Further Developments: Michael Vick's co-defendants in the dog fighting case have plead guilty to criminal charges today and stated under oath that the former professional football star helped kill eight dogs. The money and property for the kennel operation was supplied by Vick. Prosecutors have put the tongs to Vick offering him a plea negotiation in which he will serve one year in prison or face an additional RICO (Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization) charge that carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Its time to walk the walk, Ookie. (photo of rescued pit bull, Max and friend)[first posted 7/21/07]
Atlanta Falcons QB, Michael Vick, aka "Ookie", was indicted Tuesday for operating a dog fighting venture in Richmond, Virginia federal court. The indictment charges that Vick and three friends conspired during 2001-07 to operate "Bad Newz Kennels" in Smithfield, Virginia for the purposes of breeding, training and fighting pit bulls. The indictment also charged them with interstate transportation of pit bulls for the purpose of animal fighting. The prize purses for the owners of surviving dogs were as much as $26,000.
Dogs that did not perform well were executed by drowning, gunshot, electrocution or in one case, slamming the dog to the ground. The indictment contains statements by three confidential witnesses that saw eight pit bulls cruelly killed. Vick's property was raided once by local law enforcement which found 55 dogs in the kennel. Vick's arraignment and bond hearing on the felony charges is set for opening day of the Falcon's training camp, July 26. Help exploited dogs like those at "Bad Newz Kennels" by asking the NFL to make a prominent object lesson of Michael Vick. If convicted, life time banishment from the field of mega bucks for his heartless cruelty, arrogant disregard for other life, and monstrous greed would not be an excessive penalty in addition to the criminal ones.
Weekend Update: On Thursday Nike, the sporting goods giant, issued a statement saying it would delay releasing the NFL quarterback's Vick shoe but will not pull existing Vick endorsed goods or suspend it's multimillion dollar endorsement deal despite what it termed "highly disturbing" charges against the pro athlete. The company cited "due process" concerns for Vick as justification. Such concerns are at best misguided, since such contracts are a private, commercial agreement and depend heavily on an athlete promoting a positive public image. Many such agreements have escape clauses usually refereed to as a "morals clause" which would allow the company to terminate the contract in the event of adverse publicity caused by the endorser. The Humane Society reports that 130,000 messages demanding the athlete's suspension had been sent to the NFL from its website. Vick is the second highest paid quarterback in the league.