The Inhumanity of Michael Vick

Forget whether you're an Atlanta Falcons fan.

Forget whether you're a Michael Vick fan.

Forget about sports, even.

This is as troubling a story as you're likely to hear this year.

Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, Tank Johnson, and our favorite ecstasy dealer Bill Maas?

As Hyman Roth would say "small potatoes" compared to Michael Vick.

Vick has tarnished the NFL in a way that Ron Mexico never could. This is worse than flipping off his fans, worse than his magic water bottle, worse than his admission that he quit on his team at the end of the 2005 season.

 

Michael Vick's name is now synonymous with one of the darkest and most brutal stories in sports history.

 

An investigation peppered with questionable insider information delivered an indictment on Tuesday. That does NOT mean that Vick is guilty or has been convicted. But if the charges are true, they paint Michael Vick as a piece of human waste. 

 

If you're an animal lover, you will NOT be able to get through the indictment—it's that difficult to read. As it stands, Vick looks to be in serious trouble. A federal indictment is not something produced on a whim. And most indictments don't include the sort of graphic evidence included in this one—or provide detailed timelines that date back six years.

 

In April, when the story first broke of a raid on Vick's home in Smithfield, VA, the quarterback played dumb. He insisted that he had never been to the house, and that he bought it for "family members." He vowed to change his ways.

 

"Inside" informants, though, said that Vick was and had been a major player in dogfighting since 2001. The evidence now seems to back them up.

 

Michael Vick has let down his team, his owner, and his fans. He was one of the most popular players in the NFL. He had multiple endorsement deals. He had been touted as a role model.

 

Vick's indictment is the worst thing that could've happened to the NFL. He has no more excuses. Not for this.

 

Many Vick supporters say that it's "just dogs," and that it's not like Vick killed a human being. There are also some people—like Redskins running back Clinton Portis—who've grown up in rural areas of the United States and will tell you that dogfighting is an accepted part of the culture. And a few conspiracy theorists have played the race card, suggesting that Vick was targeted by the feds because he was a successful black quarterback in the NFL.

 

Personally, I want to hear all those arguments—that's how serious this case is. This is a FELONY INDICTMENT CHARGE. Vick faces $350,000 in fines and six years in prison if he's convicted.

 

The NFL, for its part, can't do anything right now. Roger Goodell has to let the legal process run its course. Falcons owner Arthur Blank is in a particularly tough spot. Does he support Vick? Does he suspend him? Does he void his contract? Does he ask for a do-over on the Matt Schaub trade now that Joey Harrington is his backup QB?

  

I don't care who you are, or what your race, creed or sexuality is—you can't be behind Vick here. Even if he's found innocent, Vick should be sent to prison for stupidity.

In truth, I haven't always been the biggest dog fan. For me, fish are the ideal pets—you don't have to take them for a walk, they don't make noise, it's not easy for your ex-girlfriend to steal them in the middle of the night as a vindictive "fuck you." But the fact remains that dogs depend on humans to nurture and protect them.

Anyone who takes part in sadistic actions at the expense of helpless animals—for THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS no less—needs to be put away.

 

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