Who Knew? Michael Vick, Abused Dogs and the Federal Government

Vick, the star $105 million quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons (not counting endorsements), has been indicted for involvement in a dog-fighting ring associated with his estate in Smithfield, Virginia. Who knew that this was a federal crime? Who knew this side of Vick’s life?

Nike has postponed releasing the latest in a line of $100-plus sneakers named for Vick, whose nickname is said to be "Ookie", though it has not yet dumped him. The Falcons are taking a wait-and-see approach. But there’s a groundswell out there among sports commentators, sports fans and animal rights activists to ban him from the National Football League.

My best friends among the four-legged species are cats – specifically, Frank Sinatra and Sammie Dee. But I understand the outrage among those for whom dogs are best friends. I don’t understand, however, why dog-fighting is a federal crime when other things orchestrated by humans against other humans or other animals are not. That’s another story.

But back to this Vick thing. He has been charged with "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture." Not just one dog, mind you. He and his pals are charged with trafficking in dogs for not just Virginia but also from New York and North Carolina. As Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post has written: “No burst of speed is going to get him out of this one. There are no linemen to follow toward the pylon.” He apparently purchased for $34,000 a parcel of land at 1915 Moonlight Road that became Bad Newz Kennels. The “bad newz” was apparently Vick and his sadistic friends and the people attracted from far and wide for their pitbull prizefights.

The Smoking Gun reports: In the indictment's most harrowing parts, federal investigators describe what happened to some Bad Newz Kennels dogs that either lost matches or did not perform well in test fights. After a March 2003 loss by a female pit bull, codefendant Purnell Peace, “after consulting with Vick,” electrocuted the animal. In April, prosecutors allege, Vick, Peace, and Quanis Phillips, “executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing' sessions. These animals, the indictment claims, were killed "by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

You can check out the indictment at The Smoking Gun website:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0717072vick1.html

Michael Vick is an embarrassment to civility. Remember him giving the finger to fans? In a more dignified way, I think fans should do the same to him. Don’t wear his No. 7. Don’t buy his shoes. Don’t support his lifestyle.