fact: criminals in the NFL like St. Pacman and Ron Mexico are just persecuted because they're black. :lol:
Man... Joey Harrington is given too many chances... If he doesn't do something this time, take him in the back yard and shoot him old yeller style.
what did hte falcons actually receive for schaub, besides swap of first rond picks...i think every1 was against the trade when it happened, and now they will REALLY pay for it. vick is a scumbag, i really really hope he is found guilty
I find it laughable that Vick can say with a straight face that he had no idea over 60 dogs were being held at a house he owns with all this dog fighting activity. He is not that naive is he?
the moving up 2 spots in the first was trivial the key was they got a 2nd rounder in 2007 and one in 2008. they got a pretty sweet deal for schaub, and most falcons fans were happy. the trouble is, trading schaub left them without a QB on the roster.
From the New York Times: The documents allege that before fights, dogs would be weighed and bathed to remove any poison or substance that may have been placed on the dog. Sometimes dogs were starved to make them hungry for the opposing dog. Fights ended when one dog died, or when a dog gave up. According to documents, losing dogs were sometimes put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging, gunshot, electrocution, or body slamming them to the ground. The men indicted with Vick were Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor. The 18-page indictment alleged that in March 2003, Peace consulted with Vick about a dog that had lost a fight. After Peace and Vick spoke, Peace killed the losing dog by wetting down the animal with water and electrocuting it. In April of this year, the indictment alleged that Peace, Phillips and Vick killed about eight dogs who did not perform well in testing sessions. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/sports/football/18vick.html?ref=sports Nice to know Nike's favorite endorsee is a sadist. TBTF
In a fight with a purse of $26,000. I read the indictment this morning over my Wheaties. There are four cooperating witnesses - all people who own and breed pitbulls, and presumably brutalize the dogs as bad or worse. They better be indicted for something. Also, there are at least another four or five unknown pitbull fighters and breeders identified. They better be found, indicted, and prosecuted. I hope this whole industry is blown sky high. This case can't be just about getting Michael Vick, although his celebrity certainly shines light on a story that would otherwise be buried behind the classified ads. Unfortunately, these dogs have been bred specifically for fighting, and there's probably no chance of them ever being placed in good homes. I say make deals with all of them - Vick included. Plead these cases out and get names of everyone who has ever participated in the breeding and fighting of pitbulls and just shut the whole thing down.
Why is it going to be difficult to prove and convict? Everything I've read about this case indicates they pretty much have Vick sewn up. The conspiracy charge is where he's really screwed. All prosecutors have to do is "connect" Vick with the other defendants(not a tough sell considering he bought the property and set it up for dog fighting) and he's guilty of anything they did, even if Vick wasn't present at the time. They've already got 4 or 5 witnesses ready to testify against Vick and will most likely try to get his co-defendants to roll over on him in exchange for a lighter sentence. Add in the fact that this is a federal indictment, which has something crazy like a 97% conviction rate and things aren't looking too good for Mr Mexico.
I would have never thought Michael would see the inside of a prison cell before brother Marcus. There parents must be proud.
Like i said these weren't my ideas, i thought the guy on the radio made a good case for him not being suspended. I sound like champ for christs sake. I'm sure I didn't do his argument justice and frankly don't remember the details to well so I cannot really stand behind it or argue his case. I do know that he had me convinced at the time. If the 97% conviction rate for federal cases is true then I don't know what the guy was talking about. Maybe it has something to do with his ability to pay the best lawyer possible? I'm pretty ignorant to this whole story right now.
He needs to be suspended for the year. DONESKI. This is disgusting, these charges of hanging and electrocution are sadistic shit man.
The more I read about the treatment of those dogs and dog fighting, the madder I get. It makes me sick to my stomach how some of those dogs died. Nothing should be tortured. Except Vick maybe.
The feds don't offer indictments unless they got you. They don't do their sting operation and blow their evidence unless they are sure that they can roll everyone up in one shot. Thats a fact. They don't like to be made a fool of by getting their indictments over turned. The only thing that can save Vick now, is rolling over on some other members of this ring. It may be too late for that as he has already made statements and everything else saying that he was innocent and had nothing to do with it.
I agree, the more I read about this the more pissed off I get.. I really feel an eye for an eye would really work in this instance.. Make that coward Vick get in the "ring" with one of these dogs, see how he likes it. Then electocute his little bitch ass..
Before they put him in the ring with another dog, they would have to beat him and starve him for a few months, to get him angry and hungry. I think Blank will make him go on a leave of absence before he gets suspended, and if he ends up in jail, he won't need to be suspended because his career will be over.
NFL will proceed cautiously on Vick Goodell likely to wait before suspending Falcons QB Posted: Wednesday July 18, 2007 11:22AM; Updated: Wednesday July 18, 2007 2:36PM http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/07/18/vick.league/index.html The most telling 23 words regarding Michael Vick's immediate future as a football player came late in the NFL's statement about the alleged heinous, dastardly and despicable acts that led to charges being filed against the former savior of the Atlanta Falcons. Michael Vick's guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts. With that, rookie commissioner Roger Goodell sent a strong message: This is not going to be the Duke lacrosse case. The NFL is not going to preemptively strike against a player with a relatively clean slate, as Vick has. And to those who want Goodell to take Vick off the field for 2007, such as the Humane Society of United States, the league is in full agreement that the allegations are grievous ones. But Vick hasn't had 10 run-ins with the law, like Pacman Jones. He hasn't been arrested as many times as Chris Henry. So Goodell is not going to ban him from the game. Not now, at least, from all appearances. But make no mistake about this: Goodell will act swiftly and severely if Vick is found guilty on any of the charges. Not just because of the cruel and cowardly acts Vick is alleged to have been part and parcel to at the dogfighting compound in Virginia. But also because if the allegations are true, Goodell will feel used by Vick in a big way. In April, at the NFL Draft, with stories swirling that Vick's property had been used for dogfights, Vick told Goodell he had nothing to do with it and was rarely at the home in question. I believe if Vick is found guilty, there will be tremendous pressure on the Feds and the judge to send him to jail and not just put him on probation. And I also believe that if he goes to jail, when Vick gets out, Goodell will be under similar pressure to suspend him for a year or longer. One of the most disturbing aspects of the indictment is it alleges Vick was involved in the dogfighting ring for six years. This was not just an occasional lark according to investigators. This was Vick's off-field sport. This was his poker, his billiards, his pickup basketball. It's outrageous. Any normal human being -- dog owner or not -- has to ask what kind of person could execute dogs, or pit them against each other, or punish them in such tortuous ways? The league seems ready to take a deep breath, take the picketing and the angry columns and the righteous indignation for now. But the hammer will be heavy if Vick is found guilty of even a portion of the alleged charges.
Shocking charges Indictment against Vick describes unfathomable acts Posted: Tuesday July 17, 2007 11:42PM; Updated: Wednesday July 18, 2007 2:39PM http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/07/17/dohrmann.vick/1.html By George Dohrmann, SI.com The indictment handed down Tuesday against Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three others describes in detail how they procured a property in Virginia for the purpose of staging dogfights, bought dogs and then fought them there, and in several other states, over a 6-year period. With at least three cooperating witnesses providing the details, federal authorities compiled a detailed case that traces the birth and rise of Bad Newz Kennels. But not a single line in the 18-page indictment will generate more rage toward Vick and the others charged -- Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips and Tony Taylor -- than a sentence near the end. It reads: "In or about April of 2007, Peace, Phillips and Vick executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road by various methods, including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground." In interviews I conducted for an earlier story on the subculture of dogfighting and Vick's involvement, several experts described to me the process of "rolling" dogs. Owners take young dogs, usually puppies, and put them in an enclosed area and see how they react. They prod the dogs and urge them to get angry. If a dog shows aggression toward another dog, that's a positive. If a dog is timid, it is useless. Some fighters give away puppies that don't show the required "gameness." Other owners don't bother with the trouble of finding them a home and simply kill them. Vick and his three associates, according to the indictment, fall in the latter category. Federal investigators allege Vick is a murderer of dogs who weren't willing to fight for his enjoyment. Even worse, his actions appear more sinister than most professional dogfighters. "If you want to kill a dog, why exert the energy to slam him into the ground or drown him? Why not just shoot him, which is the most common method?" says John Goodwin, dogfighting expert for the Humane Society of the United States. "That is insane. These guys, if they did that, have serious problems." Vick's problems would seem to be plentiful now that he has gone from a person of interest in local and federal investigations to one of four men charged in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., with conspiracy to commit interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture. On the Travel Act portion of the conspiracy charges, he faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The dogfighting charges carry a possible sentence of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine or both. Still, even with the gravity of the crimes alleged, Vick's most serious problem would seem to be one of perception. If one believes the allegations against him, Vick is neither a novice dogfighter nor or a hobbyist who dipped his toe into the sport briefly. The indictment alleges Vick is a professional dogfighter who"sponsored" more than two dozen dogfights. He is not, as he previously said, someone who merely trusted the wrong people. Rather, he is the face of a bloodsport that the majority of NFL fans probably didn't know existed until the property he owned on Moonlight Road was raided in late April. And, now, he becomes the ultimate test for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his new discipline policy. "We expect the Falcons and the NFL to take prompt action," Goodwin says. "The message needs to be sent to other athletes who have been involved or are involved in dogfighting that this can be a career ender." It remains to be seen how the Falcons or the NFL will act, but if they read all 18 pages of the indictment, one can be sure they will no longer give Vick the benefit of the doubt. According to the indictment, Vick, who was also known as "Ookie", and the three others set out to start a kennel of American Pit Bull Terriers for the purpose of fighting them around 2001. Around May of that year, the indictment states Taylor picked the property on 1915 Moonlight Road near Smithfield, Va., and Vick paid $34,000 for the land. In that same year, Vick and the other three men began acquiring fighting dogs, purchasing animals in Virginia and other states. There were four dogs from an individual in North Carolina, another dog bought in New York and six dogs and six puppies from an individual in Richmond, Va. According to the indictment, in Sept. 2001, Vick and two others purchased four pit bulls puppies, including a male named Magic for $1,000 from an individual who has since testified before the grand jury. In 2002, Vick, accompanied by Peace, purchased four pit bulls from another person in Virginia who the indictment says is now a cooperating witness for the government. The indictment states that in early 2002, the quartet established "Bad Newz Kennels" and even obtained shirts and headbands that "promoted their affiliation" with that organization. They also began renovation of the Moonlight Road property: building a fence to shield the portion where dogfights allegedly occurred and sheds to house the dogs and training equipment. They buried car axles in the woods so they could tie the dogs to them. Around the summer of 2002, the four men began "rolling" dogs, according to the indictment. At that time, Peace, Phillips and Taylor each killed at least one dog that proved to be a poor fighter. Peace shot a dog with a .22 caliber pistol. Phillips also shot a dog. Taylor, the indictment alleges, executed at least two dogs that didn't test well, shooting one and electrocuting at least one other. Federal investigators say the quartet began attending fights as early as 2002, and in that year, Vick is first said to have sponsored a fight, between Zebro and Maniac at the Moonlight Road property for a purse totaling $2,000. One of the more detailed descriptions of a fight involves a bout in March 2003. A professional fighter, now cooperating with the government, traveled from North Carolina to a location near Blackstone, Va., with his 35-pound female pit bull and a 47-pound male pit bull. The purse was $13,000 a side for the fight involving the female and $10,000 for the fight between the males. According to the indictment, Peace and Vick "represented" Bad Newz Kennels at those fights, which Bad Newz Kennels lost. "Peace, after consulting with Vick about the losing female pit bull's condition, executed the dog by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal," the indictment reads. The fate of the male dog owned by Bad Newz is not mentioned in the indictment, but it does state that following that fight, "Vick retrieved a book bag containing approximately $23,000 in cash" and gave it to the winning owner, who is listed as "Cooperating Witness #2" in the indictment. There are other allegations like those, other unfathomable acts. At times, the indictment can be difficult to read. Vick allegedly got into dogfighting in 2001 and fought dogs as recently as April. In other words, federal investigators say he's been a dogfighter as long as he's been an NFL quarterback. After reading and rereading the allegations against Vick, it's easy to imagine a future where he is neither.
