Vick Sentenced to 23 Months For Dog Fighting

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Now I'm genuinely curious - what do you mean? As in, a large majority won't give a shit, or that they are unpredictable?

If you think the O.J. trial and aftermath was racially charged, you haven't seen the racial divide over Vick in Atlanta lately.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by path12

I don't think there would be much fuss at all if Goodell suspended him based on the indictment.

There's always some fuss when someone is suspended without a conviction, isn't there?

Seems like most of us have already convicted him(which is what I assume Noop's point was, I'm just baffled why he decided to post without actually making the point). I'll agree with the *if* he's guilty, he needs to be out of the NFL, I'm always a little uncomfortable with seeing action taken prior to someone being found guilty though.

[Noop]

Some of you are to excited by this news.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

If you think the O.J. trial and aftermath was racially charged, you haven't seen the racial divide over Vick in Atlanta lately.

Its too bad my drive home is only 10 minutes, or I could have provided the "680 The Fan" perspective as a counter to the Stews.

[Ben E Lou]

Example of what I mean...the last few blog entries at ajc.com...

Man the cross burners came on early so they could get their say in. If my memory isn’t too hazy didn’t the guys at Duke get indicted too. I forgot though, they were “kids” and the accuser was a stripper so they obviously had to be innocent. Its not a surprise to me at all that Michael Vick was indicted. The feds took over the case from the county officials who just happened to be Black. Hmmmmm sounds suspicious to me. They ALWAYS go after a Black man that has any kind of power and doesn’t act like a Bojangles! Can anyone on here honestly say they have heard of the federal government taking over a case involving dog fighting. What happened to the drug case that the county folks got the indictment for? Nothing because they were too busy trying to nab a big fish. Now all of you good ole boys will say you aren’t racist or race has nothing to do with it. Please, you all come on here and bust Black guys up when you got guys like Chris Benoit and Dany Heatley killing people right here in metro Atlanta. Patrick Kearney has a rape occur at his house and no one gets indicted by the feds or the state. I don’t hear any of them being called thugs, bums or any of your other code words for what your really want to say. Most of you are just mad because your wives and daughters dream about us. You get on this blog and dog out Vick, Barry Bonds, and any other Black man that doesn’t act like a tom when you racists are scared to look a Black man in the eye. You all know you talk much noise on here but when you go to work tomorrow you will be scared to look a real Black man in the eye. Racist cowards!
By MJ
July 17, 2007 6:41 PM | Link to this
What a piece of garbage Michael Vick is!! They should take this guy and put a wet rag in his mouth and electrocute him and see how Vick likes it. Those poor animals did not deserve that kind of life or fate. I hope this guy rots in jail and the NFL boots him out like they did Pac Man!! Vick is such garbage!! No one, at least anyone w/ a soul, can ever again root for a sh*t stain like that.

By Dannotdan
July 17, 2007 6:41 PM | Link to this
Even the most closed minded Vick fans have to draw the line at this point. It will be very interesting to see if Blank chooses to place Vicks interests above the team or if he does the right thing and show this lowlife the door.

By Joshua Patterson
July 17, 2007 6:41 PM | Link to this
Damn, I bought season tickets this year.

By Doug Cain
July 17, 2007 6:43 PM | Link to this
Alert..Alert..Black people are now lawyers, doctors and yes, NFL quarterbacks! I have never participated in these sick bile driven blogs but sense everybody else does, hell, why not. But me, I am sticking up for the black side of things! Yep, We have come a long way and still have a ways to go. Can you hear us? Soon your neighbors, your bosses, even your spouse! How funny! Ahhhh….looks like the cream is rising to the top after all. Oh and tell DA MAN that OJ Simpson is dating another wh…

By Rutuger
July 17, 2007 6:43 PM | Link to this
To the clueless fools who type in all caps and scream that “Vick ain’t gilltee!” and that everyone who thinks otherwise is a racist hater,
Do you realize the rest of the country (and world, for that matter) has been laughing at you for months? You few embiciles are absolutely humiliating our city. Congratulations. PS. To the guy who wrote “conspiracy don’t mean you committed no crime,” Conspiracy IS a crime, dingus—it’s an agreement b/w two or more people to commit an offense, plus any overt act in furtherance of that offense. That’s the point.

By Rev Al
July 17, 2007 6:44 PM | Link to this
Discrimination.. The white man trin to keep a brotha down!!!

By John C
July 17, 2007 6:44 PM | Link to this
My oh my. What are the bruthas gonna do now? They can’t admit Mike Vick is a scumbag. I know, they’ll say he was framed because he’s black. That’s what they’ll say. Po’ black folks roused by the PO-LICE. Nuthin ever changes.

[path12]

Originally Posted by Noop

Some of you are to excited by this news.

Some of us are dog lovers. I have no tolerance for torturing them.

[larrymcg421]

I think if solid evidence that is publicly released directly implicates him, then there is no need to wait for a long trial process to hand down a suspension.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Noop

Some of you are to excited by this news.

I think that a lot of people will view this as a good sign that a famous person potentially involved in criminal activities isn't being given a break b/c he's rich or famous. I think that's a very good and important part of this situation.

[path12]

Originally Posted by Radii

There's always some fuss when someone is suspended without a conviction, isn't there?

Seems like most of us have already convicted him(which is what I assume Noop's point was, I'm just baffled why he decided to post without actually making the point). I'll agree with the *if* he's guilty, he needs to be out of the NFL, I'm always a little uncomfortable with seeing action taken prior to someone being found guilty though.

I agree with you in principle. However, there's been a helluva lot of smoke at this fire.

[Ben E Lou]

[quote]
By Terrell in the ATL
July 17, 2007 6:18 PM | Link to this
Are all the poor-speaking, unable-to-write-in-English VICK supporters all gonna get mad now and unleash their blind rage on the rest of us? Are they all going to riot and steal some TV sets all because their hero, Ookie, is going to be made to answer for his crimes?
Vick Supporters, all of you go kill yourselves. THAT will stick it to DA MAN and show Goodell and the NFL that they needs to show the proper RESPECT!
Heck, I won’t cry if Blank gets put in jail, too![/quote

[Radii]

Originally Posted by path12

I agree with you in principle. However, there's been a helluva lot of smoke at this fire.

Oh I absolutely agree. I'm not saying I'm opposed to a suspension necessarily, but that it would make me stop and think twice. As upset as the whole story makes me, if he's suspended and later found to be innocent in a court of law, that's a really bad thing IMO.

[Ben E Lou]

I have no problem with a suspension prior to a conviction in any case. The NFL is a private business, and should have the right to protect its business interests. Same for the Falcons.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Example of what I mean...the last few blog entries at ajc.com...

Those blog entries at ajc.com remind me of pretty much every "comment" section found on free.com (Detroit Free Press) or detnews.com (Detroit news) following a column or story about even the slightest controversial topic. For whatever reason, all the crazies seem to post their "comments" on newspaper websites. It hurts my head to even look at them.

While the comments on ajc.com my be more indicative of how the majority of people in the A-T-L are split about Vick, I'd never use the comments on either Detroit area newspaper as indicative of anything other than the ridiculous "opinions" of a few crazy-ass people with too much time on their hands.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

I have no problem with a suspension prior to a conviction in any case. The NFL is a private business, and should have the right to protect its business interests. Same for the Falcons.

Agreed.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Those blog entries at ajc.com remind me of pretty much every "comment" section found on free.com (Detroit Free Press) or detnews.com (Detroit news) following a column or story about even the slightest controversial topic. For whatever reason, all the crazies seem to post their "comments" on newspaper websites. It hurts my head to even look at them.

While the comments on ajc.com my be more indicative of how the majority of people in the A-T-L are split about Vick, I'd never use the comments on either Detroit area newspaper as indicative of anything other than the ridiculous "opinions" of a few crazy-ass people with too much time on their hands.

See, I've talked to plenty of people *in person* who I wouldn't consider crazies who reflect similar positions from both sides of the fence on Vick. It really is amazing.

As a side note, newspaper web sites allowing unmoderated blog-style commentary is one of the more shameless and obvious examples of selling out all principles for hits that I konw of.

[st.cronin]

Gary Sheffield thinks those people are nuts.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

See, I've talked to plenty of people *in person* who I wouldn't consider crazies who reflect similar positions from both sides of the fence on Vick. It really is amazing.

Wow. I wonder what it is about Vick that does that to folks.

Originally Posted by SkyDog

As a side note, newspaper web sites allowing unmoderated blog-style commentary is one of the more shameless and obvious examples of selling out all principles for hits that I konw of.

Amen to that.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by path12

Some of us are dog lovers. I have no tolerance for torturing them.

Exactly. I potentially put my career on the line because I refused to do experiments on dogs. The thought of someone purposefully hurting them revolts me.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Radii

As upset as the whole story makes me, if he's suspended and later found to be innocent in a court of law, that's a really bad thing IMO.

Just the fact that he owned property on which dog fighting (at least training for it and they found a lot of buried dogs there) would be enough for me to suspend him, and that's not a fact that is in dispute.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

It would be very difficult to understand the A-T-L even if you'd ever lived there.

Modified and subsequently QFT

[Router Help]

Originally Posted by ESPN.com

Blank must presume Vick is innocent and let the legal process take its course. Commissioner Roger Goodell must do the same. Vick must be treated as a first-time offender in the league's new conduct policy, so he must be found guilty or admit guilt before the commissioner can suspend him.

From John Clayton's article on ESPN's front page. Looks like they may not be able to suspend him yet.

[Buccaneer]

So it doesn't matter what the first-time offense is?

[Fidatelo]

Maybe I'm too white, or maybe I'm too Canadian, or maybe I'm just out of touch... but what does this mean?

"They ALWAYS go after a Black man that has any kind of power and doesn’t act like a Bojangles!"

I even looked up bojangles on urbandictionary and I still don't get the reference.

[Tigercat]

I cannot understand any kind/level of community solidarity towards a guy like Mike Vick. Mike Vick is millionaire who regardless if he is directly guilty or not, brought this upon himself.

Mike Vick is not a black man being persecuted, hes a rich man trying to walk away from serious crimes that happened on his property.

Mike ____ who lives on middle class street and makes 30k a year would have a hard time not facing punishment if the house he owned was raided and obvious dog fighting evidence was found there.

Poor poor Mike Vick.

[Router Help]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Maybe I'm too white, or maybe I'm too Canadian, or maybe I'm just out of touch... but what does this mean?

"They ALWAYS go after a Black man that has any kind of power and doesn’t act like a Bojangles!"

I even looked up bojangles on urbandictionary and I still don't get the reference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Robinson

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Tigercat

I cannot understand any kind/level of community solidarity towards a guy like Mike Vick. Mike Vick is millionaire who regardless if he is directly guilty or not, brought this upon himself.

Mike Vick is not a black man being persecuted, hes a rich man trying to walk away from serious crimes that happened on his property.

Mike ____ who lives on middle class street and makes 30k a year would have a hard time not facing punishment if the house he owned was raided and obvious dog fighting evidence was found there.

Poor poor Mike Vick.

If he played wide receiver or running back, he'd be fine, but since he has the audacity to play a white man's position, he gets singled out.

-noop

[Huckleberry]

This isn't a state indictment. This is a federal indictment. Federal prosecutors do their work before they get the indictment, not after. This is all generally speaking but getting indicted by a federal prosecutor is much more likely to result in a conviction, statistically speaking.

And reading the indictment tells me Vick is indeed in a world of trouble. They have 4 eyewitnesses that are likely willing to testify.

[Noop]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

If he played wide receiver or running back, he'd be fine, but since he has the audacity to play a white man's position, he gets singled out.

-noop

All that huh?

[larrymcg421]

Am I the only one who wishes Noop would just say what the fuck is on his mind instead of these cryptic three word statements?

[MrBigglesworth]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

If he played wide receiver or running back, he'd be fine, but since he has the audacity to play a white man's position, he gets singled out.

-noop

We have a pretty good black quarterback here in Philly, and there are still a lot of racist haters. I can only imagine what it would be like if McNabb really couldn't play the position, as the case is in Atlanta.

One favorite phone call of mine to sports radio was the guy who wanted a pocket quarterback along the lines of Steve Young, not a running quarterback like Warren Moon.

[Noop]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Am I the only one who wishes Noop would just say what the fuck is on his mind instead of these cryptic three word statements?

I don't understand.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Noop

I don't understand.

Lots of laugh.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Am I the only one who wishes Noop would just say what the fuck is on his mind instead of these cryptic three word statements?

Sometimes I wonder....

[digamma]

As a born and bred Atlantan (and a full fledged white boy), Mike Vick is the best thing that has ever happened to the Falcons. He was drafted two years after the pipe dream Super Bowl Dirty Birds had turned back into the top five pick in the draft Falcons. Pro football was pretty much dead again in the city. He's kept people interested for six years, which is pretty much the longest run of sustained interest in the Falcons, well, ever.

I'm disappointed things have turned out this way.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by digamma

As a born and bred Atlantan (and a full fledged white boy), Mike Vick is the best thing that has ever happened to the Falcons. He was drafted two years after the pipe dream Super Bowl Dirty Birds had turned back into the top five pick in the draft Falcons. Pro football was pretty much dead again in the city. He's kept people interested for six years, which is pretty much the longest run of sustained interest in the Falcons, well, ever.

I'm disappointed things have turned out this way.

Well, I suspect he will sustain interest for at least one more year, but probably not in a good way.

[digamma]

That's a good point.

[vtbub]

Any chance he gets released from the Falcons?

[Noop]

I find it interesting reading some of your responses. I don't like what he is accused of doing but I am not going to throw a fucking party because he is going to jail. I don't need to say what I think because some of you feel like you know what I am thinking... A few of you I have had spats with in the past so I won't even bother replying to anything you all have to say...

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by vtbub

Any chance he gets released from the Falcons?

I think that's incredibly unlikely. It would definitely be ballsy.

[GoDukes]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I doubt it. The legal system moves slowly. It probably won't go to trial until after the season is over and I'm not sure the commish will suspend him until after the trial.

Is it right for Pacman to get suspended for a bunch of incidents (that don't necessarily result in conviction or even trial), but Vick not to get suspended for something that's just as sick (IMO)?

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I think that's incredibly unlikely. It would definitely be ballsy.

It'd cost them way too much. It's the only reason Pac Man is still a Titan and he makes a fraction of Vick.

[GoDukes]

Originally Posted by Noop

Some of you are to excited by this news.

I am. I love justice.

[Noop]

Edited because that was trollish on my part sorry.

[stevew]

It would have been so much easier if Kyle Boller just decided to fight dogs instead.

[Young Drachma]

It's expected this would be a big story. The glee is a bit premature and of course, misguided. But not surprising.

I'm not a Vick fan and I think he's shot himself in the foot far more times than one can count, by simply not being smarter about stuff. But he's not the first athlete to do that and won't be the last.

But all things being equal, this is a pretty egregious waste of federal resources. Fine him to the high heavens. I realize it's a crime and he'll pay whatever price there is. I also think that plenty of people will squeal on him and tell whatever lies they're induced to tell, simply to get the feds off their back. After all, this is the sort of indictment that can make a US Attorney a household name.

In the grand scheme of whatever else is happening out there, I think this is insignificant at best.

[Young Drachma]

And I realize most folks don't agree and I'm not interested in debating the case, because I don't really care all that much. Justice will be served however it needs to be. I just wanted to say what I thought.

[MikeVic]

Will Vick really get in a lot of trouble? It's not like he personally made the dogs fight, and choked them out or held them under water by hand.

He let the people doing that use his property, right? Did he even organize this? Shouldn't you be more angry at the people that actually did those horrible things?

[stevew]

I honestly can't see why the feds would bother to deal with this, under than the high profileness of the defendant. What is it, like 3 years in jail max for the crimes he was indicted on? I suppose they could backend him with some cruelty charges and whatnot, but unless they are planning to trying to RICO him out, it's not really worth the feds rescources.

I trust that Goddell will, however, know what the right move is in the end....lifetime banishment.

[Lathum]

It may be 3 years per count, which could add up. Plus once they cross state lines I believe the feds have to get involved.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

But all things being equal, this is a pretty egregious waste of federal resources. Fine him to the high heavens. I realize it's a crime and he'll pay whatever price there is. I also think that plenty of people will squeal on him and tell whatever lies they're induced to tell, simply to get the feds off their back. After all, this is the sort of indictment that can make a US Attorney a household name.

I would have thought this too until this case became big news, it sounds like there is a fairly large(both in numbers and dollars) underground world of dog fighting and there has been a significant move by the federal government to put a dent in it, and I completely applaud it. This doesn't not appear to be random federal involvement in a case to "get" a big athlete for lots of money, this is part of an ongoing crackdown into a big illegal business.