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Before being sentenced to prison on Monday, Michael Vick attempted his last hail mary for the next few years. Michael wrote a letter to Judge Henry Hudson with hopes of garnering some leniency from the court. As we all know now, it didn’t work, but it was a nice try.. Right down to recruiting Hank Aaron, George Foreman, Warrick Dunn, his mom, and some children to write letters.

Letters in support of Michael Vick released to public. Courtesy of The Daily Press

Michael Vick, Hank Aaron, George Foreman letters PDF
Warrick Dunn letter PDF
Vick’s mom and fans letters PDF

Tags: Michael Vick, Atlanta Falcons, NFL, Sports, Dogfighting, Warrick Dunn

Since bursting onto the NFL scene in 2001, Michael Vick has divided people with his talent and potential. There were folks that thought he would revolutionize the quarterback position as a strong armed, scrambling threat. There were others that thought he was nothing more than a running back lined up under center. Vick’s play didn’t help to settle the argument. He could stink it up for a few games and be amazing in others. He was never as good as the Vick lovers made him out to be, and never as bad as the haters claimed. Michael’s every move was seen as potential ammunition in the pro/anti Vick debate, and he was dealing arms to both sides. Unfortunately for MV, his enemies have the bomb, in the form of his plea agreement.

I’ve written about the Vick case from time to time, but I was trying to wait to see how things would truly develop. The plea deal means that the story is over for the time being, and that Michael Vick will be going to jail… Possibly for 3 years?!?! The things that he’s been accused of and will admit to are disgusting and ignorant. I’m not here to defend Michael Vick and his actions, but 3 years in jail or a lifetime ban from the NFL would be cruel and unusual. Six to twelve months in jail and a one year ban from the league seem fair to me when you keep things in perspective.

After reading the indictments and gathering all of the information I could over the past few months, here is what I have learned from Michael Vick’s predicament… Read the full story

How many times have you heard a lawyer (real or fake) say “I could indict an innocent man/dead man/ham sandwich? The idea being that it’s easy to get an indictment. So when the feds come back and say that they are unlikely to indict Vick because:

The authorities have told the Falcons and league that there has not been any evidence that can be tied to Vick with the alleged dogfighting ring.

That’s a pretty powerful statement. It goes against almost everything we’ve heard during this saga. Michael Vick was tried in the media, and found guilty, because people wanted him to be guilty. There was a rush to judgment on the public’s part, but with a lot of the misinformation being given, what could you expect?

Whatever happened to the videotape that shows Mike Vick at a dogfight party? It would’ve turned up by now if it really existed. It sucks that something like that can get floated out by major outlets without consequence. Vick got done wrong in the media, Dwil has a whole lot more to say about it, and hopefully everybody has learned from it.

The news is good for Michael Vick but not for everybody in his camp. The feds still plan to indict at least 3 people, and the Surry County investigation hasn’t concluded yet. At least Vick’s name is safe from the smut for a few days.

Vick indictment seen unlikely in feds’ dogfight probe. Courtesy of ESPN.com

Michael Vick Will Not Be Indicted: Shhhhhhhh! Courtesy of The Starting Five

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It’s hard to hear NFL player and pit bull in the same sentence and not think of dogfighting. New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce is trying to change that. Antonio Pierce is a pit bull breeder, he even says so at the bottom of his NYG player page, but he says his operation is above board:

“Anybody who fights pit bulls is a punk. It gives my dogs a bad rap. Everybody loves my dogs because they’re good dogs. So of course I’m not pleased with it.”

Antonio chose not to come right out and talk about Michael Vick but he did acknowledge that he’s aware of Vick’s problems. He even added that if the evidence against Michael Vick turns out to be true then the NFL and prosecutors “need to do what they need to do“.

Pierce has sold dogs to teammates and friends but he won’t sell you a dog unless he knows you and he’s positive the pit won’t be used in any illegal activities. Does that mean speeding with the dog in the car? Jaywalking while taking Fido out for a leak? I’m not sure, but it’s good to hear that at least one guy has his head on straight when it comes to dogfighting. I wonder if Pierce knew about Vick’s alleged treatment of dogs before this play:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSbwAz1ajw8]

 It’s gonna be interesting to see what Antonio does for an encore on October 15th when the Giants are in Atlanta for Monday Night Football.

**YBB UPDATE** The news gets worse for Michael Vick. The house where the alleged dogfighting was taking place was robbed some time between May 7th and May 18th. The thief/thieves made off with 3 plasma televisions, two floor buffers, a wet/dry vacuum, an upright washer and dryer, and a leather sofa worth $17,550. It makes you think, if the dogs were still on the property would the house have gotten jacked? **END UPDATE**

Pierce: I’m a responsible dog owner. Courtesy of The Star Ledger

Report: Vick’s Va. home was burglarized last month. Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

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The Mike Vick dog drama is still on going and as more information comes out, it’s seeming like Michael Vick was definitely aware, if not involved, with the Dog Fight Club. There’s supposedly video evidence of Mike at a dog fight, and you gotta check out what Kathy Strouse is saying. Strouse, the animal control coordinator for the City of Chesapeake in Virginia stated she is “very confident” that Vick will be linked to the scandal, and she’s pushing for Surry County Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter to press charges. Dogfighting is a felony in Virginia, punishable by up to 5 years in the big house.

One thing is for sure… Mike loves his dogs.. Check out this video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbFcsdI8WYY]

I didn’t see the water bottle with the secret compartment on the shoes or the name Air Mexico.. Nike obviously didn’t do their homework. I think the word Nike execs are looking for is “recall”.

Animal control officer confident Vick was at fights. Courtesy of ESPN

Everything you could want to know about the Michael Vick dog fighting story. Courtesy of MSNBC

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