This is incredible for a professional athlete and pretty sick too.
From The NY Times:
Dogfighting Charges Filed Against Falcons Vick
Steve Helber/Associated Press
Authorities searched Tuesday for evidence of dog fighting at a house owned by Michael Vick in Smithfield, Va.
By CLIFTON BROWN
Published: July 18, 2007
Michael Vick has been indicted on federal felony charges alleging that he has sponsored dogfighting since 2001, has frequently gambled on dogfighting, and has authorized acts of cruelty against animals on property that he owned.
Vick, the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback, and three other men were indicted in United States District Court in Richmond, Va.
The indictment of Vick, one of the National Football Leagues star players, is troubling not only for the Falcons, but for a league that has taken a harder stance against players involved in off-field transgressions under policies laid out by the new commissioner, Roger Goodell.
Vick has said that he had no idea the property might have been used in criminal activities, but in recent weeks he has declined to talk about the investigation.
If convicted, the four men could face six years in prison and $350,000 in fines. Vick may escape punishment from the league if he is cleared of the charges, but the league will punish him if he is convicted. A statement yesterday reaffirmed that the N.F.L. intends to watch the situation closely.
We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him, Brian McCarthy, a league spokesman, said in the statement. We will continue to closely monitor developments in this case and to cooperate with law-enforcement authorities. The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vicks guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts. The matter will be reviewed under the leagues personal conduct policy.
The Falcons begin training camp next week and face the possibility that their marquee player will be entangled in legal issues throughout the season. Arthur Blank, the Falcons owner, and Rich McKay, the teams general manager, were returning to the United States from an overseas vacation yesterday and were not immediately available for comment. Reggie Roberts, the Falcons vice president for football communications, released a statement.
With todays news, our club and team will continue to be tested as Michael works through the legal process toward a conclusion, the Falcons statement said. We are disappointed that one of our players, and therefore the Falcons, is being presented to the public in a negative way, and we apologize to our fans and the community for that. Obviously, we are disturbed by todays news from Virginia. However, we are prepared to deal with it, and we will do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out.
According to court documents filed by federal authorities, dogfights have been sponsored by an organization called Bad Newz Kennels at a property in Surry, Va., that has been owned by Vick since at least 2002. During a search of the property in April, 54 pit bulls were recovered, along with a stand used to hold dogs in place for mating, an electronic treadmill modified for dogs and bloody carpeting. The property was searched again in June, and investigators uncovered the graves of seven pit bulls that were alleged to have been killed by members of the Bad Newz Kennels after sessions to test the dogs fighting ability.
The documents allege that before fights, dogs would be weighed and bathed to remove any poison or substance that may have been placed on the dog. Sometimes dogs were starved to make them hungry for the opposing dog. Fights ended when one dog died, or when a dog gave up. According to documents, losing dogs were sometimes put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging, gunshot, electrocution, or body slamming them to the ground.
The men indicted with Vick were Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor. The 18-page indictment alleged that in March 2003, Peace consulted with Vick about a dog that had lost a fight. After Peace and Vick spoke, Peace killed the losing dog by wetting down the animal with water and electrocuting it. In April of this year, the indictment alleged that Peace, Phillips and Vick killed about eight dogs who did not perform well in testing sessions.
It remained to be seen how the league, the Falcons and Vick would deal with his legal troubles in the weeks ahead. But yesterdays indictment insured that the controversy surrounding Vick and his alleged involvement in dogfighting would not go away anytime soon.