In the court of public opinion, Micheal Vick is the anti-Christ. With god given ability to play football and handed security for life in the form of a $150 million dollar contract (okay, it's the NFL it's not guaranteed like the NBA, but still) this young turk and thrill seeker decides to get his thrills by...fighting pitbulls for a few thousand dollars?
I don't know if it's true, and that's the crux of the matter. I took a few minutes to read the indictment, and quiet frankly the words "persons unknown to the grand jury" and the judiciously vague dates came up just a bit too often for me. Maybe Vick did ride around the country with a knapsack full of money and fight dogs, and maybe he didn't. But they need more than what's there to sink somebody.
In reading a few of the comments the vast majority have already tried, judged and convicted him. Comments range from he's "trash and waste of human life" to "he better get used to the name Vicki" to my personal favorite "the NFL should end his contract and donate his entire salary to the Human Society". It's not my favorite because I agree with it, it's because it's funny.
Do I condone dog fighting? Not really. I don't really have an opinion on it. Never really gave it that much thought. And just because it's now news and people in Atlanta have started a fire sale on Falcon season tickets, I'm still not that much in the mood to commit to that kind of thought.
I've even owned two dogs & am trusted to watch other peoples dogs. No, I really don't have that much on an opinion.
But back to the lonely facts and rampant opinions.
Now Pro Football talk is saying after his Vick stated in April that he never visited the property and that he "left the house with my family members and my cousin", his aforementioned cousin Davon Boddie turned on him. Oddly Boddie, who lived at the property with housed Bad Newz Kennels wasn't charged, which only strengthens the argument that he flipped. However how good a witness is someone who has an obvious personal vendetta? If I was a prosecutor, I wouldn't hang my case on him.
Side note: This shows that ignorance in the criminal class runs rampant. Instead of taking the charge, getting the charges reduced and maybe getting a few months or a suspended sentence and fine and then letting his famous and RICH cousin pay him out, this fool - because he's mad - is going to kill the career of his cousin and take 150 million off the table. Because he's pissed. Ain't this some shit?
Unlike a lot of the vocal people I've encountered today, I'm going to adopt a wait and see attitude. The one the justice system uses called "innocent until proven guilty".
Barkeep. Some Old Crow if you got it...
