Post by Die Fledermaus on Jul 22, 2007 20:27:37 GMT -4
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What columnists are saying about Michael Vick
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 22, 2007
Michael Vick's legal situation has provided plenty of material for columnists across the nation. Here's a sampling:
Jeff Shultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Just ask yourself this question: Do you think he knew what was going on?
For a moment, let's forget about the 18-page indictment, which names Michael Vick 51 times. Let's forget about the cooperating witnesses and the double-secret sources that claim Vick funded, operated and actively participated in training dogs, fighting dogs and executing dogs.
Is there really any way possible that he didn't know?
Can a person be that oblivious? These are his friends. This is his house. Did he go there, even if rarely, and NEVER look out the back window and say, "What's with those little black houses in the yard?" Did he never see any dog-training equipment? Or blood splatters? Did he never notice receipts for medicine or vet visits or "rape stands" or pry bars or like a million bags of dog food?
Did he never once travel to this house of horrors on Moonlight Road and think, "Man, sure is a lot of dog poop around here."
He knew. Of course he knew. And that's enough.
Bob Ford, Philadelphia Inquirer:
Vick has a public-relations problem at the moment, along with his legal ones. People might not really care if an NFL player throws bags of money at strippers in Las Vegas, or gets caught carrying a gun, or even if he smacks around his girlfriend. The shock factor, regrettably, is a little faded by this time.
See Thing Your Way.
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But if a player - one that the Falcons count on to sell shirts and season tickets and keep the fan base loyal and supportive - is a puppy-killer, well, that's not going to look too good on the billboards, is it?
Lisa Olson, N.Y. Daily News:
As so often is the case, society's evils aren't illuminated until they're viewed through the prism of sport. It wasn't until details emerged about Vick's alleged depravities that most of us did anything but blanch at the notion that humans would coach house pets (or any animals, for that matter) to fight to the death. Now we're learning the culture is spreading like an incurable disease: it's in rural South back yards and inner-city basements, on album covers and in music videos, in Wyoming and Virginia and every borough of New York.
That dogfighting is a felony piggy-backing with gangs, drugs and organized crime doesn't seem to bother those who have made it outlaw chic. Rappers DMX and Missy Elliott celebrate snarling pit bulls on album covers. An unedited video by Jay-Z, part owner of the Nets, features footage of spectators watching dogs prepare to fight in a pit. In a coarse TV commercial for Nike - one of Vick's sponsors - a pit bull and a Rottweiler face off.
A law enforcement agent who works closely with a New York task force investigating dogfighting says the activity thrives "in poor communities and with younger men from all different ethnicities."
"We've busted rings run by black, Latino, Aryan, Asian and Russian gangs," says the detective. "The common thread is they're always - always - gang-related. A lot of times you can get more drugs and guns off the street by breaking up dog rings than you would breaking up drug rings."
Dave Goldberg, The Associated Press:
The NFL says it is ready to judge Michael Vick by the legal standard to which all Americans are entitled: innocent until proven guilty.
The problem is that it didn't do the same for Adam "Pacman" Jones, who has yet to be convicted of anything but has been suspended for a year with no guarantee of a career even when that year is up.
That is commissioner Roger Goodell's bind.
Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star:
My desire is to see Vick evolve as a human being and for his troubles to serve as yet another wake-up call for black athletes to reject the hip-hop /prison culture that glorifies much of the negative behavior and attitude that has eroded the once-dignified and positive reputation of African-American athletes.
As much as I love dogs - and I really do have an affinity for them - this case primarily repulses me because I believe Vick got involved with breeding vicious pit bulls because rap-music culture made it the cool thing to do.
Listen, I don't want PETA supporters upset with me. Animal cruelty is intolerable. But I'm wondering what could turn a human mind and heart so cold that a person would find pleasure in breeding dogs for cruel destruction in 2007.
Seriously, Vick didn't do it for the money. The Atlanta Falcons gave him all the money he could ever hope to spend. Vick was involved in pit bull breeding (and quite possibly dogfighting) because he enjoyed it. He's a product of a culture that makes the "profession" acceptable and honorable. It's the same culture that has turned the dope dealer into mayor of the neighborhood.
Nancy Armour, The Associated Press:
Way to go, Michael Vick.
It doesn't matter whether you're innocent or guilty of those federal dogfighting charges, you've just trashed your reputation. From now on, when people see you, they're going to think of electrocuted puppies.
The NFL affords you fame and riches galore. In return, you have certain responsibilities - to your teammates, to your organization, to the league and, most important to the fans, the people who make your charmed life possible.
Nothing too oppressive. Just that you behave like the law-abiding citizen you should be anyway. That you're not on a first-name basis with the local D.A.
Is that too much to ask?
Jean-Jacques Taylor, Dallas Morning News:
Thursday - the day Vick and the other three defendants will appear in district court in Richmond - Goodell must inform the 27-year-old quarterback he's not playing this season.
It's that simple.
Otherwise, he's just been giving us lip service regarding his personal conduct policy. This is the litmus test for how badly Goodell wants to improve the NFL's image. See, the policy has never been simply about punishing players who are convicted of criminal acts whether they involve drugs and alcohol, assault or domestic violence.
It has always been about more.
It's about restoring the NFL's image and bringing honor to the league.
William C. Rhoden, N.Y. Times
My original position on the Vick investigation is that, for all its validity, it had the earmarks of overzealous federal prosecutors taking on a high-profile athlete. I still feel that way, but my hope is that the investigation and indictment is a catalyst - not for a referendum on conduct and black athletes - but for a far-flung war on animal fighting. Animal-rights activists say that dogfighting is more popular today than ever.
... What's troubling for me, and it should be troubling for all of Vick's so-called handlers and advisers, is how Vick came to be so close to this fire in the first place. How did one of the NFL's brightest stars, one of a multibillion dollar league's most recognizable faces - indeed the face of his franchise - become inexorably linked to dogfighting, one of the lowest forms of savagery in modern society.
Guilty or innocent? You wonder. From the Falcons' executive staff to Vick's business associates, was there - is there - anyone telling Vick, "You, know Michael, this may not be such a good idea?"
Association can be as devastating as doing the deed itself. That's certainly the case here.
Stephen A. Smith, Philadelphia Inquirer:
Vick looks guilty as sin. At the moment, no one with sense should bet on his innocence. The hanging and drowning of dogs should have all of us seeking retribution.
But forgive me if deep in my soul I pray that someone so many of us have cheered and celebrated would be incapable of such an atrocity.
If Vick is, indeed, this cruel, then how blind were the rest of us?
What columnists are saying about Michael Vick
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 22, 2007
Michael Vick's legal situation has provided plenty of material for columnists across the nation. Here's a sampling:
Jeff Shultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Just ask yourself this question: Do you think he knew what was going on?
For a moment, let's forget about the 18-page indictment, which names Michael Vick 51 times. Let's forget about the cooperating witnesses and the double-secret sources that claim Vick funded, operated and actively participated in training dogs, fighting dogs and executing dogs.
Is there really any way possible that he didn't know?
Can a person be that oblivious? These are his friends. This is his house. Did he go there, even if rarely, and NEVER look out the back window and say, "What's with those little black houses in the yard?" Did he never see any dog-training equipment? Or blood splatters? Did he never notice receipts for medicine or vet visits or "rape stands" or pry bars or like a million bags of dog food?
Did he never once travel to this house of horrors on Moonlight Road and think, "Man, sure is a lot of dog poop around here."
He knew. Of course he knew. And that's enough.
Bob Ford, Philadelphia Inquirer:
Vick has a public-relations problem at the moment, along with his legal ones. People might not really care if an NFL player throws bags of money at strippers in Las Vegas, or gets caught carrying a gun, or even if he smacks around his girlfriend. The shock factor, regrettably, is a little faded by this time.
See Thing Your Way.
Latest Videos
Allen Iverson in Norfolk to host 'Celebrity Football Exhibition'
Magical 'Potter' parties as last book released
Tour Spotlights Chicago's Ghettos
Tammy Faye Messner Dies at 65
Europe, Asia Plagued by Wild Weather
Taliban Sets Deadline for South Korea
At Least 26 Dead in French Bus Crash
See the complete Pilot, exactly as in print
- View stories, photos and ads
- E-mail clippings
- Print copies
Log in or learn more
But if a player - one that the Falcons count on to sell shirts and season tickets and keep the fan base loyal and supportive - is a puppy-killer, well, that's not going to look too good on the billboards, is it?
Lisa Olson, N.Y. Daily News:
As so often is the case, society's evils aren't illuminated until they're viewed through the prism of sport. It wasn't until details emerged about Vick's alleged depravities that most of us did anything but blanch at the notion that humans would coach house pets (or any animals, for that matter) to fight to the death. Now we're learning the culture is spreading like an incurable disease: it's in rural South back yards and inner-city basements, on album covers and in music videos, in Wyoming and Virginia and every borough of New York.
That dogfighting is a felony piggy-backing with gangs, drugs and organized crime doesn't seem to bother those who have made it outlaw chic. Rappers DMX and Missy Elliott celebrate snarling pit bulls on album covers. An unedited video by Jay-Z, part owner of the Nets, features footage of spectators watching dogs prepare to fight in a pit. In a coarse TV commercial for Nike - one of Vick's sponsors - a pit bull and a Rottweiler face off.
A law enforcement agent who works closely with a New York task force investigating dogfighting says the activity thrives "in poor communities and with younger men from all different ethnicities."
"We've busted rings run by black, Latino, Aryan, Asian and Russian gangs," says the detective. "The common thread is they're always - always - gang-related. A lot of times you can get more drugs and guns off the street by breaking up dog rings than you would breaking up drug rings."
Dave Goldberg, The Associated Press:
The NFL says it is ready to judge Michael Vick by the legal standard to which all Americans are entitled: innocent until proven guilty.
The problem is that it didn't do the same for Adam "Pacman" Jones, who has yet to be convicted of anything but has been suspended for a year with no guarantee of a career even when that year is up.
That is commissioner Roger Goodell's bind.
Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star:
My desire is to see Vick evolve as a human being and for his troubles to serve as yet another wake-up call for black athletes to reject the hip-hop /prison culture that glorifies much of the negative behavior and attitude that has eroded the once-dignified and positive reputation of African-American athletes.
As much as I love dogs - and I really do have an affinity for them - this case primarily repulses me because I believe Vick got involved with breeding vicious pit bulls because rap-music culture made it the cool thing to do.
Listen, I don't want PETA supporters upset with me. Animal cruelty is intolerable. But I'm wondering what could turn a human mind and heart so cold that a person would find pleasure in breeding dogs for cruel destruction in 2007.
Seriously, Vick didn't do it for the money. The Atlanta Falcons gave him all the money he could ever hope to spend. Vick was involved in pit bull breeding (and quite possibly dogfighting) because he enjoyed it. He's a product of a culture that makes the "profession" acceptable and honorable. It's the same culture that has turned the dope dealer into mayor of the neighborhood.
Nancy Armour, The Associated Press:
Way to go, Michael Vick.
It doesn't matter whether you're innocent or guilty of those federal dogfighting charges, you've just trashed your reputation. From now on, when people see you, they're going to think of electrocuted puppies.
The NFL affords you fame and riches galore. In return, you have certain responsibilities - to your teammates, to your organization, to the league and, most important to the fans, the people who make your charmed life possible.
Nothing too oppressive. Just that you behave like the law-abiding citizen you should be anyway. That you're not on a first-name basis with the local D.A.
Is that too much to ask?
Jean-Jacques Taylor, Dallas Morning News:
Thursday - the day Vick and the other three defendants will appear in district court in Richmond - Goodell must inform the 27-year-old quarterback he's not playing this season.
It's that simple.
Otherwise, he's just been giving us lip service regarding his personal conduct policy. This is the litmus test for how badly Goodell wants to improve the NFL's image. See, the policy has never been simply about punishing players who are convicted of criminal acts whether they involve drugs and alcohol, assault or domestic violence.
It has always been about more.
It's about restoring the NFL's image and bringing honor to the league.
William C. Rhoden, N.Y. Times
My original position on the Vick investigation is that, for all its validity, it had the earmarks of overzealous federal prosecutors taking on a high-profile athlete. I still feel that way, but my hope is that the investigation and indictment is a catalyst - not for a referendum on conduct and black athletes - but for a far-flung war on animal fighting. Animal-rights activists say that dogfighting is more popular today than ever.
... What's troubling for me, and it should be troubling for all of Vick's so-called handlers and advisers, is how Vick came to be so close to this fire in the first place. How did one of the NFL's brightest stars, one of a multibillion dollar league's most recognizable faces - indeed the face of his franchise - become inexorably linked to dogfighting, one of the lowest forms of savagery in modern society.
Guilty or innocent? You wonder. From the Falcons' executive staff to Vick's business associates, was there - is there - anyone telling Vick, "You, know Michael, this may not be such a good idea?"
Association can be as devastating as doing the deed itself. That's certainly the case here.
Stephen A. Smith, Philadelphia Inquirer:
Vick looks guilty as sin. At the moment, no one with sense should bet on his innocence. The hanging and drowning of dogs should have all of us seeking retribution.
But forgive me if deep in my soul I pray that someone so many of us have cheered and celebrated would be incapable of such an atrocity.
If Vick is, indeed, this cruel, then how blind were the rest of us?
