Michael Vick Indicted in Dogfighting Case
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Hearing about Michael Vick’s indictment made me happy. Hearing what his dogfighting ring would do to the dogs involved literally made me sick.
On July 17 th, Vick and three others were charged with competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines.
That’s not even the sick part. What makes this entire situation almost unbearable are the descriptions about what would happen to these poor animals. If these animals lost or were unable to continue fighting, they were “taken out back”, if you will, and either electrocuted, hanged, or simply beaten to death.
Allegedly, Michael Vick and his co-defendants have been running this ring, called “Bad Newz Kennels”, out of a house in Surry County, Va. For the past few months, anyone who follows sports has heard about the increasing investigating that has been taking place. Naturally, Vick has been claiming to be innocent, knowing nothing about the dogfighting ring, but it did not matter. There is enough evidence from a number of sources that allowed Vick to get indicted.
This is certainly no laughing matter for the Atlanta Falcons quarterback – or should I say former Atlanta Falcons quarterback? This is a serious crime that is being handled by the feds – that means the FBI. If the evidence proves that Vick really was a part of all of this, you can bet that he will be going to prison. As all of this continues to come up and the public learns more and more about the dogfighting ring, he would have to get convicted. Letting him off would almost be too O.J.-esque.
This brings up another question: what is the NFL going to do with him? The league certainly has the right to do something about this, even before every last piece of evidence is released. With the indictment at hand and a growing case against Vick, the NFL will have to take some sort of action. So far, Roger Goodell has made good on his promise to clean up the league, so something will obviously have to happen to Vick. Imagine the suspension that can stem from something as serious as this – one year? Two years? Or will it not matter because Vick will be too busy in prison for - oh, I don’t know - six years?
Sure, Vick has been practicing hard this off-season, trying to take his mind off what was going on around him. How hard all of this must be for him. Good for him that he is learning a new offense, but should that change anything in the public’s minds? I can already see it coming – features and interviews about Michael Vick, “the man who is trying to turn his life around”. If convicted, he should never step foot on a football field again (if he can still play, anyway).
Animal cruelty is truly one of the most revolting activities a person can take a part in. Even worse is the idea of forcing dogs to fight each other, almost to the death. How anyone can watch this happen and think of nothing else but the money one will make from a particular dog winning is horrific to imagine.
Bob Frantz, a radio host on Cleveland’s WTAM 1100, was weighing in on the situation and reading e-mails from some of his listeners. I cannot remember specifically what the person wrote in the e-mail, but it went something like this: “it’s not like Vick needed the money; he has more than he knows what to do with. That really tells you what is going on his head.”
Yeah, he’s insane. Those Vick children – Michael and Marcus – sure are making their family proud, aren’t they?
