Just a mistake?

So Michael Vick got signed by the Eagles and can make over a million dollars this year. I've read comments from both sides. Most of the people who think Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL say that he has paid for his mistake and should be given a second chance. I do believe in second chances. I guess I'm just not convinced that what Vick did should be considered a mistake. In my mind, a mistake is a one time thing that you say oops about and learn from it and move on. But what Vick did was a behavior carried out over several years time. Some say that he got involved with dog fighting as young as 8 yrs old. Over that time didn't it occur to him that maybe what he was doing was wrong? Wrong on so many levels, if you ask me. How can someone look into the eyes of a dog, pet a dog, spend any time with a dog and think that it's okay to hurt it? Vick had so much time to think about what he was doing, so many chances to say this isn't right, that he was hurting innocent creatures. But he chose to continue. In my heart I believe that had he not been caught, he would still be abusing, torturing, and abusing animals. He had had a lifetime to change and didn't. I find it hard to believe that after two years in prison, now he is suddenly a totally different person. I hope he is. For his sake, and the sake of any animals that he may have in the future. But I do have my doubts. I hope that no more animals have to pay for any more of Vick's mistakes. I will be rooting against the Eagles even more passionately this year. Another thing that struck me reading the various comments was how often race was mentioned, and how anyone who isn't willing to give Vick another chance must be white and/or racist. I don't care what color Vick is. Cruelty of any kind is wrong if you're white or black.