Dwaine Caraway gives Michael Vick a key to Dallas, says it's for the children

Dallas Mayor Pro Tem, Dwaine Caraway, awarded Michael Vick a key to the city on Saturday (Feb. 6).

Come again? Not only is Vick the QB for Dallas Cowboys' rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, but he also served 19 months in prison following a dog-fighting ring scandal. Oh, and he's not even from Texas, either. 

During a Saturday appearance in which Vick spoke with children about the importance of keeping on the straight-and-narrow, Caraway jumped at the opportunity to honor the athlete, handing over a key to the city of Dallas.

Caraway has been receiving flack from animal rights activists, the general public, and even mayor Tom Leppert -- who quickly released a statement saying, "The action taken was not sanctioned by my office and was not an official ceremonial honor on behalf of the city of Dallas."

The Mayor Pro Tem is defending his action to ESPN.

"The message and the kids are far greater than all this response about, 'Why give him the key to the city?'" Caraway explains. "He is telling kids and exchanging with them the rights and wrongs of the things that he did and encouraging kids to further their education and to not deal drugs. To obey their parents and pick the people they hang around."

Adding, "That's a message I would challenge anybody to say that not one kid across America shouldn't hear from people in notoriety such as Michael Vick."

This past season, Vick was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year and now this? Somehow we feel there has to be somebody better suited for this honor.

You can see a shaky video of the unofficial ceremony below. It was taken by  local radio reporter Richard Hunter, who also incidentally adopted a dog from Vick's home. He attempted to speak with the QB at Saturday's event and was ignored.