This (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2850545) puts Ron Artest's dog-caring skills to shame:

Police conducting a drug investigation raided a Virginia house owned by Atlanta Falcons (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=atl) quarterback Michael Vick (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5448) and found dozens of dogs, some injured and emaciated, as well as items associated with dog fighting, authorities said.

State Police Sgt. D.S. Carr said Vick's relative, Davon Boddie, 26, lives in the house. Vick owns the property, but does not live there and was not present when a search warrant was executed in a drug investigation Wednesday night, Carr said.

Boddie was arrested outside a nightclub by Hampton police April 20 on charges of distribution of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute. The search warrant was executed by a multijurisdictional task force in a narcotics probe, Carr said.

"When they had a chance to go to the site, they discovered animal neglect," Surry County Administrator Tyrone Franklin told WAVY-TV in Portsmouth.

More than 60 dogs were found in three buildings. Some appeared malnourished, scarred and injured, officials said.

Just what is the fascination with dogfighting that sportsmen seem to have? Aren't there enough bums in America?

Bring in Joey Harrington!

Bring in Joey Harrington!


:pound::pound::pound::pound::pound::gettinghanged:

60 dogs ?!
get a life...

Just what is the fascination with dogfighting that sportsmen seem to have? Aren't there enough bums in America?

I hear ya. Don't understand what sadistic pleasure someone could get from watching two animals rip each other apart. From my viewpoint, it tells me something about the character of the person involved.

I was going to revive this thread because an anonymous source just told ESPN that Vick was majorly involved in dog fighting:

He arrived at the hotel room, where our cameras were set up, in a T-shirt and jeans. "I'm nervous," he said, surveying our lights and camera equipment. "I've never done anything like this before."

Our confidential source said he's been involved in dog fighting for more than 30 years. He has trained and fought -- by his estimation -- about 2,000 pit bulls and was poised to tell "Outside the Lines" about the time in 2000 when his dog squared off against a dog owned by someone he referred to as one of the "heavyweights" of the dog fighting world: Atlanta Falcons (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=atl) quarterback Michael Vick (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5448).

"He's a pit bull fighter," the source said of Vick. "He's one of the ones that they call 'the big boys': that's who bets a large dollar. And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money -- $30,000 to $40,000 -- even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."
An anonymous source isn't ironclad proof, of course, but this story just got worse for Vick. It obviously isn't going away anytime soon. In the last few days, the legal news started to look a little better for Vick, as the prosecutor indicated (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2883048) that they were having trouble gathering evidence:

He said there has been difficulty finding someone who specializes in canine forensics, and an absence of eyewitnesses who can confirm that dog fighting took place on the property.What, there's no CSI: Dog Pound team out there? No canine Quincy to lend a hand?

Saw this. Cannot believe he would take risks like this with his career. Crazy.

I forgot to link to the first ESPN story in that last post; here's the link (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2884063).

According to this anonymous source, this has been going on with Vick since he was in college. Vick's never gotten in trouble for it before, so he probably figured it was no big deal, and certainly not something that could in any way jeopardize his career. Whoops.

"They" say people who like dog fighting are of below avgerage intellegence.
I could go for one or two fights. But not with a dog I know. Unless that dog was an azzz to me.

Vick has now been indicted (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2940065) on charges related to the alleged dog-fighting ring.

Vick has now been indicted (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2940065) on charges related to the alleged dog-fighting ring.


dog gone

Anyone still cares about him?

Maybe if he goes to jail, the Lions can pick up his contract.

Not to get all "moral" but I think dog fighting is one of the most disgusting and cruel things a person can participate in.

Yeah, those poor doggies. Who paints their barns black anyway?

There is no way that you could run regular dog fights in my backyard without me knowing it (if I had a backyard, which I don't).

The barking, the crowds of people holding cash, the dog poop, the telephone calls asking what time the fights start, etc.

I believe in due process, but if he is found guilty, I predict this will be the New York Post headline:

CON-VICK-TED!

I like cat fights better than dog fights myself.

Several concerns...........

1. He was witnessed watching a dog being slammed into the cement til it died. He also watched dogs being hanged til dead.

2. He had previously talked to the commish. One must assume that he said he was innocent since he was never suspended. Commish will not take lightly if he was lied to.

3. A federal investigation is much more serious than some county hack.

From today's Jim Rome show, apparently the Fed has a 95% conviction rate. They simply do not go after suspects unless they have overwhelming evidence in their favor.

Apparently Vick also participated in electrocuting, shooting, etc of dogs.

If this is true, and again, the evidence is pretty overwhelming, then I hope this guy's whole career is destroyed.

From today's Jim Rome show, apparently the Fed has a 95% conviction rate. They simply do not go after suspects unless they have overwhelming evidence in their favor.

Apparently Vick also participated in electrocuting, shooting, etc of dogs.

If this is true, and again, the evidence is pretty overwhelming, then I hope this guy's whole career is destroyed.

You'd think it would be, Roscoe, but I think he would only get six years in jail and probably be out in five with good behavior. Seems like he could resume his NFL career after that if he's not ostracized by the league, and I'm not sure he would be. Football is king in the U.S. and people are willing to forgive A LOT if it means more people getting paid.

I'm with you, I kind of hope he's done if found guilty. Maybe they could do a real life "Longest Yard" about his life.

If he's found guilty, or if he pleads guilty, there isn't much doubt that he would be suspended by the NFL for a long time. At least one full season, probably more.

Of course we don't want to leap to conclusions, but it does look pretty bad for him at this point. From what I understand, the most serious federal charge he's been indicted on is conspiracy, which essentially means that everyone who's entered into an agreement with each other to do something illegal (dog-fighting, in this case) is legally responsible for what follows, even if they don't specifically participate in it themselves. My guess is that Vick didn't grasp how the law worked on that point; he thought that as long as he wasn't too involved in any direct way (though it seems like he might have been), he wouldn't get in any real trouble over it.

With Goodell now telling him to stay away from training camp and the Falcons management throwing him under the bus (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2947725), it seems that Vick is most likely done for this coming season, at a minimum. It's pretty amazing how quickly this has gone downhill for him. It really looks like his career might be completely derailed because of this, regardless of how the legal scenario plays out.

One point I heard on the radio today is that his position makes a difference here--receivers, defensive backs, etc. might be able to survive a black eye like this, but since a quarterback is expected to be "the man" in so many ways on any team, the lingering effects of this whole affair on his reputation (even if he goes to trial and gets acquitted) could be enough to prevent any other team from signing him. A player as talented as he is will usually get a second chance, or more, but the PR headaches that would inevitably follow from signing him might make all the other owners out there think twice about picking him up, if he becomes available. Although I did just think of something: various people have been saying for several years that he'd be a better player if he just became a running back (though obviously not as highly paid), so if he gets a chance to come back to the league but can't find anyone to sign him as a QB, maybe he can re-invent himself as a running back.

Wonder why this situation has received WAY more pub than the WWF wrestler who killed his whole family? :noidea:

Well, Vick is a lot more famous, and his story is an ongoing case. What happened with the wrestler was a horrible story, but the only thing left to say about it afterwards was speculation about why it might have happened.

Stories that involve investigations have a lot longer half life. The Benoit story sort of had it's own conclusion right off the bat (with him killing himself and all). The steroid investigation of the WWE is sort of too obvious to be interesting. It would be like investigating baseball for chewing tabbacco usage.

Wonder why this situation has received WAY more pub than the WWF wrestler who killed his whole family? :noidea:

That's a good point. It's not right to breed animals for the purpose of fighting...and then killing them. But the man is not a rapist or a murderer...Kobe Bryant? Zach Randolph? Have they done worse things than Vick?

I eat cows.
Maybe Michael can blame it on his brother.

Vick is supposed to enter a Plea today in court. Apparently, he paid a man $24,000 because the man's pit bulls beat the dogs at Vick's house.

He pleaded innocent!
No training camp for Vick.

If he's found guilty, or if he pleads guilty, there isn't much doubt that he would be suspended by the NFL for a long time. At least one full season, probably more.

Of course we don't want to leap to conclusions, but it does look pretty bad for him at this point. From what I understand, the most serious federal charge he's been indicted on is conspiracy, which essentially means that everyone who's entered into an agreement with each other to do something illegal (dog-fighting, in this case) is legally responsible for what follows, even if they don't specifically participate in it themselves. My guess is that Vick didn't grasp how the law worked on that point; he thought that as long as he wasn't too involved in any direct way (though it seems like he might have been), he wouldn't get in any real trouble over it.

I heard a former NFL player say on the radio today that the NFL has a rule that prohibits a person convicted of a felony from playing in the NFL. So if he is found guilty or he cops a plea his career is over.

I also read that the Feds are playing hard ball and trying to force Vick in to a plea bargin. If he doesn't take the deal by mid August the Feds are going to up that ante and add more charges that carry heavy jail time like rackteering, illegal gambling, tax evasion, and the Travel Act which is when you cross state lines in comitting a crime. All of those charges could land Vick with a sentence of 20 years on top of the 5 years he might get for the dog fighting.

If I was Vick I would be very afraid right now.:cold:

Those Vick boys are some Bad Boys.
Man o Man

They'll probably get creamed in court...but the idea's pretty clever:

Take a bite out of Vick, with a Dog Chew Toy - NFL - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20162029/)

More problems (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2972161)for Vick. The other two guys who hadn't flipped on him yet are going to plead guilty by the end of this week. Apparently if Vick doesn't do that as well, he'll face even more charges.

You get the feeling that it's no longer about Vick playing football again. The main thrust seems to be Vick and his ability to avoid jail time.....

He'll still be able to play in the CFL, right?

He'll still be able to play in the CFL, right?


If he goes to Canada, that makes him a draft dodger..............

Sad series of events. In April, Vick was denying any knowledge of what was happening at the house that his cousin lived in. Now, he is being thumbed by his posse. His best friend is telling all to avoid the big sentence. The feds will be adding Gambling charges since the new witnesses are indicating that Michael Vick was the financial arm for major stakes gambling on the dog fights. Gambling carries a lifetime ban from the NFL. I really don't think he'll ever play football again at this point.

If he goes to Canada, that makes him a draft dodger..............
Send us your Ricky Williams, your Mike McMahons, your Michael Vicks. lol

Too bad the dogs can't testify.

Michael Vick's lawyer said Monday the NFL star will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, putting the Atlanta Falcons quarterback's career in jeopardy and leaving him subject to a possible prison term.
The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, although federal sentencing guidelines most likely would call for less.

"Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter."
Billy Martin,
-Michael Vick's lead defense attorney

link:Michael Vick Agrees To Plea Deal, Star NFL Quarterback Will Plead Guilty In Dogfighting Case - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/20/sportsline/main3184703.shtml)

Not surprising that he finally caved in. It seemed like the writing was on the wall for him once those last two guys flipped last week.

I heard a dog chewd Vick card sold for $7200.00

I heard a dog chewd Vick card sold for $7200.00

The seller announced that they were donating the proceeds to a dog charity before the auction though. So it's more of a donation.

To counter butt heads like Vick who abuse animals, there are some nice guys in sports who take pity on them. Take all star Chase Utley 2nd baseman the Philadelphia Phillies for example:

Chase and Jen Utley have joined the effort to save a badly abused puppy. Etana, which means strong spirit, was severely beaten and burned by a group of teens in Western Philadelphia, before they lit her on fire. Jen, who regularly helps out at the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, saw the puppy today at one of her visits and immediately pledged to help. The treatment for the dog would be too large a strain on the PSPCA’s budget, so she and Chase are covering all of the Etana’s medical expenses. Etana, a small boxer, will need months of intensive treatment, and may lose a leg. Despite all she’s been through, she still wags her tail every time someone comes to see her.


Chase Utley | Official Website (http://www.chaseutley.com/athletestyle/wpmu/chaseutleynews/2007/08/24/chase-and-jen-join-fight-to-save-puppy/)