The most obvious and simultaneously discredited continuing drama of poor decision making has to be Michael Vick and that of McAfee Antivirus founder John McAfee. Jumping straight past the actual arrest of Vick, eventual confession with all of the fallout, as well as McAfee’s recent allegations of drug manufacturing, distribution, underage sexual relationships and even wanted in connection to the murder of his neighbour in Belize, what are most people truly focused on?
In a word; it is their Integrity.
It is well known that Vick was arrested in 2007 after significant evidence proved the operation at the Virginia based Bad News Kennels was a dog fighting ring, bankrolled and fully participated in by Vick. Football is a business, and it did not take long before Vick had to face the financial realities of losing that business. However, the controversy continued in 2009 when he was permitted back on the professional field. Many feel this was a business decision, as controversy can, in fact, be good for ratings and sports.
The controversy finally began to be quiet. There were the supporters of the change Vick claimed to be undergoing and there were those who felt he never really paid for his crimes. Everyone lined up on their side of the issue, and a tense but quiet argument stood in limbo. Vick has also developed a reputation for getting hurt on the field. Many feel that the acquisition of a Beagle was designed to draw attention away from his poor performance and injury record and reignite the passion on both sides of the issue.
However, with McAfee the initial probe has just begun. It was discovered this past week that John McAfee, who developed the basic foundation of McAfee antivirus protection that exists today, has been hiding out in Belize from officials from multiple countries for his connection to drug charges, underage sexual relationships and even questioning his involvement in the murder of his neighbour in Belize.
McAfee’s lack of integrity over the years has surely contributed to the jam that he’s in right now and is impacting the reliability and integrity of the McAfee Antivirus Software he developed many years ago. Hiding out in Belize and afraid of what he faces if caught, McAfee is hopefully gaining some revelation as to why he is in such a predicament. Success is a wonderful thing, but if the road to it is paved with poor morals and values, you just may find yourself in terrible situations like McAfee is facing right now.
In both cases, Vick and McAfee have had their integrity questioned. Are the actions they committed just a simple mistake - or worse, are they examples of a lifetime of poor decision making. We’d defer to the ladder and even worse – this pattern of self-destructive behaviour has now spilled into the brands they represent or have in the past.
When the Michael Vick story broke, his sponsors did everything they could to separate themselves from him (except a select few). But, McAfee is not sponsored by anybody. He is the founder of a company that up until recently was regarded as highly trustworthy. This all changed when McAfee’s lifetime of poor choices surfaced.
In short, integrity is something earned through positive decision making choices. And one’s integrity truly is attached to all things they’ve touched previously. Vick has returned to the NFL and has begun his long road to earning peoples trust again. However, the path that McAfee has taken has only one end – and unfortunately it’s not a positive one.
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