Michael Vick spent his day off doing something a little different than what he's done with his other off days this season. The Steelers quarterback went to the Pennsylvania statehouse on Tuesday in an effort to help pets.
Vick was at the statehouse trying to convince lawmakers to pass PA House Bill 1516, which has been nicknamed "The Pets Bill."
If the law is passed, "it would give police officers more authority to save a dog or cat in distress if necessary," according to the bill's website. Police wouldn't be held liable for any damages that might occur while they're trying to remove a cat or dog from a hot car.
"I know that I'm an unlikely advocate," Vick said through a representative, via ESPN.com. "I was part of the problem. Now, my perspective can help reach people that activists can't reach. I can help others become agents of change."
In 2007, Vick was sentenced to 23 months in a federal prison for running a dogfighting ring in Virginia. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft served 21 months of the sentence in a Kansas prison before spending the final two months under home confinement.
Vick was hosted at the statehouse by representative Jake Wheatley, who's also a Vick supporter.
"This is another example of a person who has faced some adversity, paid his debt to society, and now wants to use that experience to provide some guidance for others so they don't have to make similar mistakes," Wheatley said. "I take my hat off to him."
After Vick signed with the Steelers in August, a fan started a petition to have him kicked off the team. Over 34,000 people signed that petition, and Vick's clearly trying to prove to those people, and to everyone else, that he's a changed person who cares about animals.
