Deion is an idiot. He also tried to downplay TOs spitting incident. I have no idea if its race or not, but he has a group of people that he feels are above little things like 'rules'. He may say 'bad player', when they do something he can't gloss over, but always with a light touch, and always with an excuse. And of course he never drops them, or says he will until they change their ways.
The other issue about dog fighting that really hasn't been raised is how it impacts everyday people and those who are not involved. I read an article about it quite a while ago, and besides the horrible things that they do to the dogs that fight, is what they do to other animals.
They train the dogs to fight, attack and kill, by using other 'disposable' animals. Ones that aren't worth anything in terms of fighting, like family pets, strays, and even animals from pounds who don't care where their charges go. They also can use wildlife they trap.
What they do is put cats, smaller dogs and other animals in burlap bags, and then bait the fighting dog to attack, and destroy the animal in the bag. They use the bags so their valuable fighting dog won't get wounded by the other animal trying to save its life. So if you have ever lost an animal its possible that it was taken by dogfighters or those who procure training animals for dogfighters. Of course your pet may have been lost, hit by a vehicle or taken by a wild animal, but its also possible it was napped by those looking for training material. The whole enterprise is so shadowy that they really don't know how big it is, and where its going on.
In terms of Vick:
1. His name was on the property
2. They dug up 17-30 dead dogs on his property, animals that can be necropsied to see how they died
3. He ran a 'legal' kennel to breed pit bulls - the Web site referenced Moonlight Road, which is the property he owned, where he said he had never been.
4. They took around 60 live dogs in various conditions off the property.
5. They found dog fighting stuff at the house.
All of these are facts that can't be changed by saying that someone is lying, or that it didn't really happen. It has passed out of the realm of 'he said' 'she said'. Innocent is way behind in the rearview mirror. They only thing left for the legal process is to determine how much personal involvement Vick had. It can go from nothing to complete hands on. But for his image his name and his ability to ever play in the NFL it almost doesn't matter. He will always and forever be known now as 'dogkiller'. If he pleads out, or turns others over and avoids jail, or even if he is acquitted, then he will be another OJ, who also won in court, but will always be a pariah.
I keep seeing the talking heads talk about how Vick will always get heat from PETA or the humane society, they just don't get it. It has gone beyond the pressure groups that are often on the fringe, it is regular people who feel this way. People who have dogs and kids, and love them both, and don't want anything to do with a 'dogkiller' in any form.
Its not about race, its not about money, its not about star power or fame, it is viscerally about the same as taking the word dog in those indictments and substituting the word 'baby'. No amount of smoke and mirrors or legal magic, or excuses or time or money will ever make it disappear.
