FINDING JESUS?

Politicians and religious figures that get caught with their pants down do it, even Paris Hilton did it while in prison; it was only a matter of time before athletes would jump on the "I've found Jesus" bandwagon!

The public apology of professional football player Michael Vick regarding his involvement in an illegal dogfighting operation is raising skepticism among conservatives and the media.
.
Atlanta Falcons football player Michael Vick makes a statement after pleading guilty to a federal dogfighting charge in Richmond, Va., Monday, Aug. 27, 2007.

While he took "full responsibility" for his actions, pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy and involvement in the killing of at least six dogs, the Atlanta Falcons' star quarterback went further to say he has found Jesus.

"I'm upset with myself and, you know, through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God," he said in a statement on Monday. "I think that's the right thing to do as of right now."

Not everyone was convinced.

"The statement that Michael Vick has found Jesus is laughable," said the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson in a statement on Tuesday. "Like other celebrities before him, Vick is evoking Jesus' name to stop the criticism and gain public sympathy. True believers recognize the hypocrisy in what he's doing."

"'Jesus' is the most abused name in black America and Vick is following a long line of abusers," the conservative radio talk show host continued. "We can no longer allow celebrities and politicians to break laws and then use 'Jesus' as a get-out-of-jail free card. Most of these people go right back into their bad behavior and criminal activities as soon as the storm passes."

Another skeptic of Vick's sincerity, Tim Wildmon, president of the conservative American Family Association, posed on a less harsh note, "You wonder, what's the motivation for making a public statement? Is it sincere, or are they doing it to gain something from it?

"It gets personal in trying to understand someone's faith at times so they may say the right things, but you don't really know what they mean by it," said Wildmon, according to Cybercast News Service.

Vick had made continuous references to his Christian faith throughout his football career in statements and his touchdown signal of pointing to the sky, which for many athletes signifies their thanks to God.

And while FoxNews.com's vice president and executive producer, Mike Straka, had been expecting it, he was surprised to have heard Vick profess "finding Jesus" before imprisonment.

"It took Paris Hilton a few hours in the slammer before she met Jesus, and Vick does it even before lockup. Who knew?" wrote Straka.
Associated Press-