blackhawk
05-02-2007, 01:45 PM
You don’t want to be like Mike
By Scott Liles, Times Staff scottl@commpub.com
05/02/2007
While the Atlanta Falcons were busy drafting new players Saturday and Sunday, quarterback Michael Vick was busy trying to evade a different kind of blitz over the weekend.
Last Wednesday, authorities searched a rural Virginia home owned by the quarterback and discovered 66 dogs on the property, mostly pit bulls that appeared to be involved in organized fighting.
Vick spent the weekend pointing his finger at family members who lived at the residence and apparently operated the dogfighting ring without his knowledge.
“I’m never at the house,” Vick told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven’t been doing the right thing.”
Not doing the right thing is sending personal e-mail from your work computer; what Vick’s family was allegedly doing is banned nationwide and a felony in 48 states, including Virginia.
After a search of Casa de Vick, police seized “break” sticks used to pry open fighting dogs’ mouths during fights, treadmills used to condition the dogs, drugs commonly used to increase a dog’s fighting potential or keep injured dogs fighting longer and a “rape stand.” Don’t ask what that’s is used for; I’m sorry I did.
“It’s unfortunate I have to take the heat,” Vick told USA Today during the NFL Draft on Saturday. “If I’m not there, I don’t know what’s going on.”
If it was one dog, I might be inclined to believe Vick. But this was 66 animals being housed in three large buildings in the back yard. Even on a quick visit to the property, you would think Vick would ask why his family is running an animal shelter behind his house.
Then there’s also the question of who was paying for the dogs’ food and upkeep. John Goodwin, who handles dog-fighting issues for the Humane Society of America, estimated that it would cost up to $100 a day to feed that many large dogs. Goodwin told The Associated Press that he had his own doubts about Vick’s claim that he had no knowledge of the situation.
“We get a lot of calls, and people were always kind of kicking his name around,” Goodwin said. “But it was always difficult to put together a complete case on the guy. The word is that he has multiple layers of protection. When the search warrant was executed and they found all the things they found, it really came as no surprise.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked Falcons owner Arthur Blank to suspend Vick pending the investigation and “to kick him off the team if it is found that dogs on Vick’s property were neglected or used for fighting.”
Goodwin said The Humane Society would take a similar stand if criminal charges were filed against Vick.
While the quarterback insists that he was not involved with dog fighting, he can’t deny that he’s been interested in breeding pit bulls. In a 2001 profile in The Sporting News, Vick said he had a pit bull that had produced one litter of pups and that he was trying to start a breeding kennel.
“There’s more to me than people might think,” he said at the time.
You’re right, Mike, there is a lot more to you. It’s just that the harder I look, the more I want nothing to do with you.
• • •
Scott Liles doesn’t believe in bad pit bulls, just bad pit bull owners. Write to him at scottl@commpub.com.
By Scott Liles, Times Staff scottl@commpub.com
05/02/2007
While the Atlanta Falcons were busy drafting new players Saturday and Sunday, quarterback Michael Vick was busy trying to evade a different kind of blitz over the weekend.
Last Wednesday, authorities searched a rural Virginia home owned by the quarterback and discovered 66 dogs on the property, mostly pit bulls that appeared to be involved in organized fighting.
Vick spent the weekend pointing his finger at family members who lived at the residence and apparently operated the dogfighting ring without his knowledge.
“I’m never at the house,” Vick told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven’t been doing the right thing.”
Not doing the right thing is sending personal e-mail from your work computer; what Vick’s family was allegedly doing is banned nationwide and a felony in 48 states, including Virginia.
After a search of Casa de Vick, police seized “break” sticks used to pry open fighting dogs’ mouths during fights, treadmills used to condition the dogs, drugs commonly used to increase a dog’s fighting potential or keep injured dogs fighting longer and a “rape stand.” Don’t ask what that’s is used for; I’m sorry I did.
“It’s unfortunate I have to take the heat,” Vick told USA Today during the NFL Draft on Saturday. “If I’m not there, I don’t know what’s going on.”
If it was one dog, I might be inclined to believe Vick. But this was 66 animals being housed in three large buildings in the back yard. Even on a quick visit to the property, you would think Vick would ask why his family is running an animal shelter behind his house.
Then there’s also the question of who was paying for the dogs’ food and upkeep. John Goodwin, who handles dog-fighting issues for the Humane Society of America, estimated that it would cost up to $100 a day to feed that many large dogs. Goodwin told The Associated Press that he had his own doubts about Vick’s claim that he had no knowledge of the situation.
“We get a lot of calls, and people were always kind of kicking his name around,” Goodwin said. “But it was always difficult to put together a complete case on the guy. The word is that he has multiple layers of protection. When the search warrant was executed and they found all the things they found, it really came as no surprise.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked Falcons owner Arthur Blank to suspend Vick pending the investigation and “to kick him off the team if it is found that dogs on Vick’s property were neglected or used for fighting.”
Goodwin said The Humane Society would take a similar stand if criminal charges were filed against Vick.
While the quarterback insists that he was not involved with dog fighting, he can’t deny that he’s been interested in breeding pit bulls. In a 2001 profile in The Sporting News, Vick said he had a pit bull that had produced one litter of pups and that he was trying to start a breeding kennel.
“There’s more to me than people might think,” he said at the time.
You’re right, Mike, there is a lot more to you. It’s just that the harder I look, the more I want nothing to do with you.
• • •
Scott Liles doesn’t believe in bad pit bulls, just bad pit bull owners. Write to him at scottl@commpub.com.