Michael Vick roundup.

Commentary on the federal indictment of NFL player Michael Vick.

Opinionnation, Opinionnation Times, “Michael Vick Should Be Banned For Life“

“I Love dogs and for the most part I hate people. So, when I hear about super-rich athletes fighting and then killing dogs just for the fun of it, I get very upset. Especially, when it happens to be Vick because he has always rubbed me the wrong way. His face alone, is enough to get me to shake my head. He is inconsiderate; he?s ungrateful; and he?s a wanna-be thug wasting God-given talent because he?s more interested in the ?niggah? lifestyle.

I hope he gets convicted and sent to prison so he can have some time to figure out that karma is a bitch. And the NFL has no choice, if the allegations pan out, but to ban Vick from the NFL for life.”

D-Wil, The Starting Five, “Michael Vick et al?. Call Me Thug, Too“

“Apparently no one but me found it odd that as soon as the black prosecutor in the case asked for patience, he was vilified for not acting quickly enough. I gather no one can find even a tinge of racism in the reports indicating that many people thought Gerald Poindexter was dragging his feet because, like Vick, he is black. … What are those, statements of fact?

And no one found it odd that the self-professed dog fighting expert from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) was allowed a prominent public platform to pressure Poindexter to take action? And I gather it wasn?t odd that there was no effort to allow neither Poindexter nor a representative from his office the same platform. … Nothing to see here, move along.

No one found it odd that, as Poindexter and Virginia Attorney General plotted their next course of action, or whether there was to be a next course of action, federal investigators from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) swooped in on what was Vick?s Surry County property?

I was told I was a race-baiter for thinking that race was (and is) involved in this case. When Poindexter raised the same possibility ????- he was playing the race card. … I gather I?m a race-baiter when I criticized Atlanta Journal-Constitution writers Terrence Moore and Steve Wyche, both of whom are black, for their decidedly unbalanced reporting of the Vick case. When I appeared on the ?Buck and Kincade? radio show on 680 The Fan in Atlanta and said the Vick sentiment was split along racial lines, they said I was crazy, that, because I didn?t live in Atlanta, I don?t know what I?m talking about. … If bringing to light those discrepancies makes me a race-baiter, so be it.

Oh, and I?m a race-baiter just like ESPN?s Len Pasquarelli, a white man who lives in suburban Atlanta says Michael Vick has been ‘a polarizing figure since his arrival in Atlanta, sometimes along racial lines.’ … Yeah, me and Len Pasquarelli, race-baiters in arms.”

Dave Metrick, The Bleacher Report, “Dear Michael Vick…You’re an Idiot“

“Unless you have some really great alibi nobody knows about?and something tells me ‘the dog ate my homework’ won?t work here?it?s obvious you were involved with the dogfighting on some level.

Which I think earns you the unenviable distinction of being the stupidest player in the NFL.

And yes, I know what you?re thinking: ?Hey, man! I ain?t that stupid!? …

While the crimes committed by other NFL players can be attributed to momentary lapses of reason?sometimes fueled by emotion or alcohol?your infraction was nothing of the sort: It was a well-planned business that had allegedly been operating since your rookie season in 2001.

My question: Why would a guy like you, who makes millions of dollars in contract and endorsement money, take part in an illegal business that can?t possibly net anywhere near the scratch you earn in the NFL?

My answer: Stupidity .”

Kevin Beck, Dr. Joan Bushwell’s Chimpanzee Refuge, “Is Michael Vick done? Let’s hope so“

“Not every sicko who sullies the good name of Virginia Tech resorts to firearms, and not all of mass murderers who have graced the gorgeous town of Blacksburg target other humans. …

One is baffled by Vick’s motivation. In 2004, he signed the richest contract in NFL history — $130 million over ten years plus a staggering $37 million signing bonus. Did he really need the chump change his programmed slaughtering operation garnered him? At this point it’s difficult to regard him as anything other than a garden-variety sadist.”

Brian McClellan, Blog Critics, “Vick-timized: Dogfighting Indictment Disheartens Loyal Fans“

“But not Michael Vick, I thought. He was ‘my man!’ He was the one that sold me on the season ticket package. It was his number that I first put on my baby boy’s back. It was he that I defended endlessly in arguments about how an athlete of his unique skills at the quarterback position should be evaluated. It was also he that told me, in so many words, not to put so much faith in him. The ‘Ron Mexico’ alias. The funny-smelling water bottle. The one finger fan salute. All of these incidents taken individually are not all that damning, but taken together are way, way too many for a would-be franchise quarterback.

And now he has been indicted, and not on some garden variety ‘boys-will-be-boys’ charges, but some truly depraved behavior. This is dogfighting ? gruesome, inhumane business. Only monsters traffic in this stuff! And I can only assume that indictments don’t happen by accident. Generally, you can only be harmed if you put yourself in harm’s way. So even if Vick were to beat this rap, he would have been much too close to it for my comfort.”

Wayne Pacelle, The Humane Society of the United States, “Indictment Against Vick Exposes Grisly Allegations“

“First, how will the NFL and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, respond? Goodell made headlines months ago by upgrading the league’s code of conduct. Yet, from the start, the NFL has said that while it finds dogfighting degrading and cruel, it must not act until the courts render a judgment. If the NFL is going to mirror the actions of the courts, why have the code of conduct in the first place?

We all know the United States has a judicial system, and that prosecutors and judges may act when evidence is assembled and presented. That’s a separate process. If the code of conduct in application means that the NFL will wait until the courts conclude their work, then the internal procedures are just a bunch of words on paper and are cosmetic, not substantive. Other NFL players, like Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, have been suspended while they awaited trial and before they were convicted of anything. Team officials and sports fans will be watching to see if Vick is treated differently.

At the very least, Vick should be suspended indefinitely from the NFL. This case demands action. I hope you’ll contact Commissioner Goodell today and urge him to immediately suspend Vick.”

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