I am a former NFL player and I asked my friends in the NFL why they think Michael Vick made the dumb mistakes he made. My friends told me they thought it was because he was trying to be loyal to his friends. I agree, but what I really think it was, was peer- pressure.



I am writing this article to warn children, teens, and adults about the dangers of peer- pressure and that it can make you do really stupid and harmful things, just as it did with Michael Vick.

You must be a strong person and have your own mind. You must make your own decisions and do what you know is right and moral. When I was growing up I had friends that were in gangs and drugs. When I was young I thought they were cool. They accepted me and wanted me to be like them and do the things they did, even though what they were doing was wrong. I loved my friends but I knew in my heart that what they were doing was wrong. Many of my friends died because of drugs and gang-related violence. I look back at the things they did and I now know that the things they were doing was not cool. In fact, they were being stupid and putting themselves in harmful situations. I am sure they knew it too but the peer pressure of being cool and fitting in with their friends was more powerful than their will to keep themselves out of trouble. So, they allowed themselves to fall to peer-pressure.

I did not have a father growing up. Because of that I was not taught by a male father figure how to behave. Therefore, my male friends were my role models as to how a man should behave. But now as a grown man who has witnessed the consequences of making bad decisions caused by peer-pressure, I know that you have to make your own decisions in life. You have to be responsible for yourself. Just because your friends are doing something does not mean you have to do it too. You have to be strong and do what you know is right. Life is too short and valuable to get into trouble in ruin your life as Michael Vick has done. Michael had the world in his hands and lost it all because he wanted to be cool in front of his friends who were involved in illegal and immoral activities.

I want to give you some options to help yourself make the right decision when you are faced with peer-pressure:

1. Always think of the most important person you love before you make the wrong choice. Think of how you would hurt that person if you do something wrong.

2. Ask yourself if doing what your friends want you to do will help your future or destroy it? Michael Vick should have been asking himself this question. If he did, he would not be in the horrible situation he is in now.

3. Ask yourself, ?Is this who I really want to be?? Are the friends I hang out with the type of people I want to be? You need to decide who you want to be and choose friends who have your same values and will you achieve your goals instead bringing you down and destroying your life.

4. Ask yourself, ?When it's all over will my friends be there for me?? Are your friends good people who care about you and want to see you succeed in life or are they using you for self gain?

5. Ask yourself, ?Is it all worth it?? In the grand scheme of life, is making a decision to follow your friends going to have a positive or negative impact on your life?

I promise you that these are the questions Michael Vick is asking himself over and over. You can be guaranteed that if Michael could go back in time he would never make the stupid decisions he has made by falling to peer-pressure. Learn from Michael Vick's mistakes and always ask yourself before making any decision if that decision will help or hurt your life. Think before you act and never make a poor decision just because your friends think it is the cool thing to do. Be strong and do the right thing.