Michael Vick advocating for animal safety

Michael Vick will meet with Pennsylvania lawmakers in support of a bill aimed to rescue pets from hot cars.

From part of the problem to part of the solution.

Eight years ago, then-Falcons QB Michael Vick was convicted for his role in an illegal dogfighting ring. Vick served a two-year prison sentence, and his reinstatement to the NFL upon his release was met with widespread criticism and protests.

Since returning to the league in 2009, Vick has vowed to use his position as a public icon to try and help right some of the wrongs he’s responsible for, and it looks as if he is making another effort to do good.

The current Steelers backup QB is scheduled to meet with lawmakers Tuesday in support of PA House BIll 1516, better known as the ‘pets in cars bill,’ which would grant police officers the necessary authority to rescue dogs, cats, and other pets from cars due to unsafe temperatures.

While Vick knows that he is “an unlikely advocate,” he also admits that being “part of the problem” once has left him with a unique opportunity to “help reach people that activists can’t reach.”

This isn’t Vick’s first attempt to undo the damage caused by his dogfighting involvement. He publicly supported last year’s Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which President Obama signed into law, and has also become active in both animal welfare and at-risk children advocacy groups.

When Pittsburgh signed Vick last August to back up Ben Roethlisberger, many Steelers fans wanted nothing to do with him, and used picket signs and banners outside the stadium to protest his joining their team. When local media asked the polarizing athlete for a response, Vick noted that he couldn’t change his past.

“The only thing I can do is try to inform the masses of kids to not go down the same road I went down,” he told reporters at the time.

His participation in the Pennsylvania pets in cars bill seems to be the latest example of Vick trying to put his money where his mouth is.