Years ago, he was a sports hero, the slayer of a dynasty.  His game winning touchdown reception allowed for perhaps the greatest upset in recent sports history.  The catch prevented the Patriots from completing their quest for perfection, joining the Dolphins as the only teams to ever go undefeated, and even surpassing them by having a longer schedule and a much stronger group of teams to compete against.

After his heroics, Plaxico rode the wave of fame and went into Giants lore as a god.

It seems even gods don’t know all the details about concealed weapons permits in every state, especially New York, the state with the strictest gun control laws in the country.

Plaxico was arrested on gun charges after a concealed pistol he was carrying slipped from his waist and fired, hitting him in the leg and narrowly missing another person.  After a brief attempt at playing off the “victimless crime” angle, saying only he was hurt by his own stupidity, the New York prosecutor decided it was time to make an example of someone violating the gun control laws and set the bar at a minimum two-year prison sentence for Plaxico Burress.

After exhausting his options, Plaxico agreed to the plea bargain and was sentenced to two years in prison, with a minimum of 20 months with credit and good behavior.  

Some may say he was treated unfairly for his crime and punished too severely.

If you are dumb enough to shoot yourself in a night club with your own gun, you deserve to be locked up until you understand that the difference between this victimless crime and manslaughter is simple the angle at which the gun fell from the waist.

That’s the latest news on Vick, rumors of his return to the NFL and possibilities with the Bills.

Where did this idea surface, you may wonder? Allow me to include the stirring tweet sent by ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Here are the two sleeper teams on Vick not getting mentioned, but that I now sense could be in play here: Buffalo and Dallas.”

Although Vick’s officially out of the dog house, ahem, big house, he still has a few things left to do before the American justice system is through with him.

According to the Chicago Times, and as a probationary obligation, Vick has to speak to “at-risk inner-city kids” about animal cruelty. Specifically, that a person can go to jail if he or she partakes, lose a career in professional football (along with millions of dollars in contracts) and see a major reputation stain that won’t likely fade completely…ever.

“We spoke with dozens of young people, and Michael shared his story, expressed remorse for his actions, urged the community to stand up to dog fighting, and asked them to help with the campaign,” Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society, said.

Other terms of Vick’s probation include that he secure a job — apparently he’s got something arranged for construction, as reported by A Pakistan News — and remain under house arrest unless he’s packing a metal lunchbox and yellow hard hat.

So the question now is whether or not Vick will be welcomed — or at least allowed — back into the NFL and how the fans will take to it. From what I’ve been reading, it appears Vick has been forgiven for most of his doggy faux paws.

Guess we’re just going to have to wait and see…Michael Vick Buffalo Bills..? I don’t think it really matters what team, as long as he gets in.

In a world where dog fighting receives stiffer punishment than manslaughter, one has to wonder where the logic is, and how much is a human’s life worth exactly?  Or his talent? Or his ability to give those around him a better chance at succeeding, thus improving lives?

Have people forgotten that Michael Vick was once the most electrifying athlete to dig his cleats into well groomed grass in front of tens of thousands of fans?  That he had passing yards and rushing yards that put quarterbacks and running backs to shame?  Or his ability to turn a busted play caused by an offensive line that could be outplayed by a sled with blocking dummies into a dramatic, momentum swinging morale romp?

Lets face it, Michael Vick is an athlete.  He could play any skilled position in football and play it within the top 20 percentile of he elite players.

In professional sports, wife beaters, drug dealers, coke addicts, drunk drivers and adulterers have gotten free passes to continue play and are respected by thousands of people for what they do every game day.

Michael Vick ran a dog fighting ring and suddenly he is worse than the man who fathers nine children by nine women, or takes steroids and kills himself and his family, or runs over a pedestrian while drunk.

Whatever team does decide Vick is worth the chance will see an investment paid off in full, even if the United Football League signs Vick first.

Not until they made it to the Super Bowl.  Even then, they were written off as the team that would fall short.  But by the end of the game, everyone wanted to see them make it.  They almost did, falling one yard short of a game-winning drive to clinch the Super Bowl title.  That year may not have ended as they hoped, but the respect for the franchise was solidified.

Steve McNair was the true Titan who lead the way.  He was also the most recent public image to meet an untimely demise.

McNair was found shot in a condo he owned with a 20-year-old woman. Both he and the girl were found dead.  McNair suffered several gunshot wounds, including one to the head, and the woman was found with a single gunshot wound to the head.  No gun was “readily apparent.”

The woman had spent a lot of time with McNair recently, though for reasons unknown.  Police say that the two had been pulled over with the woman driving, and was charged with a DUI after refusing a breathalyzer test, saying “I’m not drunk, I’m high.”

There are too many details left up to speculation over the murders, but the sports world has lost a positive force in the incident.  McNair was a respected and well liked individual who had a passion for integrity and sought to be that role model for kids.  His influence will be missed.