Wow. This post has been coming for a little while now, I just have not had the time to post it. Mr. Vick should have some seriuos concerns and he needs to find a good legal team that is willing to handle his case. He is in some deep water. The charges levied against him carry a potential sentence of 6 years and up to $350,000. This is not some Chris Henry DUI stuff people, Mr. Vick has been charged with felonious conduct.
For those few remaining Vick supporters, please do not be dumb enough to play the ‘race’ card. That will only serve to make you look stupid and less sympathetic. The race card should be reserved for things of significant importance, like the fact that a predominantly black league has so few members in coaching and management positions. Or more importantly the fact that there is a strong possibility that Barack Obama will not have enough support to run for or win the presidency because of the color of his skin. Those things are of significance. The fact that a high profile (is there a more high profile player in the league) was dumb enough to associate himself with the alleged conduct is more than enough to keep his name in the paper. This is not a black thing, because dog fighting is done throughout the rural, southern and southwestern areas. Dog fighting is linked to stupid and morally repugnant white and Hispanic people just as much as it is linked to stupid and morally repugnant black people. It reeks of a lack of moral and intellectual character, not skin color.
Also, another point to address when the race card is played is the fact that Michael Vick and Pacman Jones have been the biggest athletes-committing-crimes story since three or four white lacrosse players were charged with raping a woman in North Carolina. The main difference is that the charges brought against the Duke players were rushed and sloppily handled by a prosecutor who wanted/needed the press for his election campaign. In Vick’s case, this is a federal grand jury indictment. Federal cases are not rushed at all. They are built over time with a lot of reliable information. There is a reason that 95% of all federal charges that go to trial, and have not been subject to plea bargains, result in convictions.
I even read that someone had the nerve to compare the charges against Vick to those brought against Steve McNair. Really? You should not do that either, because you will look completely ignorant. The charges against Steve McNair were not for ”drunk driving”, they were just listed that way for tag line purposes. McNair was charged with a misdemeanor because he was a passenger in a car that he owned that was being operated by a person (this time it was a relative) who was over the legal limit. That is a legitimate charge in the state of Tennessee, and like most charges for failing to supervise or entrusting the use of his vehicle to an intoxicated person, the charges did not stick. (If they ever stick, it is typically because of a plea bargain where a person pays a fine). Once again, that was not a race issue, that was a drunk driving stop brought on by MADD who has steadfastedly pushed for more stringent drunk driving laws in all 50 states, and in most states, you can get in trouble for allowing a drunk individual (or an individual under the influence) to operate a vehicle you own.
Furthermore, the charges brought against Michael Vick in the 19-page indictment are the same types of charges that are used to bring down large crime families. This is not small time stuff, Vick has been alleged to be a part of a crime syndicate that transported and conducted illegal activity across state lines (which is why the federal charges were brought). His name is prevalent throughout all 19-pages of the indictment, and all recent reports from the Humane Society and other (I’m calling them informed, because that has been reported) informed sources heavily link Vick to this dog fighting crime ring. If you have not had an opportunity to read any of the indictment, it is very graphic and difficult to take in. I found the alleged conduct repulsive, and would have a difficult time as a juror if this does in fact go to trial. The allegations of the intentional violent killings of the losing or non-fighting dogs would certainly constitute inhumane torture.
Vick has also been alleged to throw massive amounts of money around for the purposes of underground gambling at these dogfights. As a person who enjoys sitting at a table to play blackjack (I’ll probably do it this weekend, and I will definetly do it next weekend in Las Vegas), I only gamble at places where it is legal. To do otherwise is, simply put, stupid. And Vick was a big-timer at these fights, I’m deferring once again to the informed sources.
These charges carry a harsh penalty, and should be considered extremely legitimate. I must reiterate that this is not a local law enforcement agency rushing to judge for the publicity of the matter. This is the same jurisdiction that imprisoned Ralph Sampson for failing to keep up with his child support. Don’t take these charges lightly remaining Vick supporters.
I, for one, am off the Vick bandwagon. Well, as much that it could be said that I was ever on his bandwagon. Truth be told, I was never a major fan of his. I enjoyed the possibility of him making a big play, but more often than not, it was a possibility and never came to fruition. As it stands now, he is the posterboy for bad judgment and low morals. Forget the stupidity of Pacman for continuing to frequent strip clubs even after he has been charged with inciting a shooting. Michael Vick has been helping to run or the figurehead for a drug ring that has been ongoing since 2001. Once again, I must refer to the detailed indictment that traces Vick’s ties that far back.
It appears that the federal government has been building this case for some time, and did an exceptional job of maintaining silence on the details of their investigation. Nobody knew anything was going on until the raid on the property, and then everyone believed that Vick would not be charged. Instead, the authorities continued to stockpile information and build/strengthen their case before formally going before the grand jury. Try as you will to back Vick, but know that you are fighting a losing battle in the court of public opinion. Unfortunately for Vick (if you can sympathize) it may also be a losing battle in the court system as well.
The last thing I would have to do in this post is attack those people that compare dog fighting to MMA or boxing. That argument is also without merit. MMA and boxing are heavily regulated and the fighters are trained and fight at their discretion. They are also treated extremely well, and medical professionals are at every fight to make certain that the safety of the fighters is never an issue. Underground dog fights where the losing animals are killed is nothing like that. Instead, involving yourself in dog fighting is a felony and gruesome. It is against the law, not heavily regulated. Losing fighter still gets a payday and goes back to the drawing board to train, while losing dog is body-slammed, shocked, drowned or put to death in some other disgusting manner. Big, big difference.
I also anticipate that companies with Vick endorsements will be abandoning ship in the very near future. Sprite did the same thing with Kobe Bryant.
Whether or not Vick should be suspended is something completely different. Roger Goodell established a precedent when repeat offenders like Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson and Chris Henry were suspended. Those individuals had a laundry list of charges against them. Vick, on the other hand, has never been formally charged with anything before. While I do not think that Goodell will suspend Vick yet, the gravity of the charges could warrant an immediate susension. Instead, I believe that Goodell (and probably the Atlanta Falcons) will wait for the case to progress further before making their official decisions. However, it would not surprise me to see Vick granted a ‘leave of absence’ for personal time from the Falcons. They may not want the continuous bashing of the face of their franchise to occur throughout training camps and the NFL season. They might opt to give Vick time off, and wait for the events to unfold before cutting ties with their quarterback.
For now, stay tuned, because this will get a lot more interesting in the coming weeks and months. And for Vick, it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Just because I can: NBA Summer League Update from the Rocky Mountain Revue - Morris Almond has the second prettiest jumper of Utah Jazz rookies. The rookie from Hawaii, Lojeski, has a gorgeous jumper, and I bet he could hit threes at an amazing rate. I just do not think he is good enough as an all-around player to make it in the NBA.
The Jazz also have an interesting array of big men on their summer league team. Paul Millsap is a rebounding machine, and he shoudl improve his scoring this year, especially when Boozer goes down for another extended stretch. Raphael Araujo is a brick wall, and has talent, he just cannot stop fouling. Levon Kenall is a tremendous defender with absolutely no offensive game. But if other energy guys can make it, Kendall might just be good enough because of his continuous defensive effort. The most impressive guy to me thus far for the Jazz has been Kyrylo Fesenko, or Fess as he is better known. He is a legitimate 7′1″ and 278 lbs, and he moves very well. Last night against the Hawks he showed a lot of determination on the defensive end as well. He rejected three shots in the second quarter, grabbed a rebound, picked up a steal, and more importantly showed athleticism, hustle, and a desire to be good. (I always like a little noise when a big man throws a shot away, it makes them appear more tough and into the game). That guy could be pretty good down the road if the Jazz can control his motor, because he pushes it too much and too quickly for his size. For now, he’ll provide solid minutes in short bursts until he gets better conditioned.
As far as some of the Atlanta players, Acie Law should not shoot NBA threes yet. Instead, he needs to use runners, a post-up game, and mid-range jumpshots to get his points. I’m telling you, he is the next Sam Cassell (all things Cassell excels at). Al Horford impressed me and he is going to be good. He is already light years better than Shelden Williams, who looked bad last game. I have not been a fan of Williams’ game ever, because despite putting up nice looking numbers in college, he always got lit up by other big men.
