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legendary Congressman is now recorded in history as someone who was censured after violating House ethics, and whose detractors judged him as someone who never accepted full responsibility for his actions.
    Tom DeLay faces a similar designation. In January 2011, the once-bulletproof Texan was sentenced to three years in prison for illegally plotting to channel corporate contributions to Texas legislative candidates. Even after his sentencing, DeLay maintained his innocence based on the defense that he was simply doing what “everybody was doing” and that he was the victim of political persecution. The responsibilitydodging DeLay has vowed to appeal the verdict.
    Michael Vick, on the other hand, claimed his crime and seems to be on an admirable road to redemption. In July 2007, his football career with the Atlanta Falcons came to a screeching halt. After he was indicted for running a dog-fighting operation, Vick was suspended by the NFL without pay and lost all his well-paying endorsement deals. Months before his sentencing, Vick went before the media and apologized to the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons, and his fans for “using bad judgment and making bad decisions.
    â€œI will redeem myself. I have to.”
    An article in the December 27, 2010, edition of The Christian Science Monitor discussed Vick’s “rehabilitation both as a person and a football player” and his “fairy tale year“ in football after serving 18 months in federal prison. According to the article, Vick credits his sentencing and time in prison with making him a better player:
    â€œArguably the best running quarterback in the history of the NFL, Vick has now added patience and better passing to his repertoire, making him a complete pro quarterback for the first time in his career.”
    It’s important to note that someone with power gave Vick a second chance. As the newspaper article pointed out, there was “only tepid interest among NFL teams” when Vick was released. He was signed by the Eagles in 2009 as a backup starting quarterback. When Kevin Kolb was named the Eagles’s starting quarterback, Vick did not complain and showed unequivocal support for the young player. When Kolb was injured early in the 2010 season, Vick got the chance to show what he could do. According to the article, “His performances have turned the Eagles from a team scrapping to make the playoffs into a legitimate threat to reach the Super Bowl.”
    Although Vick and the Eagles didn’t make it to the Super Bowl in 2011, as I was writing this chapter, it was reported that Vick had been named starting quarterback for the NFL Pro Bowl game in Honolulu. His resurgence would have never been as widely celebrated had he not had the courage to admit his misdeeds and the integrity to work toward redemption.
    When You Fall Prey to Human Failing
    What I tried to share with Keisha was the value of integrity. Staying on an honorable path means that you work to identify the temptations and weaknesses and always strive to “catch yourself” before they lead you into difficult situations. I wanted her to understand that, if she does fall prey to human failings, it is so important to take personal responsibility, acknowledge the error, accept the punishment, and make amends to rectify the mistake. You can’t fail up if you cast yourself as a victim or try to rationalize your behavior with a myriad of excuses.
    I asked Keisha to vow to herself that she would not let a thoughtless act turn into a definition of her character. I reminded her of her innate worth and assured her that if she employed the moral compass that her mother had instilled in her and remained true to her values, she would indeed overcome this failure to be all that she really was.
    Thanks to a lesson learned from a powerful woman and the blessing of a second chance, I was able to confidently leave Keisha with an empowering message:
    â€œWhile there’s