Oh, Mike Vick, you ol' dog

[Lee.]

Mike Vick Wanted on charges of animal cruelty

SMITHFIELD, Va. (AP) -- Police conducting a drug investigation raided a house owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and found dozens of dogs, some injured and emaciated.

Police also found items associated with dog fighting.

State Police Sgt. D.S. Carr said Vick's relative, Davon Boddie, 26, lives in the house. Vick owns the property, but doesn't live there and wasn't present when a search warrant was executed in a drug investigation Wednesday night, Carr said.

Boddie was arrested outside a nightclub by Hampton police April 20 on charges of distribution of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute. The search warrant was executed by a multijurisdictional task force in a narcotics probe.

More than 60 dogs were found in three buildings. Some appeared malnourished, scarred and injured, officials said.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said the group has "heard troubling reports for some time that Michael Vick has been involved in organized dog fighting, and we fear that this investigation may validate that very disturbing allegation."

"We urge law enforcement to aggressively investigate this matter, and we further believe that anyone who harbors dogs for the purpose of fighting, deserves to be fully prosecuted for their crimes," Pacelle said in a statement. "Dog fighting is a barbaric activity that causes immense animal suffering and fosters violence in our communities. Our nation should have a zero tolerance policy for any form of staged animal fighting."

The Humane Society said dog fighting is illegal nationwide and a felony in 48 states, including both Virginia and Georgia.

The animal rights group PETA has asked Falcons owner Arthur Blank to suspend Vick pending the investigation and "to kick him off the team if it is found that dogs on Vick's property were neglected or used for fighting."

In a letter to Blank, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said it was the second time it was writing to the owner about one of his players and allegations of cruelty to animals. On Feb. 23, the organization wrote to him about defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux's felony charges in Georgia stemming from the fatal beating of a dog.

Apparently, the Falcons are cat lovers.

[HedleyLamarr]

This has got to be the craziest Falcons' offseason in franchise history.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

So some guy living in a house that Vick owns but doesn't actually live in may be abusing dogs. When reading the headline, I though Vick was intimately involved in dog fighting (which is, by the way, one of the most heinous crimes and should carry a maximum prison sentence, etc.). For his sake, I certainly hope he is not.

[Lee.]

I went for effect, rather than 100% accuracy (just like the media)...but it is family who is renting the property, and you can't tell me that

1. Vick had no idea of what was going on, and

2. No one in the area could tell that there were 60 dogs on the property. The smell alone would generally be enough to get someone to call the Humane Society or the SPCA.

[NJTank]

The answer to the question who let the dogs out is no longer a mystery

[Billy B]

More new about Mike Vick. It seems like he is starting on the same path that his brother has been down before.

[illwauk]

I went for effect, rather than 100% accuracy (just like the media)...but it is family who is renting the property, and you can't tell me that

1. Vick had no idea of what was going on, and

How exactly would he know? I doubt his cousin was like "Yo, Mike... just so you hear any crazy rumors, I'm runnin' a dog-fightin' hustle out the back of your house."

[hormone]

As a Buc fan, I naturally HATE Vick and the Falcons, but this is getting out of hand now. The guy has been annointed THE proto-type NFL player/QB. He is completely overrated, has nothing to show for it, and is constantly doing stupid things (water bottle, Ron Mexico, etc). He has the world (rich, fame, talent, women) in his palm and he blows it away with dumb behavior. His brother is acting the same way, so don't tell me his friends/family aren't the same either. When will the NFL discipline him? They seemed to (rightfully) come down on Ricky Williams, Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, but Mike Vick could be photographed smoking pot and shooting guns with Bin Laden and there will be a "rightful" explanation. When I get home, I might have to dig up some old Vick avatars.

[BlueSky]

Say it ain't so, Mike.

<<

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said the group has "heard troubling reports for some time that Michael Vick has been involved in organized dog fighting, and we fear that this investigation may validate that very disturbing allegation."

>>

So is this a "where there's smoke, there's fire" deal or is the Humane Society trying to jump Mike's coattails for some cheap publicity?

[fiasco!]

The answer to the question who let the dogs out is no longer a mystery

Oh Frank, you witty punster!

[agentrygraphics]

What's that noise? It's the sound of Arthur Blank kicking himself for getting rid of Matt Schaub.

[Sodboy13]

What is it with NFL players and illegal dogfighting? Who's telling them that this is a good idea?

[TFoA]

The answer to the question who let the dogs out is no longer a mystery

Oh No.

But yeah, on a serious note, this is once again the media basically prosecuting by association. Vick owns the house, but doesn't live there, so how can he be the ringleader of the WDFF?

That being said, Vick needs to watch the company he keeps. He'll end up like PacMan sooner or later.

And let the Texans actually win something before we start kicking ourselves.

[Milo Meningocele]

If Vick is ever conclusively nailed with any of this, I'll be very impressed if the NFL comes down on him as hard as with Pacman or Chris Henry regardless of his star status.

[BlueSky]

Now a Congressman is after the NFL commissioner to hammer Vick if he's found to be involved, and on sports radio here I heard that supposedly an informant has told investigators there's video of Mike at a dogfight. If there's even a whiff of truth to these allegations, Mikey's hosed. He's been Teflon-coated but you have to wonder if his luck is about to change in a bad way. Clearly there are many rumors and no one knows how much of it can be substantiated with evidence, but with this much smoke it'll be a shocker if there's no fire at all.

Full story

[HedleyLamarr]

I hope like hell Vick is innocent. But if he's physically connected in any way (i.e. Vick training the dogs, watching/participating in the fights, buying food/supplies and knowing their purpose), I hope he gets the most the law can throw at him.

[TFoA]

I hope like hell Vick is innocent. But if he's physically connected in any way (i.e. Vick training the dogs, watching/participating in the fights, buying food/supplies and knowing their purpose), I hope he gets the most the law can throw at him.

Agreed. He's the face of the franchise, but if that's what he's doing...then we can do without.

[whitedawg22]

Now a Congressman is after the NFL commissioner to hammer Vick if he's found to be involved

Why is it Roger Goodell's responsibility to do the investigative work? Don't we have about 6 different government organizations whose job it is to find out these things?

I legitimately don't know, but that seems like an odd person to ask. If I'm involved in dog fighting, I don't think the cops will be telling my employer to ask me if I'm involved...

[BlueSky]

Now a Congressman is after the NFL commissioner to hammer Vick if he's found to be involved

Why is it Roger Goodell's responsibility to do the investigative work? Don't we have about 6 different government organizations whose job it is to find out these things?

I legitimately don't know, but that seems like an odd person to ask. If I'm involved in dog fighting, I don't think the cops will be telling my employer to ask me if I'm involved...

Who said it was Goodell's responsibility to investigate? For the NFL, "investigate" means to examining the evidence when they have the chance. They surely have some staff looking into the allegations but nobody expects them to do the actual criminal investigation.

[Don]

they asked Clinton Portis about this whole thing and he defended Vick and said "whatever he does on his own property is his business" and that he himself could tell you where there are dog fighting rings and that its no big deal. needless to say, im not wearing my Portis jersey anymore, im tempted to donate it somewhere. dogfighting is the lowest of lows in society, its one thing to be a boxing promoter, where 2 humans with free will can say whether they want to get in the ring but dog fighting is automatic scum. i hope vick gets whats coming to him and i hope peta or whatever comes after portis. i mean really, who thinks this is right?!