Michael Vick

America can be forgiving for many things, but Michael Vick still has a ways to go. He remains the most hated athlete in America, according to a Forbes poll.

Vick clocked in with an usually high awareness rate of 42 percent, meaning he’s well-known in America even among non-NFL fans ... but not in a good way.

“His awareness is up there with Peyton Manning, but a lot of it is people knowing him for the wrong reasons,” said Stephen Master, VP of Sports for Nielsen.

Other notable names toward the top of the most-disliked list include Kris Humphries (Kim would totally be #1) Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez and Kurt Busch.

Mark McGwire, Randy Moss, Manny Ramirez and Ben Roethlisberger fell out of the dubious top 10, even if there was no major image rehab in any case.

One shocking 180 was that of the Detroit Lions’ Ndamukong Suh, who went from one of the NFL’s best-liked players to one of its worse in a matter of months.

Suh’s reputation took a beating after a highly public stomping of a Green Bay Packer on national TV on Thankgiving. It's no animal cruelty, but that'll do it.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick may soon be caught up in a naked photo scandal, if a woman trying to hawk a “full frontal” picture of him has her way.

According to reports, the unnamed female is shopping around a pic of Michael Vick naked to various media outlets in an attempt to secure a big payday. Wonderful.

Vick’s camp dismissed the story, saying he has better things to worry about - like losing to the Bears 30-24 last night - but doesn’t outright deny the photo exists.

"The only thing Mike has on his mind is his date with the Chicago Bears this evening,” his rep said. “The rest of what this woman is claiming isn't worth dignifying."

According to one website the woman contacted, the pic is clearly Vick due to the tats “that appear all over his body including his signature super man tattoo [sic].”

The woman claims the photo of Vick, whose NFL comeback after a two-year prison term for running a dogfighting ring is the stuff of legend, is less than a year old.

“He is in the bathroom of the hotel room the night before the game taking the photos of himself,” she claims.  “It is from the neck down with all tattoos visible.”

So ... his face isn't visible. How convenient.

Following Chris Brown's recent rampage in New York, there are fans that still take the side of this singer, typically using three defenses:

1. Hasn't everyone made a mistake?!?
2. His incident with Rihanna is two years old.
3. The media should stop bringing it up.

The first argument is ridiculous. Brown did not push Rihanna, nor did he strike her just once. Have you seen the photos following the attack? Brown pummeled his then-girlfriend. He gave her a fat lip and a black eye. You can stand atop your high horses all you'd like, but, no, not all "mistakes" are equal.

Would supporters continue to echo this non-judgmental sentiment if he sexually assaulted Rihanna? If she died as a result of his temper?

Chris Brown could learn a lot from Mike Vick.

But the real crux of my argument centers around the second and third points listed above. If Brown truly wants forgiveness from the public and is legitimately sorry for his actions, he should look to Michael Vick as a role model.

Michael Vick just called time out on his interview ever with Oprah Winfrey that was set to air next week. The abrupt cancellation was not explained.

"Michael Vick was scheduled to be a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show for an episode airing next Thursday," said a spokesman for Harpo Productions.

"Mr. Vick's representatives called to cancel his appearance for personal reasons."

Vick did not elaborate, but told Philadelphia Sports Daily, that "I admire and respect Oprah and hope to be able to participate in an interview in the future."

Why would the NFL star bail? It's doubtful that he's ducking tough questions, as he's faced them head on for over a year, and he has a heck of a story to tell.

After running an illegal dogfighting ring led to a 23-month stint in prison and home confinement, he returned to the NFL in 2009 and climbed back to stardom.

Some sources say the cancellation may boil down to a friendly wager. Seriously.

Michael Vick, who fell from grace as an NFL star and landed in a federal prison for dogfighting, only to reemerge as a star years later, is coming to Oprah.

The talk show queen's interview with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is set to air on Thursday. Oprah Winfrey will also do an extensive feature on Vick.

Officials with Chicago-based Harpo Productions say she will spotlight Vick's time in prison, work with the Humane Society and return to NFL stardom.

Many football fans, including President Barack Obama, are happy about Michael Vick getting a second chance from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fox News' Tucker Carlson is not one of those people.

We know it's a 24-hour news world, and Fox anchors are mandated to embrace the opposite view of anything Obama says, but listen to this:

Tucker Carlson on Michael Vick: KILL HIM!

“I’m a Christian, I’ve made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances,” Carlson said. “But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a cruel, heartless way. Personally, I think he should’ve been executed for that."

"He wasn't, but the idea that the President of the United States is getting behind someone who murdered dogs? Kind of beyond the pale."

So ... the Christian thing to do is execute Michael Vick?

What if he can truly be rehabilitated and people can learn from his example? Michael Vick loves animals now. What more do you want?

For its part, the White House reiterated that Obama condemns his crimes (running a dogfighting ring) but believes convicts should get a chance to contribute to society when they are released from prison (Vick served nearly two years).

Tell us, was Michael Vick's sentence fair?

Convicted dogfighting kingpin and re-emerging NFL superstar Michael Vick says he loves animals and would even love to get another dog again someday.

After a stint in federal prison, the transformed Philadelphia Eagles quarterback says in a new interview, “I would love to have another dog in the future."

"I think it would be a big step for me in the rehabilitation process.”

Michael Vick is legally not allowed to own a dog.

He explains his unspeakably terrible cruelty to dogs in the past this way: “When I was younger I got caught up in dog fighting. It was something to do."

“I hate to use our culture as an excuse, but it is what it is. I love animals. I love dogs. I love birds. All types of animals. But it's the way I was brought up."

“Nobody ever told me it was the wrong thing to do.”

Vick now works with the Humane Society and talks to students about the evils of dog fighting. Watch him talk about his experiences after the jump ...

The Philadelphia Eagles are starting Michael Vick at quarterback again this week. That warranted a borderline offensive headline from a local newspaper.

In case you had forgotten that Vick did time in prison for bankrolling and running a dogfighting ring, Philly's Daily News is here to remind you. Subtly.

As the Eagles' shot-caller come this Sunday, Vick is once again ...

The Philadelphia Daily News channels their inner THG.

If Vick performs poorly against the Jacksonville Jaguars and ends up on the bench, will they use the headline DOGHOUSE? Or the more provocative PUT DOWN?

We almost wouldn't put it past them.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who joined the team after serving 18 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring, has won an award.

Not for his performance on the field, where he's thrown one TD pass and run for two more in a reserve role. Vick has won the team's Ed Block Courage Award.

The award honors NFL players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. Recipients are selected by their teammates' votes.

"I still have a lot of work to do," Vick said today after receiving the award. "But having my teammates vote me this award shows I'm doing the right thing."

Michael Vick has made quite a comeback in the past year.

He was given a prison sentence in December 2007 of up to 23 months for killing pit bulls, bankrolling a dogfighting operation and lying about it to authorities.

The Eagles were criticized by many for signing Vick after his release, but he has made no excuses and by most accounts he has been a model citizen so far.

"Congratulations to him for straightening his life around," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Vick. "He's obviously very well-respected by his teammates."

Quarterback Donovan McNabb called the award "well-deserved."

Vick, whose comeback will be chronicled in a reality show on BET, is now up for the league-wide Ed Block Courage Award with one player from each team.

What do you think of Michael Vick?

He's free of the big house. Now Michael Vick wants to get out of doghouse.

Sorry, but it's true. In an attempt to remake is image, the NFL star and dogfighting kingpin is taking to reality TV, with a show beginning early next year.

Tentatively titled The Michael Vick Project, the show will air on BET.

Its focus will be his comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles player and the struggles he's endured off the field - namely the 2007 arrest for orchestrating a dog fighting ring that landed him in federal prison for almost two years.

"I just want people to really get to know me as an individual," Vick said last week. "What I want to do is change the perception of me. I am a human being. I've made some mistakes in the past, and I wish it had never happened."

"But it's not about how you fall, but about how you pick yourself up."

Michael Vick is trying to reinvent Michael Vick. Will America buy it?

Vick, who took his first snap in the regular season two weeks ago, has publicly apologized for running the ring, appeared on 60 Minutes and spoken to kids.

He has remained humble and is now looking to rehab his tarnished image. What better place to do that than reality TV, right? PETA, for one, begs to differ.

"People who abuse animals don't deserve to be rewarded," PETA spokesman Dan Shannon told the Los Angeles Times. "They shouldn't be given multimillion-dollar contracts ... or given the privilege of being a role model."

We sort of see that, but he did go to prison, Dan. Also, couldn't Vick do more to further animal rights causes, if he is indeed sincere, due to the exposure?

Thoughts? Would you watch a Michael Vick reality show?