Michael Vick: Anyone have some liver?
By Gina Spadafori
July 18, 2007
Tonight Wednesday night on “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart wasn’t laughing, leading off with some words for Michael Vick:
You know, Michael Vick, he’s the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback? It turns out he’s also involved in the “sport” of dog-fighting. He calls it a “sport”! I’d like to cover him with liver and let the dogs see if he’s as fast and elusive as they say he is.
My guess is “no.”
Pit bulls are very nice dogs, and I have to say, Michael Vick, being a two-sport athlete — football and dog-fighting — it’s just not as impressive as the Bo Jackson thing.
Attaboy, Jon.
Thursday morning update: AnimalBlawg has a legal analysis of the case, which hinges on conspiracy charges — they explain why. Sorry to say, but it seems liver isn’t an option offered by the U.S. judicial system. …Terrierman looks at the roots of “redneck” culture and its ties to dog-fighting. … and at least one sports columnist is calling for Vick’s suspension from the NFL. Could be the man knows more than most about dogs, since columnist Terry Frei’s brother is David Frei, the Westminster Kennel Club’s media whiz and expert TV announcer. (Thanks, Patti!)
Darn, I missed it!
(But I can Tivo it tomorrow . . . . . )
Comment by The OTHER Pat — July 18, 2007 @ 9:29 pm
The dogs that were mistreated, abused, tortured and eventually killed were much better than the pathetic scum that get enjoyment from dog fighting.
It’s time for lawmakers to step up the penalties on this type of criminal behavior.
Anyone who gets enjoyment from the defenseless torture and suffering of animals are nothing more than COWARDS and PATHETIC WIMPS. They have no morals or consciense !!!!
Comment by David — July 18, 2007 @ 9:33 pm
wow! thanks for this post Gina!
big shout out to Jon!
Comment by straybaby — July 18, 2007 @ 10:02 pm
I believe Jon owns, or owned, a pit bull, so he should know!
It’s great to hear a positive comment about them on a national program, for a change.
Comment by EmilyS — July 18, 2007 @ 11:08 pm
I already loved him but my big Jon Stewart love just gets bigger every day.
Comment by Christie Keith — July 19, 2007 @ 1:14 am
Put Michael Vick in a dog ring and see if he comes out.
Comment by jill — July 19, 2007 @ 6:07 am
I see the NFL is going to let Vick play. You’d think they’d at least sideline him until his likely conviction occurs. Heard more charges are pending against him. Pathetic. Money talks - and it’s getting louder and louder.
Comment by Carol — July 19, 2007 @ 7:31 am
Jon Stewart does have two rescued pit bulls:
http://www.jonstewart.net/bio/index.html
Comment by Jen (SLC) — July 19, 2007 @ 7:44 am
You gotta love Jon Stewart. I wish he’d run for president.
Comment by Eric — July 19, 2007 @ 7:58 am
What Christie said. Thanks for this post, Gina!
Comment by Liz — July 19, 2007 @ 8:01 am
Ooh! I like this “conspiracy” idea!
Can we get one going against everyone connected with the PFI? (Including - I think - the FDA!)
Comment by The OTHER Pat — July 19, 2007 @ 9:39 am
I hope Vick is prosecuted and sentenced for his involvement in this horrendous dog fighting ring. If Martha Stewart can be jailed for five months and forced to wear an ankle monitor, then Vick too needs to pay with time in jail and not just with a fine or slap on the wrist. The more I read about his operation, the more sickened I become. Poor frightened and scared dogs forced to fight for their lives and still are killed.
Superstars who are adored for their athletic abilities seem to rise above the law and special treatment needs to stop. If anything, they need to be held to a higher standard because their behavior sets an example for young people around the country.
Comment by Jamie — July 19, 2007 @ 9:42 am
DawnWatch wrote:
The story that is impossible to ignore this week is the indictment of
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. He is charged with
dogfighting, a felony, and with other hideous crimes that
traditionally accompany it. I will share some of the coverage below
and encourage you to respond. At the very least, please vote in the
ESPN and NY1 polls.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitutio n front page story, by Bill Torpy and
Bill Rankin, opens with:
July 18, 2007 Wednesday
“Losers allegedly didn’t fare too well with Michael Vick. His pit
bulls were often summarily executed after losing fights, according to
a federal indictment that portrays a disturbing picture of animal
cruelty.
“In April, just before authorities raided his property in rural
Virginia, the Falcons’ star quarterback was there ‘rolling’ some of
his pit bulls —- that is, putting them through test fights to see if
they were ‘game,’ federal authorities said.
“Eight of the animals didn’t make the cut, and were executed by Vick
and two co-defendants by ‘hanging, drowning and slamming at least one
dog’s body to the ground,’ authorities allege.
“A federal grand jury Tuesday indicted Vick and three others, accusing
him of taking part in a well-established dogfighting operation.
“The indictment lists numerous dog fights conducted by Vick and his
associates going under the name ‘Bad Newz Kennels’ since 2002. Often
those dogs lost and met terrible fates.
“In March 2003, Vick and others sponsored a 35-pound female pit bull
in a fight that had a $26,000 purse. After the fight, Purnell Peace,
one of the others indicted, consulted with Vick about the losing dog
and Peace then ‘executed the losing dog by wetting the dog down with
water and electrocuting the animal,’ the indictment states.”
It is a Cox News Service article, which you will find in full on line
at http://tinyurl. com/yqcbw8 > You can send letters to the editor at
http://www.ajc. com/opinion/ content/opinion/ letters/sendlett er.html
An outcry from all over the country is appropriate.
Some of the strongest coverage of the issue today was on CBS. You’ll
find both the text and video of their July 18 CBS Evening News story
on line at
http://www.cbsnews. com/stories/ 2007/07/18/ eveningnews/ main3072425. shtml
Please go to that link and post a comment at the bottom of the page.
And please also send the station a quick thank you at
http://www.cbsnews. com/feedback/ fb_news_form. shtml
The video link to CBS Evening News story is headed, “Spotlight on Dog
Fighting.” Underneath it is a link headed, “Dogfighting up Close.”
That takes you to a superb report by Genesis Award winning report Brad
Woodard, from the CBS Houston affiliate KHOU.
It is also on line at
http://www.khou. com/topstories/ stories/khou0707 17_ac_dogfightin g.849c40af. html
Woodard sums up the awful video when he says,
“Television may be a visual medium, but it’s the sounds of animals
screaming in agony to the crowd’s delight that most would find
difficult to stomach.”
Indeed, the soundtrack is stomach-turning. So are the images,
particularly when you see dogs that look sweet-natured and
uninterested in fighting.
In the piece, Assistant District Attorney Belinda Smith says, “There
are instances in the video tape when the dogs are licking each other.
They release them, and they’re licking each other. They don’t want to
fight, yet the handlers bring them back and get them pumped up to
fight. It’s not natural.”
That is hard to hear, knowing those who don’t want to fight will often
die in the ring or be killed by their handlers for being bad fighters.
Please thank KHOU for Brad Woodard’s exceptional coverage. The station
takes comments about news at
http://www.khou. com/customerserv ice/helpcenter. jsp?id=107834116 9000
You’ll find a web exclusive commentary on the MSNBC/Newsweek site, by
Mark Starr, headed “Michael Vick’s Shameful Scandal.”
Starr describes some of the “grisly and gruesome array of savage
misdeeds directed at helpless animals.” And he tells us,
“The NFL, not to mention Blank’s Home Depot empire, are posited
as mainstream American businesses. And there is not a remotely
mainstream note in this sordid affair. Vick is almost certain to see
all his endorsement deals (Nike, Coca-Cola, Rawlings and others)
disappear. While he deserves all the legal protections our society
offers, none guarantee him the right to keep his job as the Falcons
starting quarterback. “
You can read the whole piece on line at
http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 19834860/ site/newsweek/ and most
importantly, give it a positive rating and comment on that page. It
will take you a couple of seconds to give it a five-star rating, and
feedback matters.
Newsweek has more good coverage on the issue, by Steve Tuttle, headed
“An Ugly World” at
http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 19836601/ site/newsweek/
ESPN has a survey on dogfighting, which will take you just seconds to
fill out. It asks questions such as whether or not the Falcons should
let Vick go, and whether or not dogfighting is a serious crime. Please
go to the site and take a moment to respond:
http://proxy. espn.go.com/ chat/sportsnatio n/polling? event_id= 3037
NY1 has a snap poll on whether or not Vick should be suspended at
http://www.ny1. com/ny1/Polls/ index.jsp? pollactivequesti onintid=2855
Sports Illustrated’ s George Dohrmann has done two great stories on the
issue for the magazine’s website. You’ll find his coverage at
http://sportsillust rated
.cnn.com/2007/ football/ nfl/07/17/ dohrmann. vick/index. html
and can send him a quick thank you at George_Dohrmann@ simail.com
Angelenos can check out the Los Angeles Times coverage, on the cover
of the July 18 sports section (pgD1), headed “Vick faces several
charges” You’ll find it on line at
http://www.latimes. com/sports/ printedition/ la-sp-vick18jul1 8,1,1972134. story
and can respond with a letter to letters@latimes. com
HSUS president Wayne Pacelle’s blog calls for both the NFL and Vick’s
corporate sponsors to drop him. Check it out at
http://hsus. typepad.com/ wayne/2007/ 07/vick-indictme nt.html
And finally: HSUS has made it easy for you to send a letter to the NFL
urging Vick’s suspension. Just go to
https://community. hsus.org/ campaign/ US_2007_dogfight ing_nfl2/ nqod5jwnj
and fill out the form.
Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn
Comment by Barb — July 19, 2007 @ 10:43 am
I’d still be willing to go with the liver treatment, and we should add any ACLU (expletive deleted) that objects…
But then there may be PETA objections for making the animals eat (what is the gutter-word for excrement)…
Comment by steve a — July 19, 2007 @ 10:54 am
The link to the HSUS is wrong. It is http://www.HSUS.org
Thank you Barb for giving us the additional information. These were his pets and he used his power to turn them against each other - worst than sick - depraved indifference to their welfare and care - words simply fail to express the horror of it all.
Comment by Jamie — July 19, 2007 @ 11:01 am
It is super that people like Jon Stewart are taking a stand against an alleged “psychopath” like Michael Vicks.
Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank is a very decent individual, and will do the right thing in time. As a billionair/also a big philanthropist, he can afford the financial losses. Also donot underestimate Vicks’ (former) Atlanta fans. Many own dogs, it will be a big big unforgivable issue to them.
Am confident Vick will get everything that is due to him. The many decent/loving dog owners that are also football fans, will make sure of that.
Comment by Serijna — July 19, 2007 @ 11:12 am
Link to HSUS Email to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_dogfighting_nfl2?rk=z1zC%2da71Nbs8E
Link appears to be down sometimes due to extraordinary response(according to HSUS). It crashed a couple of times yesterday too.
However, you can also call the NFL PR office (even better than Email) at 212 450 2000 and request suspension of Michael Vicks.
Comment by Serijna — July 19, 2007 @ 11:39 am
More contact info:
Federal Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia:
600 East Main Street
Suite 1800
Richmond, VA 23219-2447
(804) 819-5400
Contact/comments via email: Send email (usaovae.webmastervae@usdoj.gov)
Falcon team owner
Arthur Blank, GrantInquiries
(GrantInquiries@ambfo.com)
To contact the Falcons
Mailing Address:
Atlanta Falcons
4400 Falcon Parkway
Flowery Branch, GA 30542
Phone Number: 770-965-3115
Website Address: Atlanta Falcons
Email Address: Send email
(feedback@fans.atlantafalcons.com)
I just received an email from someone who wrote this:
“I have emailed the Atlanta Falcons and the NNFL. However, today I also found out where Nike, who is endorsed by Vick, is still
releasing his signature shoe and has no intention at this time of making any change with his agreement. I sent Nike an email this morning and this was their response:
There is no change in the status of the agreement between Nike and football player Michael Vick. Nike will continue to monitor the
situation, but has nothing further to say at this time. We appreciate that you took the time to contact us and your feedback will be passed along to the proper department.
Sincerely,
Nike
Comment by Barb — July 19, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
Actually, USA Today and the Atlanta Journal Constitution are reporting this afternoon that Nike has suspended the planned August release of the shoe, though currently Vick’s contract with Nike remains intact.
Comment by JM Leong — July 19, 2007 @ 1:03 pm
Great! Thanks.
Comment by Barb — July 19, 2007 @ 1:04 pm
The person who sent me the above email about writing to Nike just wrote saying that her friend called Nike asking for address where she could send and return ALL her Nike wear. She just sent this:
A friend called Nike today and they encouraged her to send her stuff back to them. The gentleman told her that they would refurbish it, give it to the poor and that all we would be doing is helping them improve their public image. I am shocked that someone actually said
this!
Thanks for the update!
Comment by Barb — July 19, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
So maybe a big Nike bonfire is a better idea . . . . . .
(Hopefully with lots of news media in attendance!)
Comment by The OTHER Pat — July 19, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
I can’t stand people like that. I hate Michael Vick and I will boycott Nike until they remove him. I don’t support dog-fighting or anyone who endorses it. Who would sell their dogs to Michael Vick as well?
Comment by Brat — July 19, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
Just for the record, HR 137, the federal law against animal fighting that is being used against low life Vick only became law on May3 ,2007.
HSUS and their allies had been lobbying for this bill over six years.
The link shows the reps and senators that spearheaded this bill. Without this brandnew law, Vick would have probably have gotten away and/or get off with a slap on the hand.
http://www.hsus.org/legislatio.....hting.html
Comment by Serijna — July 19, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
Nike had a notorious commercial which featured an obvious dogfighting situation.
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/bark_article.cfm
Their hands are bloody where this issue is concerned.. don’t expect any positive response.
Comment by EmilyS — July 19, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Nancy grace has had the story on for 2 nites and some guest defend him, but there is no way that someone cannot know this is not going on on their property! Because it is animals my guess is he will not get what is coming to him and his co-horts! I wouldnt use liver,i would cut off his organ hang him upside down so the blood would attract the dogs that has been trained in the blood sport. I guess vick wouldnt mind the pain of being ripped apart. oh one more thing, if vick doesnt die, electrocution i guess would be next. I have a pit bull and she is most gental dog.
Comment by sharon j — July 19, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
http://blog.washingtonpost.com.....-col-blogs
Senator Byrd on Vick; good for you, Sen. Byrd!!
Comment by Patty L — July 19, 2007 @ 6:02 pm
Ok, ya’ll were so kind to me the other day helping me find an address to send a Michael Vick jersey to. Can you help me out once more?
Can I get pulled over for this?
http://greatdaneaddict.blogspo.....-this.html
Comment by Great Dane Addict — July 19, 2007 @ 6:35 pm
Um … wow! I know you couldn’t have it on a license plate. Any cops or lawyers around?
Bet you got a lot of thumbs up when driving around.
I LOVE the picture — especially the dog, of course!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 19, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
well, if it was a bumper sticker, i’m thinking it’s ok, so how is this different?
so how’s the response so far? I may have to make a t-shirt tonight to wear while at the park w/my pup {grin}
Comment by straybaby — July 19, 2007 @ 6:45 pm
Well I just put it up tonight, so I guess we’ll see what happens tomorrow when I go to work!
Comment by Great Dane Addict — July 19, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
It sounds to me as if Nike has gone to the same school as PFI has. Screw the consumers is their school’s motto.
And I second someone else’s motion above, Jon Stewart for President!!
Comment by Sandi K — July 19, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
To Great Dane Addict:
Love it, love it, love it.
I’m not an attorney, but I’ll bet if you changed the statement to “Michael Vick’s a D**k” most people would get it loud and clear. If there were complaints, you could always say, “Wwll, Vick IS a dork.”
Comment by Lynn — July 19, 2007 @ 9:43 pm
I can’t put down what I would like to see done to this piece of garbage called Vick. I would give anything in the world if some good folks would get ahold of him & put him in the ring with his own dogs so they could show him all their love & affection. Why they could lick his bones clean. Lord but I hate—-HATE this man. What goes around comes around Michael. Yours is coming…I hope I’m around to watch.
Comment by Cee — July 21, 2007 @ 8:20 am
Good article on M. Vick and dogfighting, written Sunday in Times Picayune:
http://www.nola. com/sports/ t-p/index. ssf?/base/ sports-31/ 1185087657300740 .xml&coll=1
Vick will have to scramble to avoid sacking
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Peter Finney
If he’s a student of history, perhaps Michael Vick is familiar with Pugnaces Britanniae, the war dog used mostly in battle, but later used for dogfighting contests, “blood sports,” inside the Colosseum during the days of the Roman Empire.
Way back, history tells us, there was a time gifts of valuable fighting dogs were exchanged between royal courts, also military accounts of campaigns using fighting dogs, all of which facilitated the spread of fighting-dog breeds.
In time, South America would give us the Dogo Argentino, Spain the Presa Canario, Latin America the Dogo Cubano.
Dogfighting once was completely legal, sanctioned and promoted during the Colonial period, continuing through the Victorian era in the late 19th century.
Today dogfighting is a felony in 48 states, a misdemeanor in Idaho and Wyoming.
Whether or not Vick is steeped in history, by now I’m sure he’s well aware of a law that places his NFL career as the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons in jeopardy.
Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury last week for his role in a dogfighting operation at a home he owns in Virginia.
The NFL called the alleged activities in the 18-page indictment “cruel, degrading and illegal.”
Vick maintains he had no idea what was taking place on his property.
The indictment said he did.
In April, shortly before authorities raided his property, Vick, according to the indictment, was there putting some of his pit bulls through tests to determine if they were “game,” that is, up to fighting to the death.
According to the indictment, eight of the pit bulls were not “game” and subsequently executed, by “hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog’s body to the ground.”
In March 2003, says the indictment, Vick and another indicted party sponsored a female pit bull in a fight offering a $26,000 purse. When the dog lost, the indictment said, the dog was executed “by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal.”
Later that month, according to the indictment, when another pit bull sponsored by Vick lost, the dog was shot to death.
So the game is on, a legal contest for one of the marquee names in professional football.
In 2004, Vick signed a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons. So far he has been paid $44 million, including $37 million in guaranteed bonuses.
If it should happen that the Falcons terminate Vick’s contract for “cause” — personal conduct — the matter no doubt would wind up in the hands of an arbitrator. Should the Falcons go this route, the franchise would be subject to a hefty salary-cap hit, having to account for the bonuses Vick already received.
It’s no surprise, after the indictment of a high-profile athlete, a U.S. congressman was calling for the NFL to take a stance on dogfighting.
Vick, and a cloud of animal abuse, is just one more burr under the saddle of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The U.S. Humane Society estimates more than 40,000 people in the country buy and sell fighting dogs and are involved in dogfighting activities. Authorities maintain many in dogfighting circles also are involved in other crimes, including narcotics and illegal gambling.
In a story this year, the New York Daily News said dogfighting is “a multimillion- dollar industry that is part of an underground subculture that holds its events in secret locations. It is extremely difficult for authorities to prove who has dogs for fighting purposes.”
Two years ago, The Times-Picayune carried the story of a raid by State Police on what was “one of the largest pit bull breeding and training operations in the U.S.”
Louisiana SPCA workers confiscated 64 prized pit bulls from the Lafayette home of Floyd Boudreaux, described as a “celebrated dogman” who marketed pit bulls to buyers throughout the country.
State Police booked Boudreaux with dogfighting, animal cruelty, possession of a sawed-off shotgun and illegal possession of steroids.
Laura Maloney, executive director of the Louisiana SPCA, will be testifying next month in the Boudreaux trial.
“Boudreaux has been fighting dogs since the ’50s,” said Maloney, “and he’s supplied dogs that have been used in New Orleans.”
Interestingly, when Vick and dogfighting became a possible problem for the NFL, the league invited Maloney to New York to meet with Goodell, who welcomed the views of someone who has been fighting an ongoing battle against all forms of animal cruelty.
“The publicity given to the Vick matter will open the eyes of those who had no idea how prevalent dogfighting is,” she said. “It’s not a sport. It’s a blood sport. And it’s glamorized by lots of people. For many football fans, Michael Vick is a role model. To have him linked with dogfighting is sad.”
Rhonda Evans, a sociologist and professor in the department of criminal justice at Louisiana-Lafayette , found that owners of high-dollar fighting dogs spanned all walks of life and social classes with a link to a “machismo mentality.”
“For them,” said Evans, “tough dogs are a symbol of manhood. Winning dogs build up their owners’ ego. They see it as valid, legitimate sport no worse than boxing or football.”
Maloney compares such a feeling to “a 16-year-old walking down the street, feeling superior, feeling tough, because he’s carrying a gun. A 16-year-old walking the street with a pit bull would have the same feeling.”
In a way, rap and urban music have glorified the “blood sport.” Jay-Z shows dogs preparing for battle in the uncensored version of his music video “99 Problems.” A pit bull is on the cover of a CD by rapper DMX titled “Grand Champ,” reference to a dog who has won five fights.
When Nike was criticized about an ad featuring a pit bull and Rottweiler about to go at it, Nike denied the ad encouraged dogfighting. A Nike representative put it this way: “People have to understand the youth culture we cater to. Our market is the urban, edgy, hip-hop culture.”
Vick is part of the Nike family. So it should be interesting to see how one quarterback’ s troubles play out on Madison Avenue. We’ll soon see if Nike goes beyond the first step it took, suspending the introduction of Vick’s latest shoe, the Air Vick Zoom V.
.Peter Finney can be reached at (504) 826-3405.
Comment by Barb — July 24, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
Check out the editorial by a dog who was actually IN Michael Vick’s dog-fighting club.
http://www.animal-internet.com.....icleID=843
Comment by Mike Z — July 25, 2007 @ 4:27 pm
get rid of him. he had millions of dollars and had kids and people looking up to him as a hero. who is looking and taking care of the pets—they are the hero’s. we see the dogs that worked ground zero, that see for the blind,that helped in katrina and just help old people have what ever is left of their life given smiles back after they lost the love of their life. i have seen that with my grandma.
take his money away and give it to kennels all over the u.s. to help our animals. you know when they call a person an animal they are not talking about a pet such as a dog or a cat they are talking about a michael vick that is an animal.
Comment by gina vaccaro — July 26, 2007 @ 1:49 pm
Are any of you people Americans? or do you all hail from communist China, where people are allowed no rights? Perhaps you should study the constitution before condemning someone of something they are only accused of, or do you not believe in the rule of law thats supposed to be in effect in our so called free country? Perhaps some of you remember those horrible rapists from the Duke lacrosse team? Oh wait, turns out it was a crooked prosecutor trying to make a name for himself, but who cares, throw them in jail, they’re guilty, right? Do any of you people realize how easy it is to manufacture evidence of a crime? Especially if your part of law enforcement? There is a reason they chose conspiracy, you know, now they can offer everyone a deal to lie on the stand, just to convict. Our legal system is ludicrous nowadays, in fact gina, i saw some teenagers fighting on your front lawn, and I can’t believe you would sponsor such activities! There, see how easy it is, now its my word against yours, and comes down to who people want to believe. All people who have already condemned Mike Vick need to move to a communist country, or some other place where people get no rights, you’ll feel right at home.
Comment by William Brewer — July 27, 2007 @ 6:39 pm
Mr Brewer,
It is absolutely appropriate to call for Vick to be suspended during the investigation. Suspended from his employment, suspended from lucrative contracts predicated on his good name, etc. Suspended, not terminated. Suspended.
And that’s what many of us have been calling for. (Not all of us, but many of us). It’s appropriate to put things on hold - i.e., “suspend” them - pending the outcome of ANY investigation.
As one example, it is done with police officers all the time during investigations of alleged wrongdoing or any time they have discharged their firearm.
Asking for Vick’s suspension pending the outcome of due process does not violate Vick’s rights.
Comment by The OTHER Pat — July 27, 2007 @ 8:31 pm
Mr. Brewer,
I believe the suspension is just for Michael Vick pending the outcome of the investigation. You can’t even compare this to the Duke lacrosse team, two completely different cases.
With this case, you have a defendant who is also a witness (not a “victim” as in the Duke Case). The is sufficient evidence to support at least Michael Vick’s knowledge of the dogfighting since he was financially supporting the majority of the cost (if not the entire expense).
I am sure Michael Vick has an alibi for the Sunday’s he was on the football field earning his $150 million dollars.
Comment by Michelle — August 1, 2007 @ 12:47 am
Vick definitely should be suspended while the case against him goes through the legal process. It would happen automatically in any other profession that has “role model” employees. Would teachers or policemen continue to work if this charge were lodged against them? Of course not. Why should a football player whose behavior influences kids that want to “be like Vick” because of his playing ability be any different?
Comment by Roberta — August 1, 2007 @ 10:39 am