Writing the Obvious – Vick Goes to Prison and Should His Lawyers be Sacked too?
Now, covering Michael Vick and this controversy has been ugly from the beginning. We initially started this site back when it looked like Vick would escape without any penalties what so ever.
This week Michael Vick turned himself into federal Marshals to start serving his time, early. The logic here is that by going to jail 20 days early the judge might reduce his time in prison (or possibly give him just enough time so that he can get out of prison in time for NFL training camp).
Having Our Cake and Eating it Too
Now, we are happy that some level of justice is being doled out here, but I do not believe anyone is really happy with the result.
On one side, Vick took a plea deal on a lesser charge and is not really going to be punished for the serious things that he did like running an illegal gambling ring that may have led to the murder of a North Carolina man, and killing and torturing dogs.
On the other side, Vick had some really bad legal advice. Go figure, the guy that in a best case scenario could not pick trust worthy friends to live in his mcmansion without getting him suspended from the NFL and sent to prison, could not find good legal representation with millions in the bank.
Despite what anyone might think about OJ, he at least picked good lawyers. Vick seems to have chosen bench warmers and one prima dona star lawyer that couldn’t deliver, maybe Vick saw something in Billy Martin that reminded him of himself.
His bad lawyers as the AJC points out, could not keep him out of Herpe Gate, they did not work with Virginia prosecutors early on and spurred on the Feds to eat their lunch, and then they didn’t even tell or enforce upon Vick the importance of not getting high on illegal drugs after he pled guilty to a federal crime.
I would like to see Michael Vick get the justice he deserves and be permanently banned from the NFL, have the plea agreement thrown out, and see Virginia continue their prosecution, but one side of me almost feels sorry for a guy that could not pick good friends, a good spouse, or good lawyers.
The only other person I can think of that has such consistent bad judgement is George Bush. If failure and mistakes were to be rewarded like Bush’s failures and mistakes, maybe Vick will come back some day as President himself.
More on similar topics:
- Michael Vick’s State Charges – Another Reason to Fire his Lawyers? Michael Vick has not been sentenced in Federal Court yet and was not tried for dog fighting in Federal Court either. His lawyers rush to...






















Are you a vegetarian or animal rights advocate? If not, what exactly is the issue you have with Vick?
No, I am not a vegetarian and while I’m not for abusing animals or mistreating them, I would not consider myself an active advocate (this website is the closest thing to activism that I have ever engaged in, other than adopting dogs from the pound as opposed to buying them from a pet store.)
My issue with Vick, is that he used money to kill and torture dogs. As an NFL and Falcons fan, I helped to enable Vick to do this. As my son grew up, Michael Vick was one example of a person that had achieved a great deal and served as an exciting example to offer to my son showing him how football was played and how it could be fun to watch.
I was not aware of the secret life that Vick kept up from almost the day he signed with the Falcons. So in addition to the laws he broke, I feel he betrayed Falcons and NFL fans. As such I think he should not ever be able to play in the NFL again.
I see no reason why he should be in a position to influence kids again. Let him go work anywhere else and rebuild his life after he is rehabillitated, but do not reward him with an instant reinstatement to fortune and glory.
That’s my personal feeling, if you want to know more, read some of the other articles in this blog, which cover it more in depth, or read the mission statement.
I can understand animal lovers and their concern about animal abuse, but I cannot understand the malice and desire for vengeance directed toward Michael Vick. I wish someone would explain the rationale. He is being treated as though he was “Jack the Riper”. Will it bring those animals back? Will it end animal abuse? My answer to both is no. Animals rights groups come across as being evil and vendictive. If your cause is to preserve animals then I suggest that you tone down the rhoteric toward Michael Vick. I agree that what he did was wrong, but I also believe he should be given the opportunity to rebuild his life and to put his life together, which is something you seek to destroy. Will destroying Michael Vick help your cause. No, I am not an apologist for Michael Vick. I am merely someone who believes that people should be allowed the opportunity to redeem themselves. I would not seek to destroy the life and career of anyone. To do that is to place myself in the role of God. All, even you, are subject to fall, would you want someone to seek to destroy you should you err in someway and I do use the word err.
Dear Hypocrites,
Thank you for your comment. First, we are not associated with PETA, and our mission is not one to protect animals. PETA has that job pretty well covered. Personally, I do not always agree with PETA, but in this case their efforts to protect animals in regards to Michael Vick do correspond with our own intentions.
The reason why our rhetoric is strong against Michael Vick (and keep in mind, we DO NOT advocate any violence what so ever towards Michael Vick), is because not only did he engage in violence against dogs, but he allowed and contracted himself to be held up as a role model for children and teenagers, including my own child.
While in that position of responsibility as a role model for kids, he engaged in multiple types of illegal activity including dog fighting, torturing dogs, killing dogs, running a gambling ring and more.
All those additional gambling related activities were extremely detrimental to actual people. One of the men involved in Vick’s gambling ring was murdered a few days after authorities raided Michael Vick’s home in Virginia. That type of behavior has serious consequences and harms people.
That is just some of the damage that Michael Vick caused, but not all.
The reason why this site is protesting for Michael Vick to be permanently banned from the NFL (note in the early days we had additional goals to have his sponsors stop paying him millions of dollars which he used to kill dogs and engage in all of this bad behavior) is because he should not again be allowed into the same position that enabled him to buy and kill and torture the dogs, to set up shop running an illegal gambling ring, to go into business with drug dealers (the same man that was murdered was a cocaine dealer, when he was murdered, his murderers did not take any of his drugs nor money from his home), and all of the other things.
Michael Vicks job in the NFL enabled him to do all of these terrible things, and his position in the NFL gave him the ability to influence our youth and children. Many children and teenagers today do believe that dog fighting is ok, that killing and torturing dogs is acceptable behavior, and this is in large part due to Michael Vick.
He was a sports hero, an icon. He embraced his status as a sports hero and icon. He embraced it so much that he signed contractual agreements worth close to $250 million that required that he continue to maintain this image. Instead he used the money to perpetrate crimes against people and animals, and now his icon status has translated over to children and teenagers in a way that tells them that Vick is a rebel, that it was cool to do what he did, that it was part of the cool, hero lifestyle.
I do not seek to destroy Michael Vick’s life nor his career. Michael Vick and God have done a very good job of destroying Michael Vick’s life and career together.
We seek only to prevent Michael Vick from access to the vehicle by which he gained all that influence and all that blood money that led to the death of dogs, the torture of dogs and ultimately the murder of one man (even though it is yet to be seen whether the man was murdered by Vick or by one of Vick’s accomplices or someone in the dog fighting community-Note the feds that cooked up the plea deal with Vick’s lawyers are NOT cooperating with the Sheriff in NC investigating that murder).
I do not want Michael Vick in the NFL next year or in any year to come. Allowing Michael Vick back in the NFL would minimize what he did and show people that ultimately the penalty for these crimes is minimal.
Do a few months in jail and get your millionaire contracts back afterwards?
That doesn’t show kids that its wrong, that shows them that money trumps crime.
Now specifically on the topic of killing dogs, this is the behavior of a sociopath. People that go out and torture and kill dogs or any other animal are much more likely to be the same people that do violence against people. Now maybe Michael Vick has enough money and marijuana to keep his sociopathic behavior in check (and maybe gets some release from playing football), but the kids and teenagers that emulate his lifestyle, going to dog fights, raising dogs and training them to fight, putting down the loosing dogs, killing the dogs that do not grow up exhibiting enough strength, torturing dogs to make them meaner all of that is dangerous for kids.
It teaches them that cruelty to living creatures eventually brings about a behavior result that they think they want to see. That is a dangerous cocktail of experience for kids and can very well push many of them into more violent forms of criminal behavior.
Plus, the dogs, which have a natural level of aggressiveness towards other dogs, are turned into killing machines. When they get loose, as any dog does from time to time, these killing machines will attack other dogs, and sometimes confuse small children or adults for other dogs and maul or kill those children or adults.
Michael Vick engaged in this behavior, he promoted it with his vast financial resources, he built up his icon and hero status and now that icon and hero status is associated with dog fighting and will be forever. Michael Vick should not be rewarded with reinstatement in the NFL.
Its wrong for children, its wrong for teenagers. Its an insult to the current players of the NFL. Many of those guys do not make half what Michael Vick makes. They work hard all their lives for just a year or two in the NFL. They leave the NFL with half broken bodies and broken finances.
As an example, William ‘the refrigerator’ Perry, left the NFL after going to the Super Bowl with not a lot of money and works as a brick layer in Chicago last I heard.
Michael Vick can find other work, he can redeem himself by remaking a new career, but he does not need to be rewarded with a free ticket out of jail to easy street.
So that is the rhetoric that I would offer. Again I do not wish Vick any personal ill will, I do not want to see violence come to him at all. (and I work very hard to censor that type of rhetoric from this site) I would definitely like to see him redeem himself.
But just like I would not send a teacher turned child molester back to school to teach after they went to prison, I would not send Michael Vick back to the NFL to live a superstar lifestyle. It was too much for him to handle once, and the consequences were very serious. A man died. I do not think Michael Vick should be sent straight back to the lifestyle that tempted him the first time.
“Many children and teenagers today do believe that dog fighting is ok, that killing and torturing dogs is acceptable behavior, and this is in large part due to Michael Vick.”
Most people didn’t even know the consequences or the severity of dog fighting or abuse before Michael Vick’s crime was brought nationwide. Please state evidence that many people believe dog fighting is acceptable due to Michael Vick. I fail to see the logic in your assumption.
By telling kids that dogfighting is wrong because it cost him his football career, Michael Vick is sending the wrong message. Children who do not have his athletic skills will think that what he says doesn’t apply to them because they don’t have the same thing to lose.
To be effective, he needs to tell people that what he did is barbaric, sadistic and lower than criminal which would require true remorse and comprehension of the evil of what he did.
Many of his dogs who were lucky enough to be saved have been rehabilitated which is far more than I can say for him. A person who committed the acts he did and then says in schools and on “60 Minutes” that his crimes were “poor judgment and what I…allowed to happen to the animals,” still trying to make people think he wasn’t hands-on in the torture and killing of dogs.
He’s trying to portray himself as a victim of peer pressure which even an elementary school-age child knows is absurd coming from an NFL QB, who is paid millions to be a leader.
Please visit roybudmelton.com
My daughter attends a christain college group. The leader was raised to know that if you meet 3 or more jerks,you may want to take a look at yourself. He did not know what that meant whent his dad told him this when he was 10. Whent he got older he figured it out.Its up to everyone to figure it out themselfs on their own time.Just remember if you meet 3 or more jerks,than you may want to take a look at yourself.
Interesting little lesson, I guess in the way that some people are blessed with great friends and family, rich in their association with good people, then Michael Vick is the equivalent of a Powerball jerk winner.
The above ws a general statement not pertaining to any one in particular,just to everyone in some way and this includes myself.