Michael Vick's house in Surry County, Virginia, before an auction on December 9, 2007, a few days before Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting operation
Can bad become good again? NFL star Michael Vick has tried to prove this himself.
After being convicted of operating a vicious dog-fighting ring out of his sprawling Virginia estate in 2007 and spending 20 months in jail, Vick was quick to put the incident behind him, joining the Philadelphia Eagles and working with the Humane Society to become a voice against the crime he committed.
And now, Vick’s former 15-acre Virginia property, which he dubbed “Bad Newz Kennels” during his dog-fighting days, is receiving its own karmic upgrade. Dogs Deserve Better, a nonprofit that fights animal cruelty, purchased the compound for $590,000 and is working on transforming it into a multi-million dollar rehab center for penned and chained dogs.
(READ: The Meaning of Michael Vick)
Renamed the Good Newz Rehabilitation Center, the estate where many animals were beaten, abused and even killed has become a haven for dogs to recover from the same kind of mistreatment. Nine animals are currently residing at the five-bedroom home, which will also serve as the organization’s new headquarters, with more expected to join in the coming weeks.
“I try not to focus on Vick personally at all. What I try to focus on is how we are changing this place from what happened here,” DDB founder Tamira Thayne recently told The Daily Press. “[We’re] taking something that was really negative and turning it into a positive. We really try to focus on doing the best we can do for these dogs.”
After hearing that the Vick estate was still on the market last January, Thayne started fundraising to come up the money to purchase the house. Within weeks, she had raised more than $180,000, enough to secure a down payment and get started on the center.
(LIST: Top 10 Disgraced Athletes)
But despite how far the organization has already come, Thayne still has a long way to go. She hopes to eventually house about 100 animals at the center, and for that she’s going to need much more help from the public.
Coincidentally, the one supporter she wasn’t expecting was Vick himself, who recently gave the organization his seal of approval, telling the New York Daily News, “I believe that a rescue group creating an animal sanctuary on the property is beneficial for the community.”
For Good Newz Rehabilitation Center, and for Vick himself, it seems it is possible to turn a life around.
Erin Skarda is a reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @ErinLeighSkarda. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.