Vick to plead guilty in dogfighting case By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 21, 7:44 AM ET
RICHMOND, Va. - Less than a month after saying he looked forward to clearing his name, Michael Vick now acknowledges the heinous acts associated with his name are true.
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback said through a lawyer Monday that he will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, an admission that likely will mean prison time.
For now, any hopes of salvaging his NFL career are secondary to his impending confinement.
"His focus is on his family, his focus is on answering to this judge," Vick's lead defense attorney, Billy Martin, told The Associated Press after announcing the plea agreement Monday.
U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson can sentence Vick to up to five years in prison and fine him $250,000, although federal sentencing guidelines will call for less. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms are not final, told the AP that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of a year to 18 months.
The official said such a sentence would be more than what is usually recommended for first-time offenders, reflecting the government's attempt to show that animal abusers will receive more than a slap on the wrist.
Vick will return Monday to the same courthouse where he pleaded not guilty and resolved to prove his innocence just 25 days ago. This time he will plead guilty, and Hudson will schedule a date for sentencing.
Since that initial court appearance, all three of Vick's co-defendants have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the government's case against him, including testifying against him if the case had gone to trial in November as scheduled.
The co-defendants said Vick bankrolled virtually the entire "Bad Newz Kennels" operation in rural southeastern Virginia, including providing gambling funds, an act that could trigger a lifetime ban from the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy
This is a cautionary tale. A tale that men...young Black men, need to learn how to exercise good judgement. They need to understand that, if you have a contract like Vick's, you have a target on you, plain and simple. You might believe being an athlete erases that you are a Black man in America, but THAT'S NOT TRUE.
OJ happens once in a lifetime, and you best believe, it's not going to happen again.
If you have a young Black male in your life, sit him down and discuss this case with him.
1. Poor Judgement...
2. Poor Choices....
3. Poor Decision Making...
4. Do you have Friends or Associates?
Michael Vick was a grown man who chose poorly. He didn't take his brand - Michael Vick, Incorporated - seriously. If he did, he wouldn't have put it at risk by routinely hanging out with known criminals and partaking in criminal behavior. I'm not a dog lover; I only had fish for a few weeks as pets, but that doesn't matter. I see how many folks in this country treat their pets, but more importantly, I know that Vick knows what he did was ILLEGAL.
Which brings me to my fundamental question:
Is it too much to ask, when you make more money than 99% of the world, no matter what race, ethnicity, nationality....
That you find your amusement through LEGAL MEANS?
Is it really that hard?
And, don't expect ANYONE to go jail for you, outside of Mama and Daddy, and not even them.
Dave Chappelle said it best...
Michael Vick is a living example, up front and personal of...
WHEN KEEPING IT REAL GOES WRONG.
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4 comments:
I actually have no interest in the Vick story, and hate the idea that so much attention has been given to it. This has just been a non-story to me. It's incredible that this thug is garnering so much media coverage, especially when there are so many more important issues that need attention.
It might be different if there was a moral to the whole thing or a focus on teaching kids the importance of not abusing animals...but I don't even see that with this story. It's simply thug sports star/ ESPN/ Hollywood/Black pop culture sensationalism all coming together, and I, for the most part, despise all 4. Although ESPN is not all bad (their coverage could be less sensational).
But you stated one thing that I wanted to respond to:
This is a cautionary tale. A tale that men...young Black men, need to learn how to exercise good judgement. They need to understand that, if you have a contract like Vick's, you have a target on you, plain and simple. You might believe being an athlete erases that you are a Black man in America, but THAT'S NOT TRUE.
Here you make Vick appear to be a victim of something. This boneheaded thug is a victim of his own stupid decisions. I don't buy the idea that there is some kind of conspiracy against Black pro-athlete thugs with a lot of money.
If they have a target on their backs it's largely because they themselves have put it there, with their own behavior. If you act a fool for so long, at some point, society will treat you accordingly. It's just like the situation in the NBA when Mr. Stern established and enforced a dress code. The thug athletes immediately started to boo hoo...and are still boo hooing. But why should a Commissioner of a Pro Sport have to tell grown men how to dress? Because there was a track record that told him that it had to be dealt with and corrected. It's a shame that you have to tell an adult how to dress properly in order to maintain a respectable image for his profession. That's the sad part to me. If they would dress and present themselves in a respectable manner then there would be no need for a dress code.
One of the first arguments that came from the thug athletes was- You don't see this kind of scrutiny in other pro-sports, such as Hockey... well perhaps that is because those athletes don't dress like complete idiots. Not defending Hockey players.... but no one has to tell them how to wear their pants because they are grown men and know how to dress in an acceptable manner for their "profession".
I have no sympathy whatsoever for these thug athletes (and so called role models for Black youth, and the image that women are insanely attracted to & compete with one another to get).... particularly in the NBA and NFL.
This is a cautionary tale. A tale that men...young Black men, need to learn how to exercise good judgement. They need to understand that, if you have a contract like Vick's, you have a target on you, plain and simple. You might believe being an athlete erases that you are a Black man in America, but THAT'S NOT TRUE.
Here you make Vick appear to be a victim of something. This boneheaded thug is a victim of his own stupid decisions. I don't buy the idea that there is some kind of conspiracy against Black pro-athlete thugs with a lot of money.
Oh, I thought I was clear.
He is NOT a victim.
Not under ANY circumstances is he a victim.
AI, I was told by my father..
The White Man may be out to hang you. Don't be stupid enough to HAND HIM THE ROPE.
Vick HANDED them the rope on a velvet pillow.
I, like you, don't wanna hear crap about ' Da White Man', and all that jazz being 'out to get him'.
He had 130 million dollar contract AS HIS BASE.
HIS BASE.
And he didn't have enough sense to stop hanging around known CRIMINALS...and he didn't have sense enough to engage in LEGAL behavior?
Oh HELL no, I have no sympathy for him, and he is SOOO not a victim.
Sorry if I wasn't clear in my post about that.
$130 mill????
(just sitting here shaking my head).
I can't feel all that sorry for Mr. Vick. He used very poor judgment for sure. and the cruelty to the dogs is a sign of very poor character. But He shouldn't be demonized. Our federal government kills more animals in one day than all the dog fighters in the country. Good lord, look at the practice of shooting wolves from the air. Corperate poisoning of the environment is killing all of Us. The Bush administration has killed more living creatures than Micheal Vick could in His entire lifetime. He broke the law and that's that. He will pay His fine and do His time While the murderers in the white house keep on killing. Let's get our prioritys straight.
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