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If nothing else, Vick's time in Philadelphia has certainly been a memorable one

((Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images))

PHILADELPHIA -- Despite his contrition and attempts to make things right, some people, apparently, have not forgiven Michael Vick for his past transgressions. Which, in some ways, is understandable given the seriousness of those acts.

Juliet Macur, reporter for the New York Times, ripped Vick in a column Monday. Macur, while regurgitating Vick's dogfighting crimes from years ago, cautioned other NFL teams to think twice about signing the quarterback, who probably has played his final game for the Eagles.

Here's a taste:

Macur also had some advice for the Eagles:

The idea of people never forgiving him was presented to Vick on Monday, as he cleaned out his locker and prepared for free agency.

“My thing was always to try to make amends for the things that I’ve done,” Vick said. “Time heals all wounds. Some people are going to forgive you. Some people aren’t. My goal was to make people a believer through my actions through the good deeds I was able to do, the things I was able to put myself in a position to do through acts of God was all I ever wanted. Things have taken a turn for the better. I want to keep that momentum going.”

The momentum Vick speaks of is something I have seen firsthand since he arrived in Philadelphia in 2009 for one of the most controversial second chances in American sports.

Sentenced to 23 months in jail, Vick served his time and his probation without a hiccup. He served his suspension from the NFL, and he has met the conditions the league placed on him. Through it all, Vick has emerged a more mature man.

I'm not around Vick 24/7/365, and don't pretend to know him on a personal level. He could stumble tomorrow and make me look silly. But I have been around him outside the locker room, and I have watched Vick make good on his promise to have a positive impact on the Philadelphia community.

I have seen him speak on numerous occasions to the city's youth, many of whom live on the edge of making a life-changing misjudgment. When he spoke to a group of high-school students in Philadelphia, and warned them against making the same mistakes he had, the students were fixed on him. It's difficult to imagine he didn't have an impact.

But he gave them more than words: With money out of his own pocket, Vick turned a neglected playground into one of the nicest public fields in the city.

In her column, Macur mentions Vick's teammate, wide receiver Riley Cooper, whom she portrays as another Eagles misfit. Cooper, you'll recall, was caught using a racial slur on video this past summer, and that incident threatened to tear apart the locker room.

But Vick, an African American hurt by the slur, was also one of the team leaders who helped the Eagles move past the injurious remark -- and into the playoffs, where they were celebrated as one of the league's Cinderella teams. Vick spoke at the time about knowing what making a mistake means and the importance of giving someone a second chance.

There were other signs of maturity as well. Vick handled his demotion from starting quarterback to backup without a complaint, instead helping Nick Foles adjust to the sudden spotlight and intense scrutiny that comes with being a starting quarterback in the NFL. Today, Foles lists Vick as one of his best friends on the team and mentions Vick as a big reason Foles had the success he did this season.

It should also be noted that Vick now owns a dog, and says he plans to teach his daughter how to love and treat pets the proper way -- something he has said he never learned as a kid.

Nobody is perfect, and Vick certainly isn't. Like all of us, he has his flaws, and he has made his mistakes. But he has tried to fix what he has damaged -- in the community and himself.

One thing is clear to most of us who have been around him almost every day, as opposed to those who will parachute in and judge him on years-old acts he has long paid for:

If this is goodbye, Philadelphia is saying goodbye to a better person than the one who first arrived, even if the jaded among us find that difficult to believe.

Follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks