Most people are aware of the animal abuse case against Michael Vick.  Three years ago, Vick pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty for funding and overseeing a brutal dog fighting scheme.  He even admitted to being present when wounded dogs were brutally disposed of by their owners.  His behavior was abhorrent and the details of his actions turned the stomach of our nation.  For his crime, Vick served 23 months in prison.

Earlier this year, another NFL player, Donte Stallworth, pleaded guilty as well to a horrible crime.  Stallworth was driving toward Miami Beach after a night of drinking and struck and killed a 59 year-old crane operator trying to catch a bus home after working an overnight shift.  Stallworth’s blood alcohol content was over Florida’s legal limit, and he was speeding when he struck the man.  He was charged with DUI and second degree manslaughter.  For his crime, Stallworth served 24 days in jail.

Is it me, or is there something wrong with this picture?  A man who killed dogs serves 23 months in prison, but a man who killed another human being serves only 24 days in jail.  Obviously, Stallworth didn’t mean to kill the man, while it’s clear that Vick intentionally killed the dogs, but both acts were criminal.  And how the one who killed the man got off with only 24 days in jail while the one who killed the dogs was slapped with a sentence of nearly two-years in prison is beyond me.

What does this say about how our society values human life when our “justice” system doles out these kind of upside-down sentences?  As I look forward to another exciting year of football, I’m a bit confused and somewhat disturbed by the lesson on the value of life we’ve learned from the NFL this off season.