According to the laws of the land, Michael Vick committed a felony and served his time. Therefore, the government has no right to restrict him from doing as he pleases. However the NFL, as a private organization, does have the right to determine who can or cannot play. There have been rumblings by the league about perhaps suspending Vick further, to send a message about the values it (the league) upholds.
Dog loving has long been a part of American culture, as is football, and so there is a large influential faction of NFL fans who would prefer that Vick never plays again. Rabid dog lovers tend to view Vick's crime as tantamount to murder, without really understanding what that would mean. These same people do not necessarily hold the view that all animals ought to be treated with ethics (the PETA segment is only a small part of the anti-Vick sentiment). They readily consume meat products, and benefit from animal experimentation on primates (which are higher intellectually than dogs), and aren't really calling for all hunters to be rounded up and sent to prison. Essentially, they view dogs, specifically, as a species that ought to be protected by human society.
Now the community of sports/NFL fans consist of more than just this segment of society. Many of us, myself included, believe that no matter the severity of Vick's dog-abusing escapades, the fact remains that he harmed no human being. We may find his actions repulsive, but we understand that the only species that deserves ethical treatment is Homo Sapiens, for a very specific reason: humans have the reasoning ability to distinguish right from wrong. A lion, for example, kills gazelles in the cruelest of ways, but we do not hold the lion responsible for its transgressions. Humans have the right to determine, for themselves, how they treat members of other species.. it is not really a societal prerogative. If you love dogs as pets, you have the right to treat YOUR dog with compassion and love, but not the right to demand that Michael Vick do the same. You have the right to criticize him, and not be his friend, but not the right to stop him from earning a living. Michael Vick deserves to play again, because he committed no real crime against his fellow men, but rather violated a law imposed by those who misunderstand the concepts of ethics and human liberty.
