Will Michael Vick get the real 60 Minutes treatment?
On Sunday, Michael Vick will be interviewed on 60 Minutes in hopes of showing contrition, making a case for his NFL comeback and generally doing as much PR as possible to rehabilitate his image. The former Atlanta Falcon quarterback and NFL poster boy is pretty desperate to get back into the league -- and the money that comes with it. Michael Vick, as you probably know, was once the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. He was on the cover of magazines and was considered an unstoppable force on the field. Off the field, however, he was running an illegal dog-fighting business. He spent most of the last two years either in court or in prison for his involvement in a syndicate that promoted gambling and killed dogs.
After 19 months hard time behind bars, Vick is now out and hoping NFL commissioner Roger Guddell Goodell clears him to play again. The commish has given him conditional reinstatement to rejoin the NFL, the key word being conditional. Goodell will probably be watching and making his own judgment.
This interview, therefore, is crucial. Vick must come off as a changed man. Normally, I have a lot of faith in 60 Minutes being a crucible of truth. The interviewers play hard ball. However, instead of Mike Wallace or Morley Safer or Scott Pelley doing the interview, a ringer is being brought in. James Brown, the CBS Sports anchor of NFL Today -- the Sunday pre-game hour -- will be a special 60 Minutes interviewer.
That sounds to me like a gift to Vick. Hopefully, Brown will be tough and fair and ask the pertinent questions without quarter. I'm watching to see if Michael Vick gets the real 60 Minutes treatment, or if James Brown plays nice.

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