Hey, Mike Vick made some really terrible choices and did some awful things.
He spent time in prison and was fined and lost hundreds of millions of dollars for his actions in a dog-fighting ring.
But he has paid for those criminal acts, so how much is enough with this guy?
Protestors were outside the Pittsburgh Steelers practice facility Wednesday - which happened to be "National Dog Day" - showing their angst about the Steelers signing the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback.
His best football days are far in the rearview mirror, but his worst days are thrown in his face at almost every turn.
Yes, Vick's crimes were bad. Heinous, in fact.
Jay GreesonThey forever changed what could have been a Hall of Fame career and devastated the Falcons franchise, which had dealt a ton to move up in the 2001 draft to take the former Virginia Tech star.
Vick was to be the ultimate dual-threat - one of the fastest guys in the league with one of the strongest throwing arms. But that vanished when it became public that he was part of the criminal enterprise that killed and tortured numerous dogs in a fighting ring not far from his hometown in Virginia.
Did you realize it's been more than eight years since Vick was indicted for his role in the dog-fighting scandal. Eight years, and he has paid his debt to society completely.
In addition to spending time in jail, he has repaid all his financial debts. Fully repaid them - in the nine-figure range, mind you - even though his financial advisers told him he had to pay back only a fraction of the total after declaring bankruptcy.
And with all the violent criminals in the league, why is Vick still such a lightning rod?
No one was protesting outside of Cowboys camp after they signed Greg Hardy, who was found guilty on serious domestic assault charges. Vikings fans were turning cartwheels when Adrian Peterson was reinstated after his child abuse charges.
These guys were allowed back in the league after serving their punishments and suspensions.
Yet somehow Vick is this everlasting pariah? (And Ray Rice can't find a job, either, in large part out of teams' fear of the protests, but he also has made every step in a positive direction since his domestic assault case in February 2014.)
Why the shotgun justice? Vick and Rice are forever covered with a scarlet letter, and their career story will contain the appositive phrase of their transgression in the first paragraph. The rest are given reprieve, however.
The Internet mob morality sure does love pets and video, the two things that make Vick and Rice different from any other NFL player who has broken the law, paid his debt and tried to return to the league.
Compare Vick to, say, Ray McDonald, who has been a multiple offender of the league's vague domestic violence policy.
To make matters worse, McDonald was indicted this week on rape charges. Wow. (Also, 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was charged with sexual battery in a related incident. This has been an awful offseason for San Francisco.)
And then there's this: Current Buffalo linebacker IK Enemkpali apparently has smacked more faces than Old Spice.
Enemkpali was cut by the Jets for punching and breaking the jaw of quarterback Geno Smith. He had fallen down draft boards after he punched a police officer. Now, reports have surfaced that he clocked a dude and missed a game in college after hurting his hand. Said dude was posing as a girl whom IK met online and was going to hook up with. Yes, it's a catfish-type incident.
That's a violent dude with intent to hurt other people.
Were they as cute as puppies? No, they were not and apparently that matters to far too many.
Michael Vick committed terrible acts and paid a lofty price. It's time to allow the man to get on with his life.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter @jgreesontfp.