There is a path. It’s the path that Michael Vick walked. He has worked with the Humane Society for the last 17 years to educate folk about animal cruelty. He says he’ll do that work for the rest of his life.

Call me when Louis or Kanye devotes even one weekend to making reparation.

April 06, 2026 - 14:45 UTC

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Nobody is stopping them from doing the hard work, they just want their critics to be quiet about it.
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I had no idea about this — don't follow much in celeb or sports news, but I did have his name mentally associated with dog fighting. That's great, thank you so much for posting so I can update what I think of when I hear his name!
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Exactly this for me too.
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Right. Mike did something horrible, paid for it legally and -did the work- after he paid his debt to become a better person and help animals.

Doing the work are the key words here. Where's Kanye's outreach to both the Jewish -and- Black communities to help repair the the damage that he's done?
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Another important part is that Vick has not demanded that anyone acknowledge anything that he has done to repair. He has just done the work for himself and if others appreciate that, then fine. If not, he hasn't lashed out at them for deciding that they don't want to associate with him.
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💯
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there are people who say Michael Vick is irredeemable and should've been left out on the street to rot even after he did literal jail time and has been thousands of hours trying to atone AND HE DOESN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT.
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I think different people may be talking about different types of redemption.

I don't think Louis CK should be destitute on the street for the rest of his life. I also don't think that there is some societal imperative to let him basically make it back to near the peak of his career.
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Louis just hopes everyone has short memories. He’s got nuthin’.
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Exactly this do. Do the work. Put in the time and dedication to change and grow. So rare…
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Like, maybe there’s a redemption path for gaiman but it sure as hell isn’t, hi all, it’s been a while, here’s my new book. Ugh
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Michael Vick did a horrible thing. he paid his debt to society for that thing.

and he has worked to make reparation for what he did.

and despite this, still to this day there are still white people who insist that Vick should never be allowed to work or live or make money.
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And redemption is ultimately personal. Nobody in the public owes any one of these folks anything for such efforts.

You change yourself for yourself, not to get your audience or previous life back. You maybe get your soul back.
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No “redemption” until you’ve managed a papa john’s in a rundown area for a least a decade. And even then some people should never speak publicly again. (This is my rule for pastors but I’m happy to apply it to everyone)
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Despite how long Vick has walked that path, some people protested him getting a job as a college head coach--even after he spent years in prison for what he did and what he continues to do with the Humane Society. They demand grace *from* black folks but have none to offer *to* black folks.
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Rabbi Ruttenberg wrote a whole book on this subject. But too many in the chattering class are so interested in redemption that they skip over repentance--much less repair--entirely. Platner and the totenkopf tattoo discourse are just one example of this.
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Yes. But Vick demonstrates both true understanding and contrition. That’s what I’m talking about here not those other folk. And that understanding & contrition is what Kanye & CK lack. They just want a comeback story.

F that.
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I practice a program that has a pretty specific process for this: acknowledging the harm as you understand it; asking to hear any harm you did not mention while listening with no response permitted; requesting that the harmed party outline how you can make things right.
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Many aspects of this program have been life-changing, but I did not feel truly free until I did this part.

I am also not done doing this part. And I won't be. Ever.

That's the work.
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As someone who lived in Philly during his redemption tour, I'm not sure Vick "did the work". He made some public appearances but read rote prepared statements. Then he would give interviews a week later and say things like ~if I didn't get arrested, I'd still be fighting dogs to this day~.
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A very important point.

Repentance and reparations CAN happen, but the perpetrator needs to commit.
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I agree with this. IMO, If you are punished and do your time, it shouldn't necessarily follow you around forever.

But losing your job or not being famous any more doesn't count as being punished. Making a financial settlement and requiring the victim to sign an NDA doesn't count as being punished.
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I didn't even know about this!
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I didn’t know Vick had done that/continues to do that. Thank you for sharing.
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