Michael Vick Accepts Plea Deal Per ESPN

[kapkomet]

I'll bet many of the people who are in his favor have been involved with dogfights or would be if they had the chance.

No, it's the whole "racism" thing...

[Gregory Pratt]

That's it, too, I'm sure.

[Jenksismyhero]

 

 

Normally I hate John Stewart, but this was pretty good. I had the same reaction watching the NBC guys talk about Vick. God forbid this ends Vicks football days. It would be so awesome if Goodell threw the book at him and banned him from the league for life. If the professional sports leagues would grow a pair and realize more money would be made in not running thug leagues than by keeping high profile names we'd all be happier.

 

Mr. Stern...calling Mr. Stern...

[RockRaines]

Normally I hate John Stewart, but this was pretty good. I had the same reaction watching the NBC guys talk about Vick. God forbid this ends Vicks football days. It would be so awesome if Goodell threw the book at him and banned him from the league for life. If the professional sports leagues would grow a pair and realize more money would be made in not running thug leagues than by keeping high profile names we'd all be happier.

 

Mr. Stern...calling Mr. Stern...

How many other professions in the world are totally cool with you making an appearance in prison. Acting, and professional sports is the only ones I can think of. Maybe bounty hunting.

 

If this happened to me at my job, I would not only be fire, but most likely would condemn myself to starting my own biz or working retail or fast food.

[BigSqwert]

Are you f***ing kidding me?

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?i...e=ESPNHeadlines

[BigSqwert]

I agree there is definitely different treatment, and some choice of denial. Animals that people think are "smarter", or are just cuter, get more rage on their behalf if they are made to suffer or die. Cock fighting isn't seen as being as bad, even though that makes little sense. I do understand what you are getting at. But I still think that someone who goes out and shoots a deer, and uses the whole animal in some way, is not in the same ballpark as someone who tortures a dog (or even a bird) into being a fighting animal, and then kills it or lets it be killed.

One word sums it up best to me:

 

Click here to find out which word I mean!

[StrangeSox]

Are you f***ing kidding me?

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?i...e=ESPNHeadlines

 

The Atlanta NAACP was pulling the race card from the minute Vick was investigated and wanted to hold judgement until all of the facts were in -- which is the polar opposite of what they wanted in the Duke case. They're just making themselves look worse and worse.

[Controlled Chaos]

Are you f***ing kidding me?

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?i...e=ESPNHeadlines

This is the same guy from the NAACP that backed Vick before he plead.

 

‘That’s Not Due Process’

The president of the NAACP’s Atlanta chapter explains why the group is urging the public not to rush to judgment on Michael Vick’s case.

 

Haraz N. Ghanbari / Getty Images-pool

Innocent Until Proven Guilty: Vick left the federal courthouse in Richmond, Va., following his arraignment last month

By Joshua Alston

Newsweek

Updated: 5:00 p.m. CT Aug 2, 2007

Aug. 2, 2007 - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick doesn’t seem to have many friends these days. But a few organizations have come to his defense, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP—both of which have cautioned against rushing to judgment in Vick’s indictment on dogfighting charges.

 

But are Vick’s legal troubles a civil-rights issue? NEWSWEEK’s Joshua Alston spoke to R.L. White, president of the Atlanta NAACP, to find out. Excerpts:

 

NEWSWEEK: What motivated you to call a press conference this week, urging restraint in the media’s coverage of Vick’s case?

R.L. White: The biggest factor was that our office had taken so many calls from people who were urging us to take a stand.

 

Is Vick involved with the NAACP somehow?

No, not at all. Our involvement was only based on the response from our constituency. We didn’t make this statement on the urging of him or anybody in his camp. When we looked at the case, we decided that it was important for us to make a statement. I wasn’t aware that our position was going to be so controversial.

 

Can you elaborate on that position?

We believe that the influence of the media is so strong that whatever people see on television and hear on the radio, they believe. The coverage of Michael Vick’s situation has been very negatively skewed, skewed to the point that we don’t believe the whole story is getting out. What we’re asking is that people not make judgments until he has had his day in court.

 

PETA and the Humane Society have been so vocal in their criticism of him because they think he might have harmed an animal. And this case is so high profile that it gave them an opportunity to get up on their soapbox and make news. So they’ve initiated writing campaigns to his sponsors and organized demonstrations outside the Atlanta Falcons training camp. They’ve done whatever they’ve done to bring negative attention to Michael Vick, and at that point it wasn’t about Vick as much as it was about getting publicity for themselves. We feel that’s wrong.

 

We’re not taking a position on whether or not he did it, nor are we condoning dogfighting. We’re merely saying that people shouldn’t rush to judge Michael Vick. When [baltimore Ravens linebacker] Ray Lewis was accused of murder [in 2000], he was still afforded the right to work. [Lewis later pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in a plea deal and the murder charge was dropped.] When [Los Angeles Lakers guard] Kobe Bryant was accused of rape [in 2004], he was still afforded the right to work [those charges were also later dropped]. My question is, are we suggesting that alleged rape and alleged murder is less important than mistreating dogs? He’s been told he cannot come to work because of this because the NFL wants to see if he’s violated the code of conduct, when all the evidence has not yet come out. We think that’s wrong. That’s not due process. It’s the media convicting him before his day in court.

 

 

But this is the same media scrutiny that all celebrities get. Paris Hilton was skewered by the media during her court proceedings. Do you think Vick is being treated differently because he’s black?

I think part of it is his celebrity status, but I think it’s racially influenced as well. Obviously celebrities are scrutinized, but he has attracted scrutiny prior to this case for no other reason than because of his “thuggish” image. That persona may have turned some people off, and when people see that they assume you’ve done something wrong. He’s definitely getting attention because of his celebrity, but in terms of people’s judgment of his guilt, that’s essentially racial profiling. He’s been completely vilified. I haven’t heard one commentator come to Vick’s defense, even to play devil’s advocate.

 

When the Duke lacrosse players were accused of rape, the NAACP came out early in favor of the accuser. Isn’t that the same thing PETA and the Humane Society are doing?

In the case of the Duke players, everyone did form an opinion before the trial, and I’ve been reminded several times that the NAACP came out in favor of the young woman who was the accuser in that case. And I’ve said that just because you make one mistake doesn’t mean you have to continue to make mistakes. In other words, instead of saying, “Let’s rush to judgment in this case because the same thing happened to those boys at Duke,” we should be learning from what happened there and stopping the prejudgment of people’s guilt outside of a courtroom.

 

Dr. Charles Steele, the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said, “We need to support Michael Vick no matter what the evidence reveals.” Do you agree with that position?

I heard that statement, and no, I don’t agree with it if it means condoning his acts. The NAACP cannot condone anything that is wrong. To say that we would support him right or wrong would undermine our credibility. What we would rather do is support him in getting his fair day in court. Beyond that, we would hope that if he is convicted, I assume he would appeal and go through that, and we would certainly support him emotionally. That was the way I interpreted Steele’s statement.

 

What would you say to people who criticize the NAACP for using their resources to aid someone who has the money to afford a superior legal team?

This isn’t something we’re spending money on. The NAACP is in a financial crunch. We couldn’t help in that way even if we wanted to. As far as the time we’re spending on it, issues in this country and how they affect people in the black community are exactly what we should be spending our time doing. Michael Vick has been a hero to many African-Americans for years. It’s important to us because so many of our heroes have been cut down over the years by the press. We still need some heroes in our neighborhoods. It was conventional wisdom that blacks couldn’t lead a team, and here we have someone who can and has done it. Now he’s being vilified. Some people may say we’re spending too much time on it, but we’ve been flooded with calls of support, so clearly someone thinks we’re doing the right thing. And of course, it’s not the only thing we’re working on. But if every other group gets to have their say, why is it wrong for us to weigh in?

 

© 2007 Newsweek, Inc. | Subscribe to Newsweek

[Jenksismyhero]

Two comments:

 

1. Anyone else find it ironic/hilarious that his last name is White.

 

2. Wtf does this mean:

 

""Some have said things to save their own necks," White said. "Michael Vick has received more negative press than if he had killed a human being."

 

White said he does not support dogfighting and that he considers it as bad as hunting.

 

"His crime is, it was a dog," White said."

 

 

 

Specifically that last sentence. Was that like a self-interrupted sentence? "His crime is [not even serious].....it was [just] a [f'ing] dog [man, come on!]." Is that what he meant to say?

[BigSqwert]

Two comments:

 

1. Anyone else find it ironic/hilarious that his last name is White.

 

2. Wtf does this mean:

 

""Some have said things to save their own necks," White said. "Michael Vick has received more negative press than if he had killed a human being."

 

White said he does not support dogfighting and that he considers it as bad as hunting.

 

"His crime is, it was a dog," White said."

Specifically that last sentence. Was that like a self-interrupted sentence? "His crime is [not even serious].....it was [just] a [f'ing] dog [man, come on!]." Is that what he meant to say?

No s***. I was thinking the same thing.

[whitesoxfan101]

To compare hunting and dog fighting is mind boggling. I admit up front I never have nor will hunt (I've never even touched a real gun before), but it takes all kinds of licencing and practice just to be able to hunt legally, and a large amount of hunting, the majority in fact, is for the simple sake of population control. Plus, hunting doesn't involve weeks of training and torture like dog fighting does for the animals. The African-American race as a whole is doing more to set back race relations than any group I've ever seen, they are BEGGING others to hate them. And by others, I mean ANYBODY who isn't black, that is white people, hispanics, asians, middle easterners, everybody.

Edited August 22, 2007 by whitesoxfan101

[Steff]

To compare hunting and dog fighting is mind boggling. I admit up front I never have nor will hunt (I've never even touched a real gun before), but it takes all kinds of licencing and practice just to be able to hunt legally, and a large amount of hunting, the majority in fact, is for the simple sake of population control. Plus, hunting doesn't involve weeks of training and torture like dog fighting does for the animals. The African-American race as a whole is doing more to set back race relations than any group I've ever seen, they are BEGGING others to hate them. And by others, I mean ANYBODY who isn't black, that is white people, hispanics, asians, middle easterners, everybody.

 

 

Wow.

[RockRaines]

If I was a member of the NAACP I would not condone somebody trying to align our organization with a proven criminal who is a vicious murderer of animals for sport. Why dont you stick to some of the athletes who actually do some good. I read stories by Rick Reilly in SI sometimes about athletes that donate multiple homes to victims of Katrina, or just hard-cases from their neighborhood. THOSE are the cases I would focus on, not trying to defend an athlete that has already declared himself guilty of a crime and has under every sense of the law, been proven a criminal.

[RockRaines]

"But this is the same media scrutiny that all celebrities get. Paris Hilton was skewered by the media during her court proceedings. Do you think Vick is being treated differently because he’s black?

I think part of it is his celebrity status, but I think it’s racially influenced as well. Obviously celebrities are scrutinized, but he has attracted scrutiny prior to this case for no other reason than because of his “thuggish” image. That persona may have turned some people off, and when people see that they assume you’ve done something wrong. He’s definitely getting attention because of his celebrity, but in terms of people’s judgment of his guilt, that’s essentially racial profiling. He’s been completely vilified. I haven’t heard one commentator come to Vick’s defense, even to play devil’s advocate."

 

 

 

Whoa there buddy. You think he is being villified because of his image, or because he is truly a villain to every loving dog owner in the United States. He broke the law, admitted it, and is being processed for it. If there was no media to speak of, he would still be convicted of a crime he committed.

[Kyyle23]

WTF?!?!

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/stor...&id=2986420

 

Can someone explain to me why Gene Upshaw should be taking any flak for NOT supporting Michael Vick?

[Balta1701]

WTF?!?!

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/stor...&id=2986420

 

Can someone explain to me why Gene Upshaw should be taking any flak for NOT supporting Michael Vick?

Because who hasn't just gone out back and decided that it was time to lynch a dog?

[whitesoxfan101]

Wow.

 

If your wowing the term African-American as a race because I used it wrong, sorry I'm still working on my grammar. If your wowing the content of that statement, keep wowing. The majority of black people ALWAYS support their own, even if the damn crime is on videotape or something, for the sole purpose of not letting the evil white people that had them as slaves 2 centuries ago win (and btw, almost any white person would say they are embarassed about how we treated blacks in the past, but we can't control it either). "Stop snitching, can't take the boy out the hood", getting mad at Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods for not being the next Martin Luther King, it's all the same anti-white person nonsense and racism in it's own way. I have spent most of my life being colorblind and for the most part I'm still that way, but the way black people act when anybody in their race of significance gets in trouble is a joke, a complete joke.

Edited August 22, 2007 by whitesoxfan101

[NorthSideSox72]

The NAACP is doing more to set back race relations than any group I've ever seen, they are BEGGING others to hate them. And by others, I mean ANYBODY who isn't black, that is white people, hispanics, asians, middle easterners, everybody.

Now THAT I might agree with.

 

[LowerCaseRepublican]

If your wowing the term African-American as a race because I used it wrong, sorry I'm still working on my grammar. If your wowing the content of that statement, keep wowing. The majority of black people ALWAYS support their own, even if the damn crime is on videotape or something, for the sole purpose of not letting the evil white people that had them as slaves 2 centuries ago win (and btw, almost any white person would say they are embarassed about how we treated blacks in the past, but we can't control it either). "Stop snitching, can't take the boy out the hood", getting mad at Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods for not being the next Martin Luther King, it's all the same anti-white person nonsense and racism in it's own way. I have spent most of my life being colorblind and for the most part I'm still that way, but the way black people act when anybody in their race of significance gets in trouble is a joke, a complete joke.

Colorblind. In the words of Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

 

You could write the same thing when anybody of the white race begins losing jobs to Mexicans with their hatred of all immigrants (legal and illegal) and the "Why isn't X Minority Celebrity being talked about in the MSM when there are white males getting raked over the coals for doing the same thing!" It is a blunt generalization that is accurate about some segments of the population, but by and far is inaccurate, asinine and fairly obvious irresponsible to paint with such a wide brush.

[santo=dorf]

Here's one for beastly:

 

If your wowing the term African-American as a race because I used it wrong, sorry I'm still working on my grammar. If your wowing the content of that statement, keep wowing. The majority of black people ALWAYS support their own, even if the damn crime is on videotape or something, for the sole purpose of not letting the evil white people that had them as slaves 2 centuries ago win (and btw, almost any white person would say they are embarassed about how we treated blacks in the past, but we can't control it either). "Stop snitching, can't take the boy out the hood", getting mad at Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods for not being the next Martin Luther King, it's all the same anti-white person nonsense and racism in it's own way. I have spent most of my life being colorblind and for the most part I'm still that way, but the way black people act when anybody in their race of significance gets in trouble is a joke, a complete joke.

 

 

[whitesoxfan101]

Every poll ever taken among african americans about their opinions of everything from O.J. to Vick, along with what every person of prominence in their community says, supports what I'm saying. It may be contoversial, but it holds a lot of water.

[Kyyle23]

Every poll ever taken among african americans about their opinions of everything from O.J. to Vick, along with what every person of prominence in their community says, supports what I'm saying. It may be contoversial, but it holds a lot of water.

 

Link?

[Steff]

If your wowing the term African-American as a race because I used it wrong, sorry I'm still working on my grammar. If your wowing the content of that statement, keep wowing. The majority of black people ALWAYS support their own, even if the damn crime is on videotape or something, for the sole purpose of not letting the evil white people that had them as slaves 2 centuries ago win (and btw, almost any white person would say they are embarassed about how we treated blacks in the past, but we can't control it either). "Stop snitching, can't take the boy out the hood", getting mad at Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods for not being the next Martin Luther King, it's all the same anti-white person nonsense and racism in it's own way. I have spent most of my life being colorblind and for the most part I'm still that way, but the way black people act when anybody in their race of significance gets in trouble is a joke, a complete joke.

 

 

I'm "wowing" it because it was ignorant to lump in the entire AA race in the manner you did.

I'll "wow" next at your further asinine statement that the MAJORITY of "black people" support their own. How many "black people" did you poll on this matter, and would you care to share your scientific results?

There are bad people of every race.

You've spent "most"of your life being colorblind...? Well maybe you should head back that way. Your racism is disgusting.

 

[Steff]

Every poll ever taken among african americans about their opinions of everything from O.J. to Vick, along with what every person of prominence in their community says, supports what I'm saying. It may be contoversial, but it holds a lot of water.

 

 

You are so vile.

[Jenksismyhero]

The NAACP, Sharpton, Jackson, and any other "leader" of black organizations have set back race relations more than the normal everyday joe walking the streets. Why? Because they continue to harp on everything negative that ever happens to a black person. THEY are the ones who continue to differentiate the races and THEY are the ones who continue to drive an axe between all of us. This White guy is a perfect example. He could have said "this Vick guy is such a douchebag. He kills dogs. How sick is that? No human should act that way." Instead he takes on the "oh he's black and he's being charged with a crime....well duh, its the white mans fault." Race didn't need to play a part in this. But HE brought it up.

 

I think people who suffer from white guilt should relax a little bit and stop calling whitesoxfan a racist. He's pointing out an obvious trait in all of us. Black people do generally stick up for their own. The OJ trial being the best example. Chappelle did a great piece on this when he poked fun of blacks reactions to OJ, Kelly and then Robert Blake ("ah yeah, that mf did that"). I'm fine with him asserting this so long as he also agrees that every race does that. It's sort of like being a football fan of a university. If a rival team has some guys who get caught being drunk and the NCAA does nothing about it, you get pissed. You yell and scream about how unfair the system is, how terrible the coaches/AD run their program, etc etc. If it happens to players on your favorite team, well, it wasn't THAT bad. The kid was just drinking, all college kids do that right?

Edited August 23, 2007 by Jenksismybitch