With friends like these ...

[spacecrime]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2866012

ESPN.com news services

ATLANTA -- Two friends of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick are convinced he has been involved in illegal dog fighting at a home he owns in Virginia, they told SI.com on Thursday, despite Vick's denials.

Some friends.

 

[mgcolby]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2866012

ESPN.com news services

ATLANTA -- Two friends of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick are convinced he has been involved in illegal dog fighting at a home he owns in Virginia, they told SI.com on Thursday, despite Vick's denials.

Some friends.

Maybe they are the only true friends he has and they realize that getting in trouble for this might be the thing that opens his eyes to the bigger picture. Maybe they think he may be surrounded by people who call themselves friends but only aid in him getting in trouble.

 

[mcbee]

If true he should be banned for at least a year.

 

[patsox23]

If true, this guy is just a bigger tool by the hour.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Are you guys really naive thinking Michael had no idea of what was going on at his Virginia home?

Come on now,I think theres no doubt he knew what was going on and not only that,probably also had a part in making the animal fighting competition possible to have taken place.

Looks possible he may join his loser brother as watching the game on TV this year

Unless he gets a good weasel lawyer that gets him off the imminent FBI charge against him which is virtually a certainty in a short time from now.

It may be a VERY long season in Atlanta - Bet they wished they had taken Quinn or even Petersen with that first round pick.

 

[Fixit]

Maybe they are the only true friends he has and they realize that getting in trouble for this might be the thing that opens his eyes to the bigger picture. Maybe they think he may be surrounded by people who call themselves friends but only aid in him getting in trouble.

Seconded, yo.

 

[ironwasp]

The quotes from the Falcons' owner suggest strongly that they are getting impatient with Vick's behaviour and the potential legal difficulties he finds himself in. He's clearly treading on thin ice there, although maybe that's something they might have thought about a little more clearly before trading Matt Schaub.

 

[mgcolby]

It may be a VERY long season in Atlanta - Bet they wished they had taken Quinn or even Petersen with that first round pick.

Or kept the best QB they had on their roster instead of trading him to Texas.

 

[Flying Fungi]

Maybe they are the only true friends he has and they realize that getting in trouble for this might be the thing that opens his eyes to the bigger picture. Maybe they think he may be surrounded by people who call themselves friends but only aid in him getting in trouble.

or maybe they are distancing themselves, lest they get sucked in to the investigation

 

[mgcolby]

or maybe they are distancing themselves, lest they get sucked in to the investigation

Many,many angles - I almost included the counter argument in my original post but I didn't.

They could also be friends that were cut off, either way the guy is a jackass who doesn't take responsibility for anything that happens to him.

Example its the receivers fault I suck at throwing accurate passes, then its the coaches fault, the media is out to get me etc..

 

[37Harrison]

Karma is a b---ch!

BTW, where is Remix 6?

 

[spacecrime]

Maybe they are the only true friends he has and they realize that getting in trouble for this might be the thing that opens his eyes to the bigger picture. Maybe they think he may be surrounded by people who call themselves friends but only aid in him getting in trouble.

These two may be the type you want to have as real friends, but not me.

I would like a real friend to have me best interest at heart. That would mean talking straight TO ME, perhaps working with the team and/or the NFL behind the scenes to HELP me.

But to say that true friends would go to the press as anonymous sources is just not my cup of tea, thanks.

I might go along if they had notified authorities beforehand that they knew of he dog fighting scheme and tried to stop it, but they went to SI after the fact. I just don't see how this makes them true friends.

If they do not know for sure, and are just guessing, it was a dispicable thing to do. If they knew for a fact that VIck was aware, then they shouldn't be anonymous. Their foreknowledge makes them as much a part of it as anyone else.

No one is going to come out of this cleanly.

Vick may be guilty, he may have personally put dogs in the ring or whatever they put them in for all I know. It isn't his guilt or innocence that bothers me. It is all the pre-judging that is going on. I don't like mobs and vigilantes, physical or oral.

 

[TheBaronPatriot]

Karma is a b---ch!

BTW, where is Remix 6?

I second your notion...
I'm not one for vendettas but this guy has called people names for thinking did anything wrong.

 

[patchick]

Or kept the best QB they had on their roster instead of trading him to Texas.

Is anybody else thinking about Trent Green right now?

 

[mgcolby]

These two may be the type you want to have as real friends, but not me.

I would like a real friend to have me best interest at heart. That would mean talking straight TO ME, perhaps working with the team and/or the NFL behind the scenes to HELP me.

But to say that true friends would go to the press as anonymous sources is just not my cup of tea, thanks.

I might go along if they had notified authorities beforehand that they knew of he dog fighting scheme and tried to stop it, but they went to SI after the fact. I just don't see how this makes them true friends.

If they do not know for sure, and are just guessing, it was a dispicable thing to do. If they knew for a fact that VIck was aware, then they shouldn't be anonymous. Their foreknowledge makes them as much a part of it as anyone else.

No one is going to come out of this cleanly.

Vick may be guilty, he may have personally put dogs in the ring or whatever they put them in for all I know. It isn't his guilt or innocence that bothers me. It is all the pre-judging that is going on. I don't like mobs and vigilantes, physical or oral.

Do you know for a fact they were not "straight" with him? What if they have exhausted all avenues and feel this is the only way? You know as much as I do.

But you said nothing about pre-judging in your original post, you just gave the impression that friends shouldn't rat. Whether a friend who tattletales on another friend is a true friend or not is irrelivent. I was just casting doubt on what you implied by giving some possible reasoning as to why they spoke out.

Pre-judging? The guy owns a home in Virginia and claims to never visit the property. Yet, neighbors say he is there often and clerks at a nearby pet store claim that he comes in there every so often to buy dog supplies. It is highly likely that the Pet store has cameras which would be able to verify or discredit the clerks claims. It also isn't to far fetched to assume that the clerks are aware of this. There is a lot of public evidence so far and it makes him look guilty and who knows how much evidence the authorities have.

I don't have a problem with an oral lynch mob against Vick because he deserves it. The guy is jackass who has not been held accountable by both the public and the authorities several times for issues on and off the field for things he should have been held accountable for.

 

[mgcolby]

http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11312/VA/US/

Here is a link with a bunch of compiled media reports on the situation.

Some interesting tidbits listed in the compilation:

"Goodwin said authorities found 66 dogs on the property, mostly pit bulls who appeared to be involved in organized fighting. He estimated it would cost up to $100 a day just to feed that number of animals, not to mention other hefty expenses."

The Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force (VAFTF) responded to assist Virginia State Police and Drug Task Force officers upon the execution of a search warrant on April 25, 2007 at the Smithfield, Virginia property of Michael Vick. Evidence seized included:

• a number of injured American Pit Bull Terrier dogs
• animal fighting paraphernalia
• animal training and breeding equipment including a "rape stand," a device in which a female dog who is too aggressive to submit to males for breeding is strapped down to an elevated stand while her head is held in place by a restraint
• a “break” or “parting” stick used to pry open fighting dogs’ mouths during fights
• treadmills and “slat mills” used to condition dogs out of public view
• assorted paperwork documenting involvement in animal fighting ventures
• performance enhancing pharmaceuticals commonly used to increase the fighting potential in dogs trained for fighting, and to keep injured dogs fighting longer

Mallonnee interviewed employees of a store near Vick's property and reported:

"There's a store nearby and the clerks there said, 'Yeah, he comes in here often to buy supplies, lots of supplies, for the dogs, including things like syringes.'"

Prosecutors say that Vick's claims about never visiting the home and being completely unaware of what was happening at the Surry County home are simply not true. Additionally, WAVY searched their archive for chopper footage of back when the Vick home was being built in 2003, when Vick had his double-wide trailer hauled away and a 4700 square foot home built.

Their footage clearly shows the same three outbuildings used to contain some of the the dogs, complete with areas for training, and evidence of dogs at the property.

Interviews with a construction worker who helped build the house in 2003 confirmed not only that Vick was there routinely while the house was being built, but also that there were at least 40 dogs on the property, as well as the dog-fighting equipment police seized.

According to the Commonwealth Attorney, there is no question that Vick visits the Surry property often.

I wouldn't call this a lynch mob, I would call that evidence.

 

[Fixit]

Wow, mcgolby, nice work. Vick has really stepped in it now.

I don't know which part of the story is more charming: the performance enhancers for fighting dogs or the rape stand.

 

[mgcolby]

Wow, mcgolby, nice work. Vick has really stepped in it now.

I don't know which part of the story is more charming: the performance enhancers for fighting dogs or the rape stand.

All that equipment and the cost of the supplies has to be very substantial and not one person who claimed residence at the property is employed.

 

[The Gr8est]

They were just discussing this on "Around The Horn" and the panelists were split on whether Vick will be the starting QB for Atlanta at the end of the season, but it was mentioned that it would be difficult to trade him due to his contract.

Shoulda kept the best QB they had in Schaub.

So, who would be candidates to trade for Vick? Considering they already took a chance on his brother, The Dolphins immediately came to mind as the suckers who would want him.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Is anybody else thinking about Trent Green right now?

No, I'm at peace with myself and have no wish to endure shock-therapy again.