Michael Vick Indicted

[Axl_sued_me]

Here's an interesting take...

 

 

COMMENTARY: Vick must evolve from hip-hop culture

BY JASON WHITLOCK THE KANSAS CITY (MO.) STAR

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Honestly, I don't wish jail on the people who despise me the most. Incarceration is that dehumanizing.

 

So forgive me for lacking passion about the guilt, innocence and/or punishment of one-time franchise quarterback Michael Vick for his alleged involvement in a dogfighting ring. Given that the state, if inclined, can make a blind witness' vision 20/20, I'm even willing to give Vick his presumption of innocence.

 

Why not? He is an American citizen, last I checked, and we don't need to look any further than Duke lacrosse to see what can happen to a prosecutor when the media spotlight descends on a criminal case.

 

Nope. My desire is to see Vick evolve as a human being and for his troubles to serve as yet another wakeup call for black athletes to reject the hip-hop/prison culture that glorifies much of the negative behavior and attitude that has eroded the once-dignified and positive reputation of black athletes.

 

As much as I love dogs - and I really do have an affinity for them - this case primarily repulses me because I believe Vick got involved with breeding vicious pit bulls because rap-music culture made it the cool thing to do.

 

Listen, I don't want PETA supporters upset with me. Animal cruelty is intolerable. But I'm wondering what could turn a human mind and heart so cold that a person would find pleasure in breeding dogs for cruel destruction in 2007.

 

Seriously, Vick didn't do it for the money. The Atlanta Falcons gave him all the money he could ever hope to spend. Vick was involved in pit bull breeding (and quite possibly dogfighting) because he enjoyed it. He's a product of a culture that makes the "profession" acceptable and honorable. It's the same culture that has turned the dope dealer into mayor of the neighborhood.

 

This is a human tragedy, too.

 

It speaks to the grip the negative aspects of hip-hop culture have on young people. Vick is a millionaire athlete who has spent most of his NFL career trying to maintain his street cred. Despite lifetime financial security, Mike Vick stayed on the "grind," hustling for that paper with his Bad Newz Kennels. Idiot.

 

Well, unless he plans on launching a rap career and releasing a solo "Dogfighting Was The Case," I don't see any of this ending well for Vick. Even if he's not convicted or reaches a jail-evading plea bargain, Vick has destroyed his athletic reputation while trying to keep pace with T.I.

 

This is a cultural phenomenon that has swallowed a small percentage of black athletes, but a large enough percentage to significantly damage the overall perception of black, American-born athletes. As Dr. Harry Edwards told me two weeks ago, it only takes a few key people to hijack an entire culture.

 

N.W.A., the late-1980s rap group, hijacked hip-hop years ago, and calls to return it to something resembling decency and self-respect have fallen on Def Jam ear$. Allen Iverson and his sneaker/jersey sales hijacked the image of black professional athletes years ago, and out of fear of being labeled a racist or a sellout, few have even dared question the sanity of it ... until now.

 

Now we can all see the stupidity. Gangsta-wannabe rappers masquerading as professional athletes is a public-relations nightmare waiting to tear apart sports franchises and leagues.

 

Vick's employer is in an impossible position. The right thing for the Falcons to do is support Vick through his legal proceedings. But how can the organization? Vick is a human distraction now. Atlanta has a new coaching staff that will find it nearly impossible to operate smoothly in the environment/media circus Vick has created for the organization.

 

Heck, even Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons joined in the castigation of Vick and dogfighting, penning a joint letter with PETA that was sent to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and all of Vick's corporate sponsors. True, the letter wasn't all that harsh, but the fact that Sharpton would in any way publicly hold a black person responsible for any action is historic. And, if you have a scorebook at home, we now know that Russell Simmons is adamantly opposed to the killing and brutalization of dogs, but he is in favor of the glorification of killing black men in music. I'm just passing that along without any editorial comment.

 

OK, where was I? Yes, the Falcons might as well name Paris Hilton cheerleading captain.

 

If Vick were to play this season, the fan hostility directed at Vick will engulf Atlanta's home stadium.

 

Vick needs a paid leave of absence to sort out his legal problems. He shouldn't be suspended or denied pay because the Falcons and the NFL have invested too much in Vick to treat him like Pacman Jones.

 

That's right. I don't believe in treating everyone the same. I believe in treating everyone fairly. Suspending Vick would be too prejudicial (legal term, not a race term) and inhibit his ability to receive a fair trial.

 

If he's convicted of a felony, the Falcons probably have provisions within his contract that would grant them the right to release him and go after a portion of his signing bonus if they so choose.

 

Ray Lewis was at the scene of a double murder, failed initially to cooperate with police and eventually pled guilty to obstruction of justice charges. Ray used to be in love with his street cred, too. It took double-murder charges to knock some sense into one of the game's best linebackers.

 

He evolved, and he's certainly been an asset to the NFL ever since his evolution. Will the same thing happen to Michael Vick? I doubt it, but I certainly hope so.

 

This article was published Friday, July 20, 2007.

 

 

 

Jason Whitlock is my favorite writer.

[AR Husker Fan]

Reebok, Nike suspend Michael Vick products

 

By Helen Chernikoff

Fri Jul 27, 6:16 PM ET

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Athletic shoe and sportswear manufacturers Nike Inc. and Reebok said on Friday they were suspending sales of products endorsed by Michael Vick following accusations the National Football League star had sponsored a dog-fighting operation.

 

Nike said it had suspended Vick's contract without pay and would not sell any Vick apparel or shoes at its company-owned stores at present. "While we respect the legal process, we find the allegations against Mr. Vick too disturbing to ignore," said Reebok, a division of Germany's Adidas AG, in a statement.

 

Nike said it was "concerned" by the allegations against Vick, a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, but stood by an earlier statement that it had not terminated its relationship with Vick.

 

"We do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen in the United States," the company said.

 

The Humane Society of the United States has been urging its members to pressure Nike to drop Vick's sponsorship agreement.

 

This is the first time Reebok has decided to suspend sales of products associated with an athlete due to the athlete's offensive behavior, company spokeswoman Denise Kaigler said.

 

Vick, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback who was the top pick in the 2001 NFL draft, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges he and three associates were involved in a dog-fighting venture.

 

Vick and the three others were engaged in a dog-fighting enterprise known as "Bad Newz Kennels" from early 2001 through April 2007, according to an 18-page indictment.

 

Dogs sometimes fought to the death on Vick's property, the indictment said. It added that either Vick or one of his associates killed losing or underperforming dogs by electrocution, hanging, drowning or slamming them to the ground.

 

The judge set a November 26 trial date, which falls in the middle of the 2007 NFL football season.

 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this week suspended Vick and ordered him not to attend preseason training, pending the league's review of his case.

 

Nike had said in a July 19 statement that it would delay the release of Vick's fifth signature shoe, the "Zoom Vick V," which was to be shipped to stores on August 1. But it said then that its relationship with Vick was not terminated.

 

Reebok does not have a separate marketing relationship with Vick, but it is the official supplier of all National Football League apparel and equipment, according to the statement.

 

Reebok could not be immediately reached for additional comment.

 

(Additional reporting by Alexandria Sage)

[HuskersNow]

This just in. The jury for the Vick trial has been made up of just Greyhounds. When one of the jurors was asked for a comment, he said "ruff". No matter how you look at it, Vick is in serious trouble.

[AR Husker Fan]

This just gets better and better. Sponsers are bailing on Vick left and right. He's going to find his financial situation hitting rock bottom soon...

 

The latest is Upper Deck. LINK

[husker rob]

This just gets better and better. Sponsers are bailing on Vick left and right. He's going to find his financial situation hitting rock bottom soon...

 

The latest is Upper Deck. LINK

and he has been told not to report to camp also. although it is with pay for now, until the NFL investigates the charges and then decides on what the punishment should be

 

i think that this is all going to end very unfavorable for Mr. Vick

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I don't think we will ever see him play for the NFL again.

[AR Husker Fan]

And from bad to worse for Vick...

 

On Monday one of Michael Vick's co-defendants pleaded guilty. In doing so he agreed to testify against Vick, whom he claims provided almost all the financing for the dog-fighting business.

 

It gets better - prosecutors are going to file an amended indictment that will add additional charges.

 

LINK

[husker rob]

And from bad to worse for Vick...

 

On Monday one of Michael Vick's co-defendants pleaded guilty. In doing so he agreed to testify against Vick, whom he claims provided almost all the financing for the dog-fighting business.

 

It gets better - prosecutors are going to file an amended indictment that will add additional charges.

 

LINK

for the defense attorneys. for Vick not so much

[AR Husker Fan]

And from bad to worse for Vick...

 

On Monday one of Michael Vick's co-defendants pleaded guilty. In doing so he agreed to testify against Vick, whom he claims provided almost all the financing for the dog-fighting business.

 

It gets better - prosecutors are going to file an amended indictment that will add additional charges.

 

LINK

for the defense attorneys. for Vick not so much

Yeah - is this a great country, or what?

[MCAT800]

I don't think we will ever see him play for the NFL again.

 

I hope so

[husker rob]

I don't think we will ever see him play for the NFL again.

 

I hope so

you hope that Vick plays again, or you hope that bri is right and he never plays again?

[AR Husker Fan]

Plea deals putting pressure on Vick

By The Associated Press

 

 

RICHMOND, Va. — Prosecutors have more leverage against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick now that his remaining two co-defendants decided to plead guilty while he has maintained his innocence in a federal dogfighting conspiracy case.

 

“He’s hanging out there by himself, and that’s a very uncomfortable place to be,” said Anne Coughlin, a University of Virginia School of Law professor and expert on criminal procedure.

 

A spokesman for Vick’s lawyers declined comment Tuesday on media reports quoting unnamed sources as saying prosecutors and the defense were negotiating a possible plea agreement, and that Vick faced a Friday deadline to either accept a deal or face additional charges.

 

But the spokesman, Collins R. Spencer III, didn’t rule out the possibility of an announcement by the Vick team sometime this week, probably in Richmond, where the case is pending in U.S. District Court.

 

Spencer, contacted as he left the office of Vick attorney Daniel L. Meachum in Atlanta, would not elaborate on the nature of the possible announcement. Neither Meachum nor attorney William R. Martin, leader of the five-member defense team, returned phone messages.

 

Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach is set to appear in federalcourt in Richmond on Thursday and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta on Friday.

 

Last month, co-defendant Tony Taylor of Hampton pleaded guilty to his role in a dogfighting conspiracy he says was financed almost entirely by Vick. As part of a plea agreement, Taylor is required to cooperate with the prosecution in the case against Vick.

 

When Taylor agreed to testify against Vick, Coughlin said the prosecution’s hand became so much stronger that an average person in Vick’s shoes likely would plead guilty. With Vick’s NFL career on the line and a high-powered defense team on his side, Coughlin said she initially could see him fighting to the end.

 

“Once you have the testimony of the other two, it’s hard to imagine how Michael Vick canstand alone and emerge successfully,” she said. “It’s one of the most frightening positions you can be in.”

 

Vick, 27, and the other three pleaded not guilty last month to running an interstate dogfighting enterprise known as “Bad Newz Kennels” on Vick’s property in rural Surry County.

 

For now, Vick’s trial remains scheduled for Nov. 26. The charges include conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.

 

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

 

Taylor is facing the same maximum punishment, although he probably will get substantially less because of sentencing guidelines and his cooperation with prosecutors.

[NU fan in Denver]

Looks like the clock is ticking for g-dawg Vick. Will he give in and take the lesser punishment or try his chances in court?

[AR Husker Fan]

Vick, Attorneys Confer As Pressure Rises

By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer

Wed Aug 15, 4:39 PM

 

 

RICHMOND, Va. - Facing increasing pressure to strike a deal with prosecutors, Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick conferred with his attorneys for hours Wednesday.

 

The conference call came two days after Vick's two remaining co-defendants scheduled plea hearings, presumably agreeing to testify against Vick if his federal dogfighting conspiracy case goes to trial as scheduled Nov. 26.

 

"The defense and Michael are meeting," Collins R. Spencer III, a spokesman for Vick's five lawyers, said Wednesday afternoon. At least some of the parties were participating by telephone in a meeting that began in late morning and continued well into the afternoon, he said.

 

"It seems they're going to be talking a while," Spencer said.

 

Prosecutors were not involved in the meeting, he said.

 

Spencer declined to say whether Vick and his lawyers were discussing a possible plea agreement in hopes of reducing his punishment and perhaps allowing him to eventually resume his NFL career.

 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is awaiting results of the league's own investigation of the case before determining what action to take against Vick. Under NFL policy, a player can be banned for life for gambling or associating with gambling.

 

The July 17 indictment and a statement signed by former co-defendant Tony Taylor, who pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government, link Vick to betting.

 

Two other co-defendants _ Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta _ will enter plea agreements Friday morning, and prosecutors have said they will seek a superseding indictment later this month that could mean additional charges against Vick.

 

Scott Sundby, a professor at the Washington & Lee University Law School and a former special assistant U.S. attorney in Miami, said Vick could cut a deal even after a superseding indictment is issued _ but the terms would be less favorable.

 

"Prosecutors tend to be more lenient early and more hard-nosed later," he said.

 

Peace's hearing originally had been set for 9 a.m. Thursday before U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson. The case has been rescheduled for 9:15 a.m. Friday, 15 minutes after the hearing for Phillips.

 

An entry on the court's docket did not give a reason for postponing Peace's hearing. However, the revised schedule will streamline proceedings in the high-profile cases.

 

According to the statement signed by Taylor as part of his plea agreement, Vick financed virtually all of the "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting enterprise on Vick's property in Surry County, Va.

 

Vick, 27, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. If convicted, the Newport News native and former Virginia Tech star faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

 

A search of the Surry County property in April turned up dozens of pit bulls, some of them injured, as well as equipment commonly used in dogfighting.

 

The indictment said dogs that lost fights or fared poorly in test fights were sometimes executed by hanging, electrocution or other brutal means. The grisly details have fueled public protests against Vick and have cost him some of his lucrative endorsement deals.

[AR Husker Fan]

Falcons' Vick Accused of Executing Dogs

By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer

2 hours ago

 

 

RICHMOND, Va. - Two of Michael Vick's alleged cohorts in a grisly dogfighting case pleaded guilty Friday, and one said the Atlanta Falcons quarterback joined them in drowning and hanging dogs that underperformed.

 

With his NFL career in jeopardy and a superseding indictment in the works to add more charges, Vick and his lawyers have been talking with federal prosecutors about a possible plea agreement.

 

Now that all three co-defendents have entered plea bargains, Vick is on his own to cut a deal or face trial on federal charges.

 

The court docket did not list any appearance for Vick. One of his lawyers, Lawrence Woodward, attended Friday's hearings and declined to answer questions as he left the courthouse.

 

Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta entered plea agreements and joined another defendant who previously changed his plea to guilty. The agreements require the three to cooperate in the government's case against Vick.

 

Sentencing for Peace and Phillips are scheduled for Nov. 30. Vick has been barred from training camp by the NFL and is to go on trial Nov. 26.

 

A statement signed by Phillips as part of his plea agreement said Vick participated in the execution of about eight dogs, some by drowning and hanging.

 

"Phillips agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick," the statement said.

 

Peace and Phillips were charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. Tony Taylor of Hampton pleaded guilty last month and will be sentenced Dec. 14. Vick faces the same charges.

 

"Did you conspire with these folks to sponsor a dogfighting venture?" U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson asked Peace.

 

He replied, "Yes, sir."

 

The offenses are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but the exact sentence will be based largely on federal sentencing guidelines. Hudson told Peace and Phillips that certain elements of their offenses will increase their sentencing ranges.

 

"There are aggravating circumstances in this case, there's no doubt about it," he told Phillips.

 

While Peace was freed, Hudson found that Phillips violated terms of his release by failing a drug test and ordered him jailed. Phillips also is on probation for a drug conviction in Atlanta, and the guilty plea could mean more jail time in that case, Hudson said.

 

Any outcome that ties Vick to betting on the dogfights could trigger a lifetime ban from the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy.

 

The 27-year-old quarterback was linked to betting by a statement signed by Taylor, who pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government, and the July 17 indictment.

 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell withheld further action while the NFL conducts its own investigation. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had no comment on the latest pleas.

 

About 30 animal-rights activists gathered outside the courtroom. Afterward, as police officers cleared the scene, protesters continued waving large pictures of a mutilated dog.

 

"This is one dogfighting ring that's been annihilated," said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States.

 

The four defendants all initially pleaded not guilty, and Vick issued a statement saying he looked forward to clearing his name.

 

A statement of facts signed by Taylor as part of his plea agreement placed Vick at the scene of several dogfights and linked him to betting. Taylor said Vick financed virtually all the "Bad Newz Kennels" operation on Vick's property in Surry County.

 

The case began with a search in April that turned up dozens of pit bulls and an assortment of dogfighting paraphernalia at the property, a few miles from Vick's hometown of Newport News. According to the indictment, dogs that lost fights or fared poorly in test fights were sometimes executed by hanging, electrocution or other means.