Whitlock has an interesting take on the Atlanta Falcons' current situation.

America's refusal to allow ex-cons to re-enter our society and workforce is one of the biggest crises facing minority men.

Some people want Michael Vick locked out of the NFL forever. I don't.

You take away a man's dream forever and you create a hopeless, dangerous man. When you do it to a group of young men (black and brown men), you create a hopeless, dangerous culture.

What are the Falcons supposed to do, paint a portrait of Vick on a cross at the 50-yard line?

If there's a Vicktim in any of this, it's Arthur Blank. He gave Vick the $130 million contract, made him a franchise quarterback and rationalized Vick's missteps. Blank was influenced by all the Vick apologists who claimed any criticism of the misguided, video-game-playing, weed-smoking, unprepared quarterback was a product of racism.

Blank went down with Michael Titanic, trading away Matt Schaub before this season. Vick created such a mess in Atlanta that Bobby Petrino ran away from the organization like the Colts leaving Baltimore, in the middle of the night under the cover of darkness.