UPDATE: From CNN:
This is not the first time the highest-paid player in the NFL has been presented in a negative light.
He has been accused of transmitting genital herpes to a woman and using the alias Ron Mexico so he could get treated secretly for the ailment. He earned the ire of his hometown fans after flipping them the bird after a Falcons loss.
He was criticized for missing a chance to speak on Capitol Hill about after-school programs. And earlier this year, authorities investigated Vick after confiscating a water bottle with a secret compartment containing a substance that Miami airport authorities said looked and smelled like marijuana.
A National Football League spokesman said the latest allegations against Vick would be reviewed under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Seriously, if the Falcons keep this jerk, well then, they deserve to lose over and over again.
Michael Vic. If he’s guilty, what a loser. I’ve got no patience for this kind of idiocy. They’ve apparently been gathering evidence for quite a while. This post is from May 2007.
You’d think maybe the NFL might have had a talk with him when rumors were flying. But I think they were too busy with churches in Indianapolis. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of the NFL but apparently they have no control over gangster type activity, therefore, it’s much easier to lay down the law with churches wanting to have SuperBowl Parties than it is to control the numerous thugs within their organization. Ever hear the saying money don’t buy class?
(CNN) — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick faces criminal charges and a possible prison sentence for allegedly participating in an enterprise that trained pit bulls for death matches in which spectators bet on the outcome, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Vick, 27, and three associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, on a conspiracy count alleging they bought and sponsored dogs in an animal fighting venture and traveled across state lines to participate in illegal activity, including gambling.
According to the indictment, dogs that didn’t show enough fighting spirit, or that lost matches, were put to death by a variety of methods, including shooting, drowning, hanging and electrocution. Prosecutors allege that on one occasion earlier this year, Vick participated in killing eight dogs.
A National Football League spokesman said the allegations against Vick would be reviewed under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
“We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him,” said spokesman Brian McCarthy. “We will continue to closely monitor developments in this case and to cooperate with law enforcement authorities.”
If convicted of both portions of the conspiracy charge, Vick could face six years in prison and a $350,000 fine, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
No arrest warrants have been issued, and Vick and the other defendants — Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia – have not been taken into custody, said Jim Rybicki, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg.
A judge is expected to inform Vick and the others of the charges against them Wednesday and make arrangements for them to turn themselves in, Rybicki said.
Vick, a standout at Virginia Tech who was the first player chosen in the 2001 NFL draft, is one of pro football’s highest-profile and highest paid players. In 2004, he signed a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons.
Makes me think the $350,000 fine won’t hurt too much.
The dogfighting investigation began in April, when authorities found 54 pit bulls on property Vick owns in Smithfield, Virginia, about 30 miles west of the Norfolk area where he grew up.
There was no immediate comment from Vick on the indictment. He had previously said that while he had a kennel operation on the property, he had no involvement in, or knowledge of, a dogfighting ring.
But the indictment issued Tuesday charges Vick was intimately involved in the operation, known as “Bad Newz Kennels,” and that he bought the Smithfield property for $34,000 for the purpose of going into business with Peace, Phillips and Taylor.
Between 2001 and April 2007, Vick and his associates bought and trained pit bulls and hosted dogfights at the property, and dogs were also taken to locations in at least six other states to participate in fights, prosecutors said.
The owners of the winning dogs collected purses that ran into the thousands of dollars, and spectators also placed side bets on the outcome, prosecutors said. After one of the “Bad Newz” dogs lost a fight in March 2003, Vick personally paid $23,000 to the winning dog’s owner, who is now a cooperating witness for the prosecution, the indictment said.
According to the indictment, an unidentified associate from Bad Newz Kennels admonished another participant at a dogfight who yelled out Vick’s name during an event in the fall of 2003 — a participant who is also now cooperating with prosecutors.
The indictment also alleges that Vick and his associates “rolled” some of their dogs — testing them in short fights to determine how well they might fight. Dogs that failed the test were killed, prosecutors said.
While most of the dog killings noted in the indictment were allegedly carried out by the other defendants, Vick himself participated in the killings of eight dogs in April, according to the indictment. The animals were killed “by various methods, including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog’s body to the ground,” the indictment said.
Remember this lack of class shown by Vic? He was sorry though:
First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my inappropriate actions with fans today. I was frustrated and upset at how the game was going for my team, and that frustration came out the wrong way. That’s not what I’m about. That’s not what the Atlanta Falcons are about. I simply lost my cool in the heat of the moment. I apologize and look forward to putting this incident behind me.
Six years in prison? That seems ridiculous to me. Thugs that commit these kinds of atrocities need not ever see the light of day as far as I’m concerned. I’ll be shocked if Vic ever sees the inside of a prison over this. And, if he does, the likes of Jackson and Sharpton will certainly be crying racism.
Comment posted by Comment of the Week! « Sunflower Desert
at 7/20/2007 1:08:24 AM
[…] I had plenty to choose from, Totaltransformation came in today and left this great comment on the Michael Vic/Dog Killer post. Did you hear, Michael Vick released a statement. Here, I’ll repost […]
Comment posted by Next Stop Lauderdale
at 7/19/2007 10:34:11 PM
“That’s not what I’m about.”
Yeah, a little sneer to the fans is just childs play. He has so much more up his sleeve………steve
I agree Steve. Actually, I think we both know that’s what he is about.
Comment posted by totaltransformation
at 7/19/2007 9:49:26 PM
Hey Tammy, just wanted you to know I tagged you to fill out a meme. Hope you enjoy it. I am curious to see how you answer.
http://totaltransformation.wordpress.com/2007/07/20/starting-my-own-meme/
Hi TT, I will start working on the task:)
Comment posted by totaltransformation
at 7/19/2007 6:41:08 PM
Did you hear, Michael Vick released a statement. Here, I’ll repost it.
“To my legion of adoring fans. I am so sorry that I let you down. Not with the whole dog fighting thing, I mean regarding my abilities (or lack thereof) on the field. Between all my injuries caused by my failure to actually throw the ball (an odd thing since I am a quarterback), and my frequent confusion over whether I am the Atlanta Falcons quarterback or their running back, I haven’t played many complete seasons since I started with this team.
In addition, I know my stats have been pretty mediocre (except for yards on the ground, which are quite impressive FOR A QUARTERBACK). Also, I know that I frequently do incredibly stupid things like flipping off my fans and letting dog fights occur on my property. But can’t you forgive me? After all, it isn’t like I killed my wife.
Speaking of that, perhaps if I hung out with O.J. you guys might appreciate me more. Kind of like how when average looking girls have an ugly friend they look even better- but this would be more about morals than looks. I mean, seriously, do I have to hang out with O.J. and Pacman Jones in order to look like a half way decent and respectable quarterback? If that is what I must do, then I guess I must. As long as it doesn’t involve throwing the football, I hate doing that.
Well, I am off to the Golf Course to help O.J. find the real killers. Maybe I will get lucky and they will be responsible for all those dog fights too?!”
[The above was satire…as you could have guessed]
Too funny! Of course, when he has a crappy game he just flips the bird to the fans that help pay his $130,000,000 contract.
Comment posted by Marcas MacCaoimhín
at 7/19/2007 5:01:10 PM
I don’t know if its the case in the US but I find that over this side of the pond professional sports people get away with lots because they are professional sports people. You have guys both in Association Football (Soccer) in the UK and Ireland and Gaelic Football (Particularly Gaelic Football) who are real thugs, have been involved in very questionable behaviour yet get away with it because they are stars. I have absolutely no time for anyone who could abuse a poor defenseless animal.
Hi Marcas,
Yes, I do believe we have stars who get away with more crap than they should. My hope is that Vic goes broke paying sleazy defense attorneys that most likely will get him off. I guess a better deal would be going broke paying sleazy defense attorneys and then still having to spend time in prison — oooo that would just be sweet. Granted, that doesn’t seem like much justice for the animals that have been abused, but it would be better than nothing.
Seriously, I’m a huge fan of the National Football League. I also believe that they have many star athletes who contribute to and benefits society greatly. Too bad that jerks like Vic even get headlines.
Thanks for stopping in — and isn’t it fun to agree on something? However I’m sure we also agree that we wish this kind of crap never took place.
Comment posted by Angel
at 7/18/2007 7:57:44 PM
I heard this yesterday and nearly threw up when I heard the details WY..he should be hanged…………..
Hi Angel — Too bad that’s not what he’ll get!
Comment posted by DD2
at 7/18/2007 3:05:10 PM
I just found your site and i must say that i enjoyed readin it.
BTW, are you a NY Yankee fan?
You must be one caz you sould like you are pretty darn smart.
Hi DD2. As a matter of fact, I’ve liked the Yankees since the early 80s when I was in KC and was able to see Reggie Jackson hit 2 home runs against the Royals. I wish that’s all it took to make me smart! Oh yeah, we even have a picture of our only daughter with Reggie Jackson. This was taken after he retired, but nevertheless, it’s pretty cool!
Comment posted by the Grit
at 7/18/2007 2:21:11 PM
Hi w,
I’m so glad you covered this bit of news. I was going to write about it this morning, but I was so angry that I couldn’t type because my hands were shaking. I had to go outside and kick things to calm down.
My wife, a veterinarian, does a lot of animal rescue work. We have a big problem in the Memphis area with street gangs raising pit bulls for fighting. Unfortunately, when they decide a particular dog isn’t worthy, they just turn it loose. Thus, we have an actual physical danger in parts of the area from pit bull packs roaming the streets and attacking people.
On the other hand, all of our dogs have been rescued off the streets by various kind hearted people. We get the ones that no one else will adopt, mostly because they are too big or have bitten someone. Since we live in “the country” this isn’t as much of a problem for us as for most. At the moment, we have four and two of those are pit bulls. One of those, Betsy, is the sweatiest dog ever. Wildman, weighing in at 80 pounds, is a different story, but is still a mighty fine dog, and a valuable asset when it comes to discouraging people wondering across our property. Not that long ago, he actually bit through the front tire of someone who drove up wanting to sell me something. What a great dog!
Which brings me to venting about the people who torture these animals. In my opinion, the only appropriate punishment is to strap a raw steak to their throats and toss them in with their captives.
Thanks for the opportunity to get that out of my system.
the Grit
Hi Grit, I’d prefer that people didn’t do stupid hideous things such as raise dogs to fight, but since this moron appears to have done so, I want as many people as possible to know about it. I get ticked off just reading about it too. And, since this is my blog, I will say that I am of the opinion that how people treat animals can very much correlate with how they treat people. It’s a personal observation.
I’m glad that you are able to provide a rescue environment for some of these abused critters.
Comment posted by theobromophile
at 7/18/2007 12:39:22 PM
Those poor puppies. Now I’m ready to cry (in all seriousness).
How absolutely horrible. Never understood why people attack the most defenseless in the world. Gross.
Hi Bridget. People can be so freaking mean and disgusting. I hate looking at that picture I have posted, but people need to see what the real animals are doing. Like I say, six years in prison? Child’s play for such hideous behavior.
Comment posted by totaltransformation
at 7/18/2007 9:33:38 AM
This guy is a real fool. He has money, success, and fame and yet he dabbles in ridiculous and abhorrent things like dog fighting. If he got kicked off the team it would be the best thing that happened for them. He has been holding back his team for a long time.
Hi TT. I completely agree. If I lived in Atlanta I would be calling for his dismissal. No team needs such a fool in a leadership position. He’s just disgusting.
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Michael Vick is the worst form of loser jerk slime ever and I’m glad his getting caught put dogfighting in the spotlight, for a little while. But people are already forgetting about it, yet it still goes on….
I hope Vick goes to prison for at least a decade and gets to be somebody’s bitch. Better yet, throw him in a pit and let dogs tear his face off LIKE HE HAD DONE TO HIS DOGS!
Animal abuse cruelty and dog fighting is the most selfish thing a human can do.
Oh my goodness! How could a person do this kind of torture to such a vulnerable and gentile creature?!?…wait, something like this isn’t just done by a person. Something so vile and dispicable is done by the devil.
I believe Michael Vic should be put into a ring with all the 60 some animals found on his property, and let them have a field day tearing him apart. It would be poetic justice.