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

[Malapoo]

As a football fan, and a fan of the Panthers who are division rivals of the Falcons, I really have followed this. Not that I have insider info, but there was a radio interview today with an assistant of the commissioner and while he wouldn't spell it all out, he stressed that they were reviewing everything and the evidence they have is COMPELLING, but they had asked the Falcons NOT to take action beyond the suspension - with the charges alone the 4 week suspension is justified and by denying it to the team owner he obviously lied which is also "detrimental to the team/league". So right now, the suspension cannot be contested. But they made it clear that banning him from training camp (the Commissioner did that) and the 4 week suspension by the team is just the "punishment" for the time being until they have reviewed everything. Once they've reviewed it all, there WILL be a final decision. So unless all the witnesses recant and all the evidence the Feds gathered turns out to be planted, he most likely will be suspended for at least this season.

Most football "insiders" feel that even if he beats the rap completely, he will not play for the Falcons again. They feel that even if he gets off with the judicial system, a large number of the population will believe he "beat the rap" but IS guilty.

Honestly as a Panther fan who also met Rae Carruth (he was very pleasant) had he beaten the rap for having Cherica Adams killed, I would never have felt comfortable cheering for him EVER. I mean it bothered me that I HAD cheered for him before that happened. I can imagine a LOT of Falcon fans would feel the same way about Vick.

 

[Enrique Sparta]

keeping him out of pre-season means nothing NOTHING. He's still getting paid. It sounds like the new NFL commissioner is all talk and all his big words about disciplining the thugs that run his league don't apply to the big money stars.

For those that are not big sports fans, the National Felony League has a new commissioner who promised to do something about the street trash that makes up the overwhelming majority of this league. He started off well by suspending Pacman Jones (you should see his rap sheet, amazing he hasn't done prison time) for the year and then suspending Chris Henry, another , for 8 games half the season. Both without pay which is where it really hurts. There is yet another pitiful example of society who was suspended by Goodell, Tank Johnson, for 8 games without pay. So it looked pretty good...

However he is totally bitching out on this Michael Vick thing. His excuses don't hold up either. Pacman Jones has not been convicted of anything udner Goodell's watch and he was suspended for the year, rightfully so. Goodell has been using the "well I take past transgressions into the account" in defense of his banning that Pacman. Well Michael Vick has had problems in the past as well. For example, the airport marijuana thing, the voluntarily giving a woman an STD/Ron Mexico thing, flipping off the fans walking off the field, missing some important meeting on capitol hill regarding his charity work.....this whole dog thing has taken it to a new level but he hasn't been any kind of model citizen for the National Felony League. And they take their image VERY seriously. If Goodell had any balls he would apply the same rules he does to lesser known players to the big money popular stars as well. He should start by immediately suspending Michael Vick for the season without pay. 4 games by the Atlanta Falcons? What a joke. Waiting to see what happens? Please. Didn't do it for this barbaric animal Pacman why not do it for another barbaric animal?

I'm afraid Vick is gonna be another pathetic street athlete (and other big time entertainment stars) that gets off scott free. Or something really lame like a big fine (I'm sure that's gonna hurt the guy who's worth a hundred million bucks) and probation. I've heard in Atlanta this is already becoming a black/white thing. I'd hate for the jury in Virginia to be all black or even half black and acquit him ala OJ Simpson or even hung jury. I hope it's not a jury trial. I'd love for it to be just the judge, I heard it's a very strict judge. If Mikey Vick doesn't get at least some prison time, I'll have zero faith in the justice system. After he's found guilty, if he's found guilty, he should be barred from the National Felony League for good.

Personally I think Mike Vick's penalty should be being chained to a car and driven around until there's nothing left of him.

 

[PSUfan]

So if he loses his football career, he will still be a huge hero to the mentality that supports lifestyles like his. I wonder where he will go with that? Maybe he will become a rap artist.

 

[Indy Gal]

As a football fan, and a fan of the Panthers who are division rivals of the Falcons, I really have followed this. Not that I have insider info, but there was a radio interview today with an assistant of the commissioner and while he wouldn't spell it all out, he stressed that they were reviewing everything and the evidence they have is COMPELLING, but they had asked the Falcons NOT to take action beyond the suspension - with the charges alone the 4 week suspension is justified and by denying it to the team owner he obviously lied which is also "detrimental to the team/league". So right now, the suspension cannot be contested. But they made it clear that banning him from training camp (the Commissioner did that) and the 4 week suspension by the team is just the "punishment" for the time being until they have reviewed everything. Once they've reviewed it all, there WILL be a final decision. So unless all the witnesses recant and all the evidence the Feds gathered turns out to be planted, he most likely will be suspended for at least this season.

Most football "insiders" feel that even if he beats the rap completely, he will not play for the Falcons again. They feel that even if he gets off with the judicial system, a large number of the population will believe he "beat the rap" but IS guilty.

Honestly as a Panther fan who also met Rae Carruth (he was very pleasant) had he beaten the rap for having Cherica Adams killed, I would never have felt comfortable cheering for him EVER. I mean it bothered me that I HAD cheered for him before that happened. I can imagine a LOT of Falcon fans would feel the same way about Vick.

GREAT POST!!!!

 

[concernedperson]

Vick is a punk....no better than that band of gang members who almost killed that kid outside of six flags. Only God gave Vick the ability to run....not think but run fast.

Dan Reeves, while head coach of the Falcons, tried to reign Vick in but Vick swore allegiance to his "possy". Vick's mother even moved out of his home because of Vick's company he was keeping and his undying devotion to them.

Now it looks like Vick's low life hip hopping friends and friends are all going to have to find a new career. Vick is done, probably for good, certainly with the Falcons.

I guess I just derive a lot of pleasure in seeing the crash of a piece of trash. I live in Atlanta and I am frankly sick to death of this gold toothed, pants around your ankles, do rag, hip hopping, gang banging nonsense . It is so bad in my areas that you can't go to the mall with your family and enjoy a meal at the food court without a fight between 100 of them breaking out (we were almost caught in one). This lifestyle is an affront to all humanity and is gobbling up way too many people.

I suppose for me it is great to see Vick turned into a common ordinary instead of a superstar . I imagine that despite his huge salary, he is probably pretty close to completely broke with all those hangers on friends and family members he had. I look for him to be in prison for drug dealing or something of the like pretty soon. Any fool that can't manage to at least SUPPRESS his lifestyle until he made his money and retired is a fool.

I guess the real bitter root is going to be when all this is said and done and vick is nothing more than a common street looking back at the life that was and wondering what could have been.....fun stuff.

As you can tell, I HATE vick. I lost my taste for him and his family when his family was dancing in the stands when the first string QB got hurt back when vick was a second string qb.

Cal

Wow, we actually agree on something. I am in Atlanta too. We have enough to deal with without having Vicks around. I think he would do well in prison. At least his groupies could see his change in wardrobe and maybe be inspired.

 

[Enrique Sparta]

Vick is a punk....no better than that band of gang members who almost killed that kid outside of six flags. Only God gave Vick the ability to run....not think but run fast.

Dan Reeves, while head coach of the Falcons, tried to reign Vick in but Vick swore allegiance to his "possy". Vick's mother even moved out of his home because of Vick's company he was keeping and his undying devotion to them.

Now it looks like Vick's low life hip hopping friends and friends are all going to have to find a new career. Vick is done, probably for good, certainly with the Falcons.

I guess I just derive a lot of pleasure in seeing the crash of a piece of trash. I live in Atlanta and I am frankly sick to death of this gold toothed, pants around your ankles, do rag, hip hopping, gang banging nonsense . It is so bad in my areas that you can't go to the mall with your family and enjoy a meal at the food court without a fight between 100 of them breaking out (we were almost caught in one). This lifestyle is an affront to all humanity and is gobbling up way too many people.

I suppose for me it is great to see Vick turned into a common ordinary instead of a superstar . I imagine that despite his huge salary, he is probably pretty close to completely broke with all those hangers on friends and family members he had. I look for him to be in prison for drug dealing or something of the like pretty soon. Any fool that can't manage to at least SUPPRESS his lifestyle until he made his money and retired is a fool.

I guess the real bitter root is going to be when all this is said and done and vick is nothing more than a common street looking back at the life that was and wondering what could have been.....fun stuff.

As you can tell, I HATE vick. I lost my taste for him and his family when his family was dancing in the stands when the first string QB got hurt back when vick was a second string qb.

Cal

Great post. Agree 100% Vick is just a street who can run fast. I forgot about his trash family cheering the starter at the time (Vick was backup) getting hurt. I also take great pleasure in seeing this animal go down. I'm just afraid he will get off with something pathetic like probation or a fine.

I also can't stand that barbarian Pac-man Jones. Did you see on ESPN the other night he's witholding information on the shooter at that strip club? The shooter is one of his buddies and he knows exactly who it is. He should be arrested for obstruction of justice or aiding and abetting. Jones should've been in prison long ago, you should see his rap sheet. All he keeps getting is probation though.

Too bad everyone is more focused on comments made by shock jocks like Don Imus. What a horrible person!!!!!! LOL.

The NFL and the NBA is nothing but street thugs for the most part. I'd love to see both leagues go under.

 

[Malapoo]

That sort of belittles/ignores a large number of players in all sports who do wonderful work in their communities. They just don't make the headlines like the thugs. Sure they'd still do good things without sports, but their financial abilities to build hospitals in Africa (yes true), homes for single mothers (true), daycares with very thorough and strict employee hiring/guidelines and numerous other endeavors would be drastically reduced.

Every walk of life has it's good guys and bad guys. Celebrities and sports just get a lot more press. The climate of the public is angry right now with just cause, but to paint the entire sports population as thugs does a huge disservice to a lot of wonderful human beings.

 

[calus_3]

I believe my calculation showed that Vick earned about 61.9 million dollars from the Falcons.

IMHO, we should forget the dog fighting charges and get him on grand larceny charges for stealing about 61.5 million dollars from the fans and the team owners.

I think the thoughts of what wuz and what couldabean are going to haunt vick for the rest of his life. Imagine having all he had and losing it over dumb stuff.

Cal

 

[Lurker]

Darrell Green was a prime example of what a football player should be and what kind of player a child should hero worship.

 

[Masterj]

That sort of belittles/ignores a large number of players in all sports who do wonderful work in their communities. They just don't make the headlines like the thugs. Sure they'd still do good things without sports, but their financial abilities to build hospitals in Africa (yes true), homes for single mothers (true), daycares with very thorough and strict employee hiring/guidelines and numerous other endeavors would be drastically reduced.

Every walk of life has it's good guys and bad guys. Celebrities and sports just get a lot more press. The climate of the public is angry right now with just cause, but to paint the entire sports population as thugs does a huge disservice to a lot of wonderful human beings.

Thank you Malapoo! I am so tired of all the responsible athletes (and yes, there are a lot of them) getting lumped in with the idiots. One of my pet projects was the NBA player appearance program which was closely tied to community relations. What some of these athletes did was truly remarkable, yet do you think the media wanted to highlight ANY of that stuff? Not a chance. People need to remember that the human interest, feel-good stories are not what sells papers or advertising time and space, unfortunately.

 

[Masterj]

Darrell Green was a prime example of what a football player should be and what kind of player a child should hero worship.

Derek Fisher, Ray Allen and Grant Hill are a few examples of NBA role models.

 

[Lurker]

Derek Fisher, Ray Allen and Grant Hill are a few examples of NBA role models.

And let's not forget about good ole John Riggins. Anyone that would tell Sandra Day O'Connor to "Loosen up baby" is all right in my book. LOL!!!

 

[imthemom]

"People have this image of them as some kind of uberdog," Cooke says. "More powerful, more fierce, more terrifying."
This could not be further from the description put forth by the United Kennel Club. "The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life," the group's Web site declares. "This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/07/24/pitbull.culture.ap/index.html

 

[CarpeDiem]

The fact that you have to TRAIN them to fight, that they are deprived of food so they are more vicious after that training, leads credence to that imthemom.

 

[Lurker]

The fact that you have to TRAIN them to fight, that they are deprived of food so they are more vicious after that training, leads credence to that imthemom.

Did anyone watch the tapes? I watched what I could before breaking down. The whole time these dogs were fighting, they're tails were wagging and you could see them look to their owners. They were trying to please their owners by doing what they were "trained" to do. Vick viciously killed the ones that wouldn't or couldn't perform up to his sick standards.

 

[imthemom]

Did anyone watch the tapes? I watched what I could before breaking down. The whole time these dogs were fighting, they're tails were wagging and you could see them look to their owners. They were trying to please their owners by doing what they were "trained" to do. Vick viciously killed the ones that wouldn't or couldn't perform up to his sick standards.

I only seen part on Nancy Grace and my 8 year old son was watching and started to get hysterical because one of the pits looked like our Champ and he thought they could be related. I assured him they weren't brothers but decided to change the channel nonetheless. I wish everyone could see my 2 1/2 year old make our 55 lb sit until she throws his frisby, it goes like two feet but she takes from him and he willingly sits and waits again.

 

[Indy Gal]

Darrell Green was a prime example of what a football player should be and what kind of player a child should hero worship.

Brett Favre is my hero!!! And when I have kids will be their too. Sorry back on topic.

 

[Indy Gal]

And let's not forget about good ole John Riggins. Anyone that would tell Sandra Day O'Connor to "Loosen up baby" is all right in my book. LOL!!!

Nobody said Larry Byrd??? Oh yea I am the only hoosier here...DUH>...LOL

 

[Indy Gal]

:clap: :clap: watched and felt the exact same thing!

ETA For some reason I thought you were A guy! I really need to stop skimming post!

Did anyone watch the tapes? I watched what I could before breaking down. The whole time these dogs were fighting, they're tails were wagging and you could see them look to their owners. They were trying to please their owners by doing what they were "trained" to do. Vick viciously killed the ones that wouldn't or couldn't perform up to his sick standards.

 

[SadieMae]

"People have this image of them as some kind of uberdog," Cooke says. "More powerful, more fierce, more terrifying."
This could not be further from the description put forth by the United Kennel Club. "The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life," the group's Web site declares. "This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/07/24/pitbull.culture.ap/index.html

I agree that's what they should be. But the majority on the streets are not AKC standards, being bred of dubious heritage and temperaments in backyards everywhere. A well bred pit may show these qualities because of it's careful breeding. Those dogs are not the problem.