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NFL
He lives in federal prison, his prodigious gifts withering because he couldn't resist the underground culture of violence. He is a criminal. He is a victim. He is a star. Sometime next summer, if all goes according to the desires of those who know him best, he'll obtain his release and re-enter society committed to a single goal. Michael Vick will be motivated to prove he's not the monster you think he is. His vehicle to redemption is football. It was his ticket to celebrity and infamy; it can be his path to salvation. Once NFL commissioner Roger Goodell allows Vick to return to the league, teams are certain to start jockeying for the services of the quarterback, who could be available before the 2009 season. I can't think of a good reason why the Raiders wouldn't want to get in on the action. I suspect Al Davis feels the same way, given his history of offering second chances, his fixation with former No. 1 draft picks and his obsession with athletes who run like cheetahs. Vick would add a dynamic alternative to JaMarcus Russell, Oakland's presumed quarterback of the future. The job should be Russell's to have for as long as he can keep it. He represents a massive investment, and he possesses the raw tools to be outstanding. But Vick, who has been clocked at 4.3 seconds in the 40, brings an entirely different approach. He was a quarterback in 2004, when he signed a 10-year, $130 million deal - the NFL's richest. Should he return, he'll likely be a hybrid, lining up at quarterback or running back or wide receiver.
Contra Costa Times
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