Gone To The Dogs

ABC News: Vick to Enter Plea on Conspiracy Charges Michael Vick was due in federal court Thursday to start a legal process that jeopardizes not only his career, but also his freedom. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback was expected to appear at a bond hearing and enter a plea on dogfighting conspiracy charges. Vick is accused with three others of conspiracy involving competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting, and conducting the enterprise across state lines. Federal prosecutors allege the operation known as Bad Newz Kennels operated on Vick's property in rural Surry County. The grisly allegations detailed in an 18-page indictment sparked protests by animal rights groups at the headquarters of the NFL and the Falcons, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has barred Vick from training camp while the league investigates. Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the team wanted to suspend Vick for four games, the maximum penalty a team can assess a player, but the NFL asked him to wait. Instead, Blank has told his embattled player to focus on his legal problems, not football. The Falcons opened their first camp under coach Bobby Petrino on Thursday. The case began April 25 when investigators conducting a drug search at the home found 66 dogs, including 55 pit bulls, and equipment typically used in dogfighting. Items such as a "rape stand" that holds aggressive dogs in place for mating and a "breakstick" used to pry open a dog's mouth in a fight were seized. Great. Thanks for giving racist clowns like Rush Limbaugh more ammunition, Mike. The pocket is collapsing on Michael Vick, and there's no place to run. Already the NFL has suspended Vick for a year. Now, one of Vick's "friends", a nobody named Tony Taylor, has agreed to drop a dime on the troubled part-time QB and head of Bad Newz Kennels in return for immunity. When this is over, I don't think he'll go to jail, but he won't be playing in the NFL again anytime soon. Idiot. Yeah, I know it sounds harsh, but I just can't bring myself to feel sorry for Michael Vick. He betrayed his teammates, his community, his fellow African-American quarterbacks, and his talent and he has no one else to blame but himself. I believe every person is born with a special talent that they can do better than anybody else in the world. Tragically, some people never figure out what it is, and others can’t express their gifts because bad luck keeps them ordinary. However, it’s not tragic if you piss away your talent by being lazy, mean, stupid, or all three. Do you think legends like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods ever wasted their precious time by running a shady dog fighting operation? No, the reason these great athletes dominate their sport and give such lousy interviews is because all they think about and all they do is try to get better. Nothing else matters. But Michael Vick made the disastrous choice that being “great” once in a while was good enough. It's not.