Michael Vick's "Dog Fight" Investigation

[haVoc 0]

By The Associated Press

 

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was at a dog fight in 2000 and is "one of the heavyweights" in the sport, ESPN reported. The network Sunday cited a police informant whom a dog-fighting investigator called "extremely reliable."

 

"That's who bets a large dollar," the informant said on the show "Outside the Lines." "And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money, 30 to 40 thousand, even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

 

When asked how he knows Vick bets that amount, the informant said, "because I've seen it."

 

The informant said his dog beat Vick's dog in 2000, the year before Vick was chosen by the Falcons with the first overall pick in the NFL draft.

 

Investigator David Hunt said information from the informant has "resulted in the arrest of several individuals over the past few years, numerous search warrants, as well as convictions."

 

Surry County (Va.) Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter said Friday he is confident charges will be brought in the investigation of a possible dog-fighting operation at a house then owned by Vick. Dog fighting is a felony in Virginia.

 

Police raided the rural home April 25 as part of a drug investigation. They seized 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, and equipment that could be associated with dog fighting.

 

Vick has said he let a cousin, Davon Boddie, live at the house, and he didn't know a large kennel on the property could be involved in criminal activity.

 

I hope someone stabs this mother fucker right in the neck so he knows how it feels when these dogs have their necks ripped apart for "sport."

[Mike wanna be 0]

Throw his ass out of the league, Goodell. Make Pacman look like he got off lenient.

[haVoc 0]

They seized 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls

 

The other 9 were probably going to be used as bait. These low life scumbags are known to take stray dogs off the streets and steal dogs out of yards so they can use them for practice.

 

Put a bullet in these n****** heads.

[Guest]

The fact that people still in this day and age, refer to black people that dogfight and do other things frowned upon by the general populace "niggers", is just as bad as dogfighting, in many respects.

 

And I am not what you would call a "nigger", so please do not assume that I am of black descent.

 

I don't think that I've ever been one to be PC about such terms, but that one got to me for some reason. Continue.

[haVoc 0]

They deserve to be degraded for what they to to those innocent animals.

 

Just like rednecks deserve to be degraded for their ignorance.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Not to pull a Ripper here, but let's wait for official charges to be filed against Vick and furthermore a conviction. Right now it's just an informant's word against Vick's.

[haVoc 0]

Then a Mod can feel free to move this so we can talk openly about the subject of dog fighting and/or animal abuse in general.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

You can talk openly about it, but if anyone uses the n-word again I'm booting them.

[bob_barron 0]

Not to pull a Ripper here, but let's wait for official charges to be filed against Vick and furthermore a conviction. Right now it's just an informant's word against Vick's.

 

There's also the fact that they raided his house. A lot more to go on then an informant

[MFer 0]

And all this time we thought Michael was the sensible one of the brothers Vick.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Not to pull a Ripper here, but let's wait for official charges to be filed against Vick and furthermore a conviction. Right now it's just an informant's word against Vick's.

 

There's also the fact that they raided his house. A lot more to go on then an informant

 

I know. And to think it was initially for drugs.

[Ripper 0]

Sigh.

 

Well lets see...

 

The investigator on the case says there is no direct evidence that Vick has ever been involved with any of the things going on there.

 

The investigator says that there are no witnesses to dog fighting on the property.

 

"The dogs, he said, appeared largely to have been well cared for, and the only one that required immediate veterinary care had a broken leg because of a birth defect."

 

Overall it appears the place was used for breeding, with the only thing that is making them think there was dog fighting was a pry bar(used to pry open the mouth of pits, which you do need if you breeding them by the way) and a BLOODY CARPERT(the way the press is calling it) with a "few specks" of blood which also is very consistant with dogspotting(something else from breeding) and a treadmill which many kennels use to run dogs when adequate space isn't there.

 

Vick says he hasn't been there often and there are not witnesses to deny that.

 

I have never seen somone so universally considered guilty when the PROCSECUTER on the case is saying there is no case against him.

 

As for the informant....in the whole interview he A: Has never been to the house in question, B: Says that he knows of at least 20-30 other NFL players that bet on dog fighting....he just doesn't know any of their names. C. Vick was betting on dogs with hands full of money, 20-30 thousand on this one night....in 2000....when he was in college. If it was late 2000, it was during the season. IF it was early 2000, no buzz Michael Vick while having living on the Virginia tech campus came up with 20 thousand dollars to fight a dog he had been paying to get trained. While in college.

 

Even if you want vick convicted, I don't see how this isn't wait and see time, because the case against him is pretty nonexistant. And once again, this isn't me talking. Its the procesutor on the case.

 

And for the "But its his house" people, he bought a house for family. Don't act like that isn't unheard of. Shaq for one owns a house in every city that has a NBA team so he doesn't have to sleep in a hotel. I am pretty sure he doesn't get to all of them very often. Dozens of athletes own multiple properties. What Vicks cousin did at one of them is on Vicks cousin. He doesn't live there.

[Ripper 0]

Oh and for those counting at home,

 

Shoot those niggers in the head....warning.

 

Calling someone dense: Banning.

 

 

Good thing you didn't call him a dense nigger. It would have been ON then.

[bob_barron 0]

You can talk openly about it, but if anyone uses the n-word again I'm booting them.

 

So unban randomguy then.

[2GOLD 0]

Until Vick is convicted or proven to be part of this, I got no judgment on the guy. However, all the sportswriters and NFL players coming out in defense of Vick with their, "Oh dogfighting isn't that big of a deal", are major idiots.

[Ripper 0]

Until Vick is convicted or proven to be part of this, I got no judgment on the guy. However, all the sportswriters and NFL players coming out in defense of Vick with their, "Oh dogfighting isn't that big of a deal", are major idiots.

 

 

There was more than Portis? For the most part I have seen a bunch of people talking about what his supension should be and convicting the guy before he has been charged.

 

I am like most people, when it is all said and done, then I will have a say but until then I have no idea, and no one else should be pretending to.

[2GOLD 0]

Until Vick is convicted or proven to be part of this, I got no judgment on the guy. However, all the sportswriters and NFL players coming out in defense of Vick with their, "Oh dogfighting isn't that big of a deal", are major idiots.

 

 

There was more than Portis? For the most part I have seen a bunch of people talking about what his supension should be and convicting the guy before he has been charged.

 

I am like most people, when it is all said and done, then I will have a say but until then I have no idea, and no one else should be pretending to.

 

Yeah, heard one of the idiots today but I think he was just some sportswriter who thought it was like speeding. Wish I remembered his name. I think he was mentioned in the ESPN thread as well. I have no clue what would possess any NFL player to say anything. Clinton I understand since I've never seen him to be the sharpest tack.

 

If Michael did have a part in this, I cannot see them not suspending him for a year. I just don't get why he has suddenly become a magnet for controversy.

[Guest George's Box]

That was notorious race-baiter and general moron Scoop Jackson, Toog.

[cabbageboy 0]

The thing that makes me wonder about Vick is that he hasn't simply come out and said "Look, I am in no way involved in dog fighting." The way he's dissed reporters and issued non denial denials makes him seem awfully suspicious.

 

Do I think he'll end up being suspended? Not really. If it comes to it, some idiot buddy of his will likely take the fall for being involved and Vick will walk.

[Fökai 0]

And all this time we thought Michael was the sensible one of the brothers Vick.

Well, isn't his brother Marcus?

 

Then yes, he still is the more sensible Vick.

[MFer 0]

And all this time we thought Michael was the sensible one of the brothers Vick.

Well, isn't his brother Marcus?

 

Then yes, he still is the more sensible Vick.

Maybe, but it seems as if Michael's been in the news a lot for wrong reasons lately while Marcus has laid low.

[Ripper 0]

No one gives a shit about Marcus anymore because he isn't the QB for a top 5 ranked college team.

[Mike wanna be 0]

He's not even a receiver for a mediocre NFL team.

[In Credible 0]

I like how the "informant" on ESPN says "We're all afraid that Vick will give us up." I'm just sitting there thinking, wait isn't it your fucking job to rat on ppl and you're implying someone will rat on you?

[Timmy8271 0]

Vick a snitch? I doubt it. This story is just stupid because you know Vick isn't going to go down for it. He's a celebrity.

[BruiserKC 0]

This will test the Commish on his no-tolerance policy. You know he wants this to go away but he might have to lay the smack down on him. If he comes down hard, Goodell has some serious cred. If Vick gets off with a slap on the wrist, then it won't mean a thing. I think though right now he's waiting to see if there is enough for the police to come forward and arrest Vick and prosecute. He needs to make sure Vick's caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

If there's anything provable, Goodell will smack him down. Dude seems reasonably hardcore so far, even if his suspensions haven't really made sense with respect to each other. The "if" is a big one, though, because so far there doesn't appear to be much of anything but hearsay, and rich hearsay always beats poor hearsay.

[JohnnyBlaze 0]

If there's anything provable, Goodell will smack him down. Dude seems reasonably hardcore so far, even if his suspensions haven't really made sense with respect to each other. The "if" is a big one, though, because so far there doesn't appear to be much of anything but hearsay, and rich hearsay always beats poor hearsay.

 

Yeah, I'm unsure how you find much credible evidence on him in such a shady atmosphere.

[tominator89 0]

Gerald Poindexter explains why he is not executing search warrant

 

Surry Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter is greatly concerned about challenges to his case. Poindexter and Surry Sheriff Harold Brown have decided not to execute a search warrant looking for blood spattered wood and as many as 30 dog carcasses buried on the 15-acre Surry County property.

 

When asked why he did not execute the warrant, Poindexter said, "Because I didn't like the language of the search warrant."

 

"Deputy Brinkman made a mistake. He should have gotten some legal advice during the affidavit for the search warrant," said Poindexter.

 

Poindexter called it the domino effect. If one search is determined unconstitutional, searches after that could be illegal too and the case could fall apart.

 

Neither Sheriff Harold Brown nor Deputy Brinkman were at the Sheriff's department and did not return our calls.

 

When asked, "At this moment in time, do we have any evidence that puts Vick at dog fighting?" Poindexter replied, "Yes."

 

Poindexter said there are people who will make those claims. "We have informants. We have people who are volunteering to make those allegations."

 

Poindexter has come under fire for a perceived dragging of the feet in a possible Vick prosecution.

 

Poindexter said he is reminded every day of Durham, North Carolina Prosecutor Mike Nyfong who went public with accusations of rape against three Duke lacrosse players that turned out to be untrue.

 

"I go back to that. He was pushed by politics. I'm not going to be driven by that," explained Poindexter.

 

A Surry County grand jury may get the case July 24th. Poindexter also could request a special grand jury before then.

 

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=6589602&nav=23ii

[iggymcfly 0]

Fuck everybody making a big deal out of this. Just because dogs make good pets doesn't mean it's the end of the world if someone wants to have them fight. While speeding may not quite be an appropriate analogy, I do think this should be less serious than something like a DUI. What's the difference between someone who wants to shoot a deer "for sport" when the animal might get away with a painful bullet in its shoulder for hours and someone who wants to bet on dogs fighting? I really think people who think Vick should be "stabbed in the neck for this so he can see what it feels like" are seriously lacking perspective here.

 

(Note: And that's assuming he's even guilty. From the sounds of the case, the evidence for that is tenuous at best.)