his involvement in organizing dogfights.

He pled guilty to it, and spent 21 months in Leavenworth Federal Prison as punishment. That’s 548 days away from society. We’re not talking about spending time at the Boys Club; we’re talking Leavenworth, a facility that once housed hardened criminals such as George “Machine Gun” Kelly, James “Whitey” Bulger and George “Bugsy” Moran.

Maybe you’ve heard of them.

For his involvement in that dogfighting ring, Vick deserved to be punished.

But the court ruled in 2009 he had paid his debt to society and was released from prison.

That doesn’t mean, however, that some people will ever forget what he did. And that’s fine.

But the NFL ruled after Vick was released from prison that he was eligible to pursue a career in the league. His suspension was lifted and Vick spent the past six seasons on NFL rosters, playing five years for the Philadelphia Eagles and one for the New York Jets.

Judging from the feedback from some fans this week, one would have thought the Steelers were signing him fresh out of prison.

There were comments on social media and other places, ranging from people who couldn’t believe the Steelers would make such a move to others who were giving up being fans of the team.

The Steelers knew that when word got out about their interest in Vick there would be a backlash. Quite frankly, that’s why they didn’t bring him in before this week.

But it does beg this question:

What’s the time frame on forgiveness for indiscretions? Is there a checklist of what behavior is acceptable and what isn’t when it comes to your favorite team signing a player?

Nobody wants to hear the tired argument that signing Vick goes against the “Steelers Way.” That’s a fallacy.

People who bring that up conveniently overlook the past indiscretions of past and present Steelers. The Steelers – or any team in any sport – will never employ a roster of choir boys.

Given a choice between Player A, who is a model citizen, and Player B, who is not, and the talent is close, the Steelers will take Player A. There have been players who were such bad citizens the Steelers took them off their draft board.

But there also were players who had transgressions and the Steelers took a chance.

Sometimes they work out. Sometimes they don’t. It’s an inexact science. It’s difficult to judge what’s in someone’s heart or mind.

When you have a full roster near 90, there are bound to be some bad people.

Since his return to the NFL, Vick has been a model citizen and a team leader. He’s worked with charities. Heck, he even lobbied for H.R. 2492, the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which would establish federal misdemeanor penalties for spectators of illegal animal fighting and make it a felony for adults to bring children to fights.

He’s trying to rehabilitate his reputation.

It might not be enough for some people but it was enough for the Steelers.

If placed in the shoes of general manager Kevin Colbert or head coach Mike Tomlin, would I have made the same decision? Probably not.

But not because of anything Vick has done.

See, the real “Steelers Way” is about trying to win as many games as possible each season, including the Super Bowl.

And at this point in his career, the 35-year-old Vick might not help, even as a backup quarterback.

He did do enough last season to engineer a 20-13 victory over the Steelers for the Jets.

Outside of that, he’s been a mediocre player the past couple of seasons. The risk – in this case, the bad publicity – is greater than the potential reward.

P.T. Barnum once said there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

But he was never in Vick’s situation, one in which the Steelers have now entangled themselves.

F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.