AP

Michael Vick was treated much more harshly — both by the legal system and by the NFL — for his involvement in dog fighting than Ray Rice was for assaulting his wife. But Vick and Rice are both football stars whose off-field actions have landed them in trouble, and so Vick feels that he may be able to provide some advice to Rice.

That advice, Vick said, is to show with actions, not with words, that you’re sincerely remorseful.

“I think the most important thing that you can do is to try to make amends for what you’ve done,” Vick told NJ.com. “I think you have to show people that you’re trying to help yourself and bring awareness to that situation to help others, to prevent it. You’ve got to become an advocate.”

Specifically, Vick thinks Rice should use whatever platform he has to speak out against domestic violence.

“You’ve got to continue to make amends,” Vick said. “Once you start something, you can never go back. I feel like I’ve become an advocate of animal welfare, and I think I have to continue that. It’s all about keeping kids 15 years from now from doing the same. We’ve saved a lot of kids, and we’ve saved a lot of animals. That’s how I feel. Ray will make it right.”