What makes someone who has been blessed with talent and given an opportunity to reap its rewards throw all of that away by engaging in illegal activity?
How can anyone be so ungrateful for their good fortune?
How can anyone be stupid enough to jeopardize all of that?
What is wrong with Michael Vick?
RICHMOND, Va. -- It's up to Michael Vick now. His last two co-defendants pleaded guilty Friday and implicated Vick in bankrolling gambling on dogfights. One of them said the Atlanta Falcons quarterback helped drown or hang dogs that didn't do well.
With his NFL career in jeopardy and a superseding indictment adding more charges in the works, that left Vick with a hard choice: Cutting his own deal to hold jail time under a year or go to trial and sit through detailed descriptions of the ghastly operation known as "Bad Newz Kennels."
Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Vick's attorneys were negotiating with prosecutors as of late afternoon, trying to hammer out a plea deal.
"It seems to be a pretty clear indication there will be some sort of plea entered," Blank said before the Falcons preseason game at Buffalo. "When? I'm not positive."
Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach entered plea agreements and agreed to testify against Vick. A third member of the dogfighting ring, Tony Taylor, struck a similar deal last month.
..."Did you conspire with these folks to sponsor a dogfighting venture?" U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson asked Peace.
"Yes, sir," he replied.
As part of his plea agreement, Phillips signed a statement that said Vick joined in executing at least eight dogs that didn't do well in test fights by various methods, including hanging and drowning.
"Phillips agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips, and Vick," the statement said.
Phillips and Peace also backed up Taylor's assertion that Vick was involved in gambling.
"The `Bad Newz Kennels' operation and gambling monies were almost exclusively funded by Vick," according to statements by the two men.
Those allegations alone could trigger a lifetime ban under the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Blank accused Vick of lying to the owner and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when they first questioned the quarterback about the allegations.
"It's just very sad," Blank said. "It's sad that those allegations exist and now they are confirmed by others. It's sad that Michael has put himself into that kind of situation. It's his responsibility for putting himself into that situation."
Goodell has barred Vick from the Falcons' training camp but has withheld further action while the league conducts its own investigation. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had no comment on the latest pleas.
When is Goodell going to suspend Vick for the season?
Given the seriousness of the allegations and the agreement of Peace and Phillips to testify against Vick, it's time for the NFL to do more than just keep the quarterback from training camp.
I don't see why there's all the foot-dragging. It puts the NFL in the position of being an enabler.
I'm not declaring Vick guilty.
At this point, I don't think that Vick should be banned from the NFL for life. That would be a premature move.
Assuming Vick enters a plea, there will be plenty of time for the NFL to determine the appropriate steps to take for the long term.
However, at this point, the NFL should be taking a tougher stand.
Blank said he was stunned by the charges made against Vick by his co-defendants.
"It's distressing after six years spending time with somebody, you think you know them and then there's another side that is shocking to all of us," the owner said. "Those statements of facts don't match up with what the league was told, even our organization, and certainly not was said to the commissioner. So we'll have to see what comes out in this plea and deal with the facts as soon as we have them."
This investigation has progressed far enough for Goodell to have good reason to officially suspend Vick now.
Peace and Phillips pleaded guilty to the same charge facing Vick: conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. Sentencing was set for Nov. 30.
The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The men will get credit for accepting responsibility and cooperating with the government but would be penalized for animal brutality.
It appears that Vick doesn't operate under under any personal conduct policy of his own. If he does, it's a very twisted one.
Goodell should step in.
On Thursday, Vick had more trouble with the law.
...As if he didn't have enough troubles, Vick was cited for not wearing a seat belt when a car he owned was pulled over Thursday by Virginia state troopers.
The officer stopped the car because the tint on the windows was too dark, state police Sgt. D.S. Carr said. The Vick-owned vehicle was being driven by someone else when pulled over in Isle of Wight County.
The driver was cited for the tint and Vick was slapped with a $25 fine for not wearing his seat belt. There are no court costs, and Vick doesn't have to go to court.
"He can prepay it if he wants to," Carr said.
Vick definitely has personal conduct issues.
A pro-football player shouldn't be caught not wearing a seat belt.
What sort of example is Vick setting for all his young fans?
I think in addition to a seat belt, someone needs to put a choke collar on Vick.
That would be humane compared to what Vick is alleged to have done to dogs.
16 comments:
I think we should engage in EVERY behavior these monsters did to those poor dogs. I mean everything!!
I have been left sick to my stomach after reading this. I feel he should be made to work at the humane soceity with supervision.
As well as providing funds.
I think that these people need to have the same acts done to them and see how they feel. Animals feel pain and they should be held accountable for their actions by much more then just a year in jail!! This is sick behavior and should not be albe to be gotten away with. He is a roll model to many children including my own and he needs to be punished.
I wonder if Vick ever had a dog. You'd think that a grown man would have had contact with a beloved family pet at some point in his life.
I don't know how anyone could do what he did.
Michael Vick is a sick and satanic person for what he did to those dogs. Similar treatment to him should be in order if there were any justice - death by hanging if he were tried in Texas.
I think he should not onlyn have to work at a shelter but go out on cruelty cases all types. What gives him the right to say a dog is born to fight. I had a great pit that I took care of with my 2 dogs and cat he never bothered any of them. Vic should be made to give a large amount of money to shelters and the offices that enforce these laws. And for that matter put some of his winnings for this awful crime to buy vest for Police Dogs who really need the protection.
Whatever Vick's punishment for his crimes will be, this will follow him for the rest of his life.
I think he should get the electric chair. I would be more than happy to push the button.
Vick has choosen a sadistic and barbaric life. I think his best friend is Satan. There's no punishment we can give to him equal what he's done to the animals and I see no reform in him. If he hadn't been caught he still would be killing! I'd never trust him around an animal. One can't change what they won't acknowledge and take ownership for and he didn't till he had no choice. If I could I would take him alive to the desert, cement him in a snake pit with no food or water and watch from the comfort of my air conditioned car what the snakes think? Even they know when something is rotten! But I can't, so my victory is, in the end he won't be going to the same eternity I am and for that I'm grateful. I can't even stand to see his face. He makes me throw up!
Sleep well all pit dogs which have suffered & died on some dirty pit floor somewhere wracked with pain and exhaustion, shocky, and suffering from severe tissue trama or perhaps dead from infection.
Dead, because a human preferred to let a dog do their fighting for them. Dead because a human sought to raise their status through association with you.
Rest well in death and be assured that none such as they will come to where you rest!
To the pits! You weren't known, but in your short life you were cared about! Rest well, sweet animals. You're the heros!
Everyone is so quick to pass judgment. The man has a right to a fair trial, yet the media, sports organizations, fellow teammates and everyone else and their brother have already "tried" Michael Vick and declared him guilty. Yeah I'm sure he was involved in this whole disgusting dog fighting business but we don’t know to what extent. And because he’s African American, lot’s of folks find it easier to condemn him. I’m certain there wouldn’t be this much commotion if he was Caucasian. I’m also convinced our society cares more about animals than human beings and that’s obvious in the massive reaction to this entire issue. A 7 year old child was brutally stabbed to death in a community near me just 2 weeks ago and it barely made the local news. But a few dogs get abused and maybe killed and the whole country is in an uproar! It’s sickening and very depressing what we’ve become.
Vick is declaring himself guilty.
The disgust that people feel for his crimes has nothing to do with Vick's skin color.
I agree that sometimes people seem to get more upset about animal cruelty than murder, child abuse, infanticide, abortion, etc.
It's troubling that so many people have so little respect for life.
This is now becoming a black issue and it has nothing to do with that. And more focus is on Vick because he is a star athelete but dog fighting going on everyday and somewhere right now. We need to stop and punish not only Vick but anyone else who engages in these acts of cruelty. This is the reason why there are pit bull bans around the United States because people don't realize that they are really good dogs who will do anything to please their owner including fighting and dying for them to make money. People only see the fighting side of the breed because that is the only side of them being brought to their attention.
You people who are focused on "human deaths don't get this much attention", remember animals can't talk we must stand-up and do it for them!!! i have two pit bulls and everyday I worry someone will steal them and fight them. They need to be spoken for!!!
These people are MURDERS pure and simple and as i read what they did iam crying the entire time. For the pain these poor dogs went thru for the torture these murders did to them and for all the lives lost thru these cruel and in humane people. They will get away with a slap on the hand and be on the streets again soon to do this again and again. We need to help stop this for all the dogs who cannot speak we speak for them for all the time you look into a dogs eyes and see the suffering for all the times we have known this is happening and why I ASK WHY CAN THIS NOT BE STOPPED.Did these murders look into that dogs eyes as they were hanging them,did they look into the dogs eyes as they were drowning them I DONT THINK SO.They are MURDERS AND I SAY WE NEED TO TRY THEM AS MURDERS.There is only 8 that they are saying but to be sure there are more. SO THE next time we look at all those people who say he did no wrong we need to tell them how wrong he did and how wrong and sadistic he really is.Gloria(Texas)
"anonymous 9:08 PM, August 24, 2007,"
That's a disgusting comment.
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