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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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6

The Greatest Comebacks Ever

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(Newser) – Michael Vick isn’t the first athlete who’s had to claw his way back from the wilderness. Time takes a look at the top sports comebacks ever, including:  

  • Muhammad Ali—The self-proclaimed “greatest of all time” bounced back after losing time for refusing to fight in Vietnam, then lost his rep in his first fight with Joe Frazier.

  • Pelé—The greatest soccer player ever brought the sport to America in his comeback bid.
  • Michael Jordan—After his ill-conceived attempt at baseball, Jordan returned to the Bulls with maybe the greatest press release ever. It read simply, “I’m back.”
  • Brett Favre—When you come back that many times, some of them have to be good.
  • Lance Armstrong—Even after years away from the sport, he managed to finished third in this year's Tour de France.

Spray flies from the head of challenger Joe Frazier, left, as heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali connects with a right in the ninth round of their title fight in Manila, Oct. 1, 1975.
Spray flies from the head of challenger Joe Frazier, left, as heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali connects with a right in the ninth round of their title fight in Manila, Oct. 1, 1975.   (AP Photo/Mitsunori Chigita, File)
This is a Jan. 19, 2000 file photo showing Michael Jordan smiling as he answers questions from the media at the MCI Center in Washington.
This is a Jan. 19, 2000 file photo showing Michael Jordan smiling as he answers questions from the media at the MCI Center in Washington.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick throws during practice at the Eagles' practice facility, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick throws during practice at the Eagles' practice facility, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009, in Philadelphia.   (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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6 comments
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Timinator2K
Aug 17, 09 2:43 PM CDT
None of the listed above ***ever*** got his rocks off torturing, electrocuting, drowning, hanging innocent animals in his own Dog fighting gambling scheme. The PR nightmare for Philly is about to kick into gear. "I HOPE HE FAILS." Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Forderon
Aug 17, 09 3:12 PM CDT
So no one should ever get a second chance or be given the opportunity to correct their mistakes? Got it. How narrow-minded do you have to be to not see that some actions are a result not of pure evil but a symptom of the environment a person grew up in? In this case, Vick grew up watching his elders do this, watched cops ignore it, and didn't think anything of it. By the way, you know what animals get tortured and imprisoned? The ones you eat, and it's done on a mass-scale. Maybe you should reserve some of your bile for that.
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IN RESPONSE:
Abdulsamadabdul
Aug 17, 09 10:44 PM CDT
I hope he succeeds.
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IN RESPONSE:
SomeGuyInNC
Aug 18, 09 1:43 PM CDT
This is a reply to Forderon... Michael Vick has really done nothing to redeem himself. I say if they are going to let him play, he should have to take a year doing charitable actions and proving himself before given this opportunity to get rich. Spending time in jail is not redemption, it's just time. Redemption is showing through your actions that you are truly sorry. He hasn't had a long enough time out of jail to prove himself. The crimes he committed were truly heinous and a person who would commit those crimes is missing a part of his soul.
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DarkFrancis
Aug 17, 09 5:37 PM CDT
Rumble in the Jungle. That was amazing. Oh, and Man United's comeback in the 99 Champions League Final, but of course...that's a bit removed for most of you. Reply
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