Is Tony Dungy an Athlete Whisperer as adviser to Michael Vick?

Mark Whicker, a great sports journalist who works for the Orange County Register in Southern California coined a phrase today when he appeared on ESPN's daytime talk show, "Jim Rome is Burning".

In answer to a question seeking Whicker's opinion about how the NFL handled Vick's re-entry into football, the columnist praised Commissioner Roger Goodell's approach to easing Vick into the process. He approved of leaving open the timing for the former quarterback's full reinstatement to give teams a chance to see if he's got what it takes to play the game again.

He then mentioned how Vick will be advised step-by-step by former Indy Colt's head coach, Tony Dungy. He called him the "Athlete Whisperer". I wish I had been as clever when I wrote yesterday's article on the subject. The text of that piece is pasted below. I likened Dungy's role to a life coach. On his radio program this morning Dan Patrick said that Dungy will be acting in a manner consistent with that of a twelve-step program sponsor.

Sponsor, life coach, shrink or Athlete Whisperer. take your pick. But it's clear that from the talk today from those in the know, Dungy will be vouching for Vick to teams' management and ownership and I hope for Dungy's sake that his student/mentee/client doesn't let him down.

Original article pasted below:

In addition to being conditionally reinstated to the NFL with the potential of a full reinstatement no later than week 6 of the regular season, Michael Vick got a personal mentor, babysitter, spokesman and more.

Commissioner Roger Goodell pointed out that there are two roads that lead to that full reinstatement. One is how he physically performs on the practice field and the other is how he conducts himself when he's out of uniform.

Tony Dungy has taken on a large role in Michael Vick's post-prison life. The Commissioner said that Dungy, who visited Vick in prison, will assist Vick to cope with all the forces coming at him as he re-enters the limelight. It sounds like the role of a life coach.

Dungy will help Vick deal with a multitude of situations that might overwhelm him. He'll be returning to a clubhouse in the league but not as a team leader. He will have to behave in a different way in relation to teammates, coaches, the press and of course the general public.

When Vick was in prison he was told how to act from sun up to sundown. While in home-confinement he had a very limited connection to a world outside his family and workplace. That cocoon has disappeared and it's clear that Goodell is acting in a pater-familias role which frankly is above and beyond what is expected from an employer. In doing so he has proffered the services of Dungy who can and will give credibility to Vick as clubs inquire about putting him on the payroll.

Remember when Jerry Jones was trying to keep Adam "Pacman" Jones out of trouble while he was on the Cowboys roster? Jones had a 24 hour security team monitoring the defensive back's every move. The problem was that he couldn't keep Jones from getting into a physical altercation with the guys trying to keep him out of trouble.

That's not Dungy's job in this endeavor. He will act as confidante, mentor and in some ways insulate Michael Vick from the full brunt of what might be thunder and fury of critics who believe he shouldn't play in the NFL again. Add that to Dungy's ability to keep the public apprised of Vick's progress in what I expect will be innumerable radio and television interviews from this day forward and you've got one heck of a public relations adviser as well.

It smacks of the NFL becoming Vick's partner that now has a vested interest in whether he succeeds in his come-back. You can call that a charitable act and perhaps it is but I'm not sure Dungy is ready for ill will that could come his way as a result of it.