Alright, I promise not to make this blog all about sports, Mike Vick, or dog fighting. However, I think this Micheal Vick case is going to have major implications down the road for anyone involved in animal welfare. Some folks are using this as a case for breed specific legislation. Many are using it as a crusade to end dog fighting. Either way, it is seldom that the entire population of sports fans -- particularly NFL fans -- gives one once of thought to animal abuse cases. This is high profile, and I'm following it pretty closely. So some notes from around the web:
Search of Vick's property stopped
Apparently, the county prosectuter Gerald Poindexter doesn't like the "language" used in the search request where national authorities want to go in a dig for remains for dogs that may have been burried on the property. I'm still saying that either Poindexter is a complete genius, or he's in on this somehow, either involved in the fights himself, or being paid a decent sum of money to be sure this investigation is a failure. He's pretty much tried to shut out all outsiders on this, which may be great, but I'm suspicious that he's somehow on the take.
The NFL Players Association Looks at reduced suspension for Pacman Jones
For those of you who don't know, Jones has become the poster child for the NFL, and commissioner Roger Goodell's, attempt to clean up the league's image with its new conduct policy. Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 season without pay for starting a brawl (that involved gun play by one of his cohorts) by throwing $100 bills in the air in a strip club in Vegas and then getting angry when the strippers started picking up his "confetti". While Jones is a poster child for what is wrong with the gangsta mentality that many of these guys with too much money on their hands have fallen into, what he did isn't even a shaddow of what Vick is accused of...and the Player's Association now wants to lighten his suspension so that Vick doesn't miss 2 or 3 years with what will end up being a harsher penalty -- especially if found guilty.
Meanwhile, there is rumor in KC that the Atlanta Falcons have contacted the Chiefs
The Falcons traded away their 2nd string QB last year in the anticipation of making Vick the MAN in Atlanta. After Vick had his incident with airport security over his water bottle with a secret compartment that he used for his marajuana in December, and now this, the Falcons are looking at what they may be doing in the post-Vick era. They have supposedly contacted the Chiefs about picking up QB Trent Green...who isn't a part of the Chief's future youth movement plans. Whether Atlanta thinks Vick will be in jail, suspended long term, or just wants to get on with their lives after Vick has continually embarrassed the franchise is uncertain, but it does look like they're making plans for him to miss some playing time this year.
Meanwhile, pretty much every sports columnist and blogger in the country has a take on this, and here are a few of the top POVs:
NFL doesn't owe Vick any Compassion -- from Fox Sports
Interesting look at why buildings and fences are sometimes painted black -- I'd never thought about this -- I'd be a horrible criminal.
Why is Vick's agent so quiet? -- Clinton Portis' agent came to his aid to defend his client after he blabbered last week. But Vick's agent has been completely quiet, and it may be that his quietness is speaking in volumes.
NFL Promises "Prompt and Significant Action" under new conduct policy -- Goodell runs the most popular sport in the United States...the last thing he wants is for a few players to take it to the level of the NBA.
Humanity has a dog in this fight -- pretty much lays out the delimma of Goodell taking "significant" action on one of the game's certified stars...and admitting that Goodell really has no choice.
We'll go back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow...
Hey Brent, you missed an opportunity to roll pols into this!
Check this out:
http://www.examiner.com/a-736158~California_congressman_asks_for_strong_action_against_Vick.html
US REP Tom Lantos (D-Calif) joined the cause against Michael Vick, firing off a letter Friday that urged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to "act swiftly and forcefully" . He pointed out that he's a senior member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which two years ago held highly publicized hearings on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports.
In a not-so-subtle threat of possible congressional action, Lantos reminded the commissioner of his committee's efforts to weed out those who use performance-enhancing drugs. "I also suggest you educate your players on the illegality and cruelty of dog fighting to prevent this from happening again," Lantos wrote. "It is my hope that the issue of animal fighting will not require us to further investigate the behavior of your athletes."
(if that's not a pol throwing his weight around, I don't know what is! I hope Lantos follows through w/ this threat!)
Posted by: krislars | May 31, 2007 at 11:19 AM
The black building thing was new to me too. Strange but interesting. I'll be watching for black outbuildings from now on...sigh...
I wonder about Poindexter (is that really his name) too, since you pointed out his activities.
Posted by: Caveat | May 31, 2007 at 09:06 PM