GUILTY VA - NFL QB Michael Vick, 3 others indicted for dog fighting, Surry County, 2007

[EmMomma]

Me too Em. My passion for animals is beyond reasonable. I just can't deal with it in any form. Mr. Vick will never do anything to change my opinion of him ... although he could spend his life trying, and I hope he does! I will never forget what he has done!

I do check in on these guys (da pups) from time to time though, and it brings me a lot of joy!

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dogtown/3684/Overview#tab-vick-dogs-update

I sent my mom that link the other day so she could check on them.
Sports Illustrated did a story a few months back, too. My mom is a big supporter of Best Friends animal rescue...that's where many of them went...

OT: (but not really) Just after Vick was indicted, I was playing pool w a girlfriend of mine...I think I had one too many beers. :crazy: A guy walked in with a Vick jersey on. I went up to him and let him know how disgusted I was, then told him to give me the jersey to mail to the ASPCA in Atlanta for them to use as bedding for their pups...he took it off and spent the rest of the evening in an undershirt. OH YES I DID. My friend tried to hide under the table. :crazy:

 

[sadyjade]

I hear ya Sistah! I too have had many a ehumm *encounters* that made the hubster want to hide lol. He is a former athlete and was just as upset as I when the story broke.

Sad thing is ... some people just do not value life, thier own or that of an animal. In the amish community, kennels are rampant. They view the pups as a commodity not unlike any other animal on the farm. The disassociation that must occur .... well, I cannot fathom it!

I *must* drop the topic, as my BP is already running too high and I still have a lot to do round the house before hubby gets home.

 

[ziggy]

mr. zig told me the SF 49ers might have Vick playing for them??? I said NO WAY - not in the Bay Area, but I guess it's possible. I will not be a Niner fan for the first time ever.

 

[lizzybeth]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090221/SPORTS11/902210361/1217/SPORTS/Vick+may+be+given+2nd+chance+

 

[southcitymom]

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/s...y_testimony.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Vick testifies his acts were ‘heinous’ and ‘immature’

 

[Steely Dan]

LINK

Report: Vick to be suspended for 4 games

updated 38 minutes ago

RICHMOND, Va. - Michael Vick might soon discover just who’s interested in giving him a second chance.

Two people familiar with the meeting confirmed the NFL commissioner, Vick, agent Joel Segal and two other members of the suspended quarterback’s team met Wednesday at a security firm in New Jersey. The two people requested anonymity because the league has not acknowledged the meeting.

I love watching NFL games but the commissioner has really effed this one up. A one year suspension should have been the least for this. JMO

:furious:

 

[Cubby]

I agree. 4 measly games! That is insane! I hope football fans complain loudly and clearly to the commissioner and voice their disgust by NOT BUYING TICKETS!

 

[Fairy1]

This makes me sick! There is such a small handful of men who are lucky enough to have a career in the NFL. I really don't think it's too much to ask for them to behave like fine, upstanding HUMAN beings. Yet so many of them wind up on the wrong side of the law. WTH? They play a GAME for a living!!! They don't know how truly fortunate they are....

Shame, shame, shame.

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

4 whole games. OMG. What will football do? BFD. Shame. Shame. Shame.

 

[joedotnet]

Leonard Little is still playing and he killed a woman while driving while intoxicated. It is sickening.

 

[LaLaw2000]

This is so wrong!! The dogs who were killed do not have a second chance! I do hope there is a big outcry over this decision. Personally, if I were the other players, I wouldn't want him anywhere around me.

What a role model! It's okay to break the law and do something really barbaric. You can still play football and rake in the money. IMO, Vicks punishment was way too minimal.

:furious:

 

[Steely Dan]

This makes me sick! There is such a small handful of men who are lucky enough to have a career in the NFL. I really don't think it's too much to ask for them to behave like fine, upstanding HUMAN beings. Yet so many of them wind up on the wrong side of the law. WTH? They play a GAME for a living!!! They don't know how truly fortunate they are....

Shame, shame, shame.

I'm not saying this about you or everyone in society but it is a large part of society that's to blame for this stuff.

You have to realize that from the first day they pick up a football and show some talent for it everybody begins to fawn all over them. Teachers will "curve" their grades so they won't have to miss the game against arch rival. They are caught speeding in town and cops give 'em a wink, warning and a comment about beating arch rival this week. Every place they go in town gives them free stuff. Age limits on alcohol don't matter. High school girls fight to see who can get to the QB first.

Here's a story about a murder in Texas done by a high school football player;

Link

The 19-year-old punk rock fan Brian Deneke was deliberately struck and run over by a Cadillac, driven by local jock 17-year-old Dustin Camp, during a parking lot brawl on December 12, 1997, in the city of Amarillo, Texas, United States.

Dustin Camp was later found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to ten years probation. In 2001 he was sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence for a variety of parole violations. He was paroled under supervision on July 31, 2006.

The homicide and the outcome of the trial again Camp galvanized the punk community and raised questions about the tolerance of Amarillo. The article continues at the Wiki site.

Then they get to college for free because they can play the game, not for academics. They find that classes really don't matter. One guy who ended up playing for the Redskins couldn't even read. Business' give them "no show" jobs and the women fawn all over them. If a guy is caught stealing something then heavy pressure will be put on the store to just forget about it. Let the kid pay for it and don't call the cops. If a couple of guys rape a girl the college leaders quietly pressure the girl by telling her that if the star DE and RB can't play this season then she will become the focus of the hatred.

So when they are set loose on their own with millions of dollars in their bank accounts it's no wonder they think societal rules don't apply to them.

There are a lot of really great human beings who play in the NFL and have never had any problems and do bigtime charitable events. Those guys have a good head on their shoulders and can see the bigger picture. IMO, there are a lot more of them than the jerks. I don't want to sound like they are all thugs. It's the ones who are that make the best news stories.

:cow:

 

[Steely Dan]

This is so wrong!! The dogs who were killed do not have a second chance! I do hope there is a big outcry over this decision. Personally, if I were the other players, I wouldn't want him anywhere around me.

What a role model! It's okay to break the law and do something really barbaric. You can still play football and rake in the money. IMO, Vicks punishment was way too minimal.

:furious:

I believe this will stir a lot of controversy. Because it already has on the sports message board I also post on. Any team that signs MV is going to have a public relations nightmare on their hands for a month or so. PETA will have large protests I'm sure! Some people believe that his prison sentence should factor into his NFL punishment. I do not.

If anyone signs him I hope it's an AFCN team. Then he'd have to go to Cleveland's dog pound every year. :loser:

 

[Steely Dan]

This article explains things better;

[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4352034"]Sources: Roger Goodell might suspend Michael Vick for first four games of 2009 NFL season - ESPN@@AMEPARAM@@http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4352241@@AMEPARAM@@4352241[/ame]

"Can we suspend him in basically double jeopardy?" asked the league source. "That's the question."

Goodell had already given Vick an indefinite suspension that ran concurrent with the 23-month federal prison sentence and home confinement stemming from Vick's role in an illegal dogfighting ring.

According to a source close to Vick, the former Falcons quarterback is hoping to receive no additional punishment. A four-game suspension would likely inhibit his ability to catch on with an NFL team. No teams have expressed interest in bringing Vick in for a tryout as of yet.

 

[Steely Dan]

Looks like some of the reporting may be wrong; Link

ESPN backtracks on Vick suspension report

Posted by Mike Florio on July 24, 2009 12:01 AM ET
Continuing arguably one of its worst weeks since becoming an international sports powerhouse, ESPN has backtracked on its report that quarterback Mike Vick will be suspended four games to start the 2009 regular season.

Controversy erupted on Twitter in the aftermath of the initial report, with NFL spokesman Greg Aiello stating, "Despite what ESPN says, commish has made no decisions on MVick."

The remark was "retweeted" by NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. ESPN's Chris Mortensen responded with a tweet of his own, "Despite what anyone says, ESPN did not report a decision has been made, based on what I just read on dot.com."

Not long thereafter, Mort clarified himself.

"I take that back," he said. "After this 12-hr drive, I just read the espn.com story and the lead is erroneous. Guess I can't get to bed yet."

The story from ESPN.com currently reads that Vick is expected to be conditionally reinstated, and that the decision could include a four-game suspension.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

All I can say is that they need to consider the far reaching effect of their decision whatever the story proves to be here. This isn't about winning games anymore. This isn't about MV being a football star making them money. This is about a man who was rightfully convicted and should be banned. If he comes back, I will never watch him play again. If people would follow suit and put the pressure on them by not attending the games or watching then they will learn a valuable lesson the hard way.

These men are role models to our young males all over the country. They need to insist on them being held accountable for their actions and they need to put it in their contracts up front...if convicted for violence in any manner...they are finished. No excuses. This isn't illegal steriod use here, it is much worse. This is the brutal slaying of animals for the purpose of obtaining money illegally. What kind of message are they sending out to those young males? GRRRRR! It is bad enough those kids already think you need a "rep" which includes a stay in the county to give them "cred" on the street.

 

[lizzybeth]

When I heard that he could play for the NFL again my hope is that there won't be any teams that are willing to take him. I think there will be enough people that will protest or at least make a stink at any games he plays.

Personally, I find him an embarrassment to the state of VA, VA Tech and mankind.

 

[Steely Dan]

ESPN has a lot of egg on their face right now. When they mentioned it on Sportscenter this morning the hosts were saying he MIGHT get a four game suspension I repeat MIGHT get a four game suspension.

The commissioner has not made any decision yet. Hopefully the outcry from the false report will give Goodell some idea of what the punishment should be.

:cow:

MV is a disgrace to humanity. How anyone can take a dog and hang it or throw it to the ground or electrocute it in order to kill it is beyond my comprehension. It sounds like a developing serial killer kinda thing. BTW, there is no evidence MV ever did that himself he was bankrolling the operation of the guys who did.

In the debate on the sports board I post on somebody said of the people defending MV that it's easy to tell who has and who hasn't had pets. Too true.

BTW, those defending MV weren't defending his crime. They were saying he's put in enough time already and there should be no additional punishment from the NFL.

One thing that really bothers me is when people talk about "How much money he's lost" over this whole thing as if that should be considered part of his punishment. EVERYBODY who goes to jail loses a big percentage of their money. If they had a job they'll most likely lose it and they won't be able to make money over the time of their sentence. Just because MV lost millions of dollars doesn't make it any worse than Joe Schmoe who loses the same %age of his income. The dollar amounts are just much different. Oh well.

IMO, he'd still be fighting dogs if he wasn't caught. He lied in the faces of the owner of the Falcons and the Commissioner too. He seems genuinely sorry about his crime, they say, so he should be punished lightly now.

I guess a lot of people and I see it differently.

 

[lizzybeth]

I could be mistaken (and usually I am) but I thought one of the other guys testified that MV himself participated in the killing of some of the animals.

 

[Garnan]

If he plays again, I won't watch a single game that he's in. And I'm not alone. Not only will this cost the team who takes him, but anybody that they play. Big mistake.