A raid on a kennel in Virginia co-owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on Wednesday uncovered a horrendous animal abuse operation:
Vick, 27, and three others are accused of violating federal laws against staging dogfights, gambling and engaging in unlawful activities across state lines. According to the indictment, they ran Bad Newz Kennels out of a property the quarterback owns in Surry, Va., and executed pit bulls – by methods such as hanging, drowning, electrocution, shooting and beating – that didn’t perform well as fighters.
How involved was Vick?
The indictment identifies Vick as a key player in an operation that dated to 2001, just before his rookie season with the Falcons. Listed are at least 30 fights that Vick or other members of the kennel arranged or participated in, including details such as the names of the dogs and the amount of money — often thousands of dollars — awarded to the owners of the winners of matches that were frequently fought to the death.
Peace, Phillips and Vick also allegedly executed “approximately eight” dogs that did not perform well during so-called “testing” sessions in April. Later, authorities seized from the property 60 dogs — most of them pit bulls — along with treadmills, a stick used to pry fighting animals apart, and a “rape stand” device used to hold down aggressive females for breeding.
The news focus on this story is all about what these allegations will do to Vick’s career and his $100 million-plus NFL contract, not to mention product endorsements. But it’s hard to see what football has to do with this — other than providing the revenue that funded this horror.
One interesting side note is that Al Sharpton, along with music producer Russell Simmons, have teamed up with PETA to send a letter of protest to the NFL, which says, “dogfighting is unacceptable. Hurting animals for human pleasure or gain is despicable. Cruelty is just plain wrong.”
NFL Quarterback Accused of Hanging, Drowning, Electrocuting, Shooting and Beating Dogs…
A raid on a kennel in Virginia co-owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on Wednesday uncovered a horrific animal abuse operation. Vick and his partners are accused of torturing and executing dogs that lost fights. Equipment at the kennel in…
This is a horrendous crime against God’s most innocent creatures. I hope he is punished to fit the crime. That would be something like training him to be mean, starving him and making him fight for his life. That kind of sounds like the NFL. He should spend years in jail and when he dies, I hope the Devil is waiting on him. I hope the Atlanta Falcons lose a large part of their fan base. Surely, dog fighting is not acceptable among good people.
Ps, his defense of dog fighting brings great shame to the sport of football.
Michael Vick, please return the call from the Pentagon.
It seems they have some openings at Gitmo and other “undisclosed locations” for a person with your talents.
I think Vick is sick, but…
In a strong show of support for their “franchise” player, the Atlanta Falcons have announced that their first exhibition game will feature a pre-game show from the AKC’s Drum and Beagle Corpse, and they will be offering free hot dogs wrapped in peta bread.
BFD, drum and beagle corp and free hotdogs. why don’t they contribut a lot of money to humane shelters and kick Vick off the team and out of the NFL
There is no excuse for what he did. I wish he was still in prison. I love my two pit bulls and I volunteer at a shelter to help them.
I, as well, use a pit-bull who will be the most warm animal I have ever owned. Quickly, a new dog breed will arrive together for the media to blast, because they have performed rotties and dobies in preceding years. Unfortunate that media sensationalism breeds much inaccurate info.