I mean I see the charges yes is sick but we don't have any concrete proof that he did anything about this. They might get him on conspiracy or something but not that. I don't understand the P.E.T.A organization because they don't even know if he did anything. And if the NFL does ban Vick it will only cut of some of the NFL's mass audience especially the Atlanta Falcons.
2007-07-25 06:51:41 · 23 answers · asked by den231 1 in Sports ➔ Football (American)
We are all legal experts. And I am not a Vick fan in the least.
Let me edit: Everyone is rushing to judgement. It's the Kobe Bryant case all over again. The indictment is brutal, but we don't really know ANYTHING yet.
Hurting animals strikes a nerve, and rightfully people react in the strongest possible terms.
He's probably indeed a barbarian, but his side of the story hasn't come out. Due process!
Look, when Kobe got the rapist label pinned on him, the same kind of reaction ensued. He's going to prison for 30+! True, the Vick thing sounds horrific, but none of you were there.
The "95% conviction rate" factors in plea bargains. A large percentage of those cases result in reduced charges, and never see a court room. Do you think all these nice dog fighting people are reliable, credible witnesses?
PETA, like any organization has to capitalize on opportunities. Convicting Vick early is just such an opportunity.
He'll be back in the NFL. Kobe Bryant may not have McDonalds for an endorsement deal, but he's the #1 selling jersey. Petco won't sponsor Vick, but he'll be back.
2007-07-25 06:56:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 5⤋
There is no over reacting in this situation. No, he has not been convicted of anything, he does deserve a fair trial. However, the fact of the matter is the he was indited by the federal government. The federal government only indites when they have more then enough evidence to convict. Proof of this is that federal indictments end 95% of the time with a heavy conviction. Beyond that, stories by Vick and others involved are already changing.
The man's career is in serious jeopardy. Even if he gets the minimum penalty, this is proof of guilt. The NFL wants nothing to do with these types of people. Sports are tied in with integrity, these men are role models for young children. If you were to take the greatest football player of all time and find him guilty of raping and killing someone, no team in the NFL would want him. That player would make no profit, no matter how good he was. Vick, who is by no means a fantastic player, was a very profitable one. This indictment, although not as "bad" as raping and killing someone, lowers his reputation and his bank account. Dogs are man's best friend, and as such these crimes are the absolute worse crime that can be done without a human victim.
The only good thing that these horrible things can bring is knowledge of the most misunderstood dog. Perhaps now people will begin to understand that pitbulls aren't as bad as they seem. After all, most of the dogs were killed for not training fast enough. They weren't vicious enough for Vick. The were killed for not wanting to hurt anyone.
What Vick did, if true, cannot possibly be defended by anyone without sounding completely stupid. As a pitbull owner myself, Vick most be made into a clear example that such practices will not be tolerated in the least.
But hey, maybe I'm just blowing everything out of proportion. Maybe he's innocent. Maybe, as one of Vick's cousins have stated, the police planted the dogs their. Let's let the federal courts decide.
2007-07-25 07:15:42 · answer #2 · answered by Don M 1 · 3⤊ 2⤋
One annoying thing about today's society is that the bulk of people base their judgements and opinions on quick headline news. There are probably people out there who still think Duke lacrosse players raped some poor gal at a frat party because they may have missed the end results of that whole ordeal. The interesting news is the shocking, negative stuff. That's what people remember. However, this isn't exactly a hot shot D.A. hoping to get in the spotlight with a high profile case. This is a federal indictment that only gets issued when they feel they have more than enough evidence to prove their case. People shouldn't rush to judgement before getting all the facts, but there seems to be a lot to incriminate Vick on this one.
2007-07-25 07:09:59 · answer #3 · answered by Dethklok 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
The general public tends to makes its guilt/innocence decision at the charging stage, when the person(s) in question is charged/indicted and before all the facts are brought to light. See the Duke Lacrosse case and the Kobe Bryant case for evidence of this phenomenon. This is why so many cases nowadays are tried in the "court of public opinion" with publicists and spin-meisters before ever reaching the Courts of Law. Michael Vick is falling victim to this process.
However, I also understand that the Federal Prosecutors do not go off half-******. They brought the charges against Vick because they believe they have an iron-clad case. The problem with the Duke and Bryant cases is that the prosecutors rushed to proclaim the defendants' guilty in the press before conducting a thorough investigation including interviewing the key witnesses.
2007-07-25 07:05:26 · answer #4 · answered by mark b 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Innocent until proven guilty I agree, but if Vick was one of my employees and he was indicted on federal charges you better believe he would be taking an unpaid leave of abscene. A federal indictment is tough to get and after reading it it's clear they have done their homework. Will he be convicted? Who knows..... stranger things have happened. Plus PETA protests just about anything so them being involved certainly doesn't sway me either way. Oh and you have a 5% chance of dying doing almost all your normal daily stuff like riding in a car, walking along the street, eating, etc, etc, etc. So yeah, I'd say a 95% conviction rate is pretty darn impressive.
2007-07-25 07:46:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
I have read the indictment. I am aware that Michael Vick's cousin who he has laid the blame on was not financially capable to run an operation as costly as the bad newz kennels. I don't need another OJ jury to tell me what to think.
It was his house, and there is no way this could have been going on without his knowing it. He is involved up to his ears.
I am an Altantan and a Falcon Fan. I would gladly give Michael Vick the boot if I had the ability. There is no sport that is more important than standing up for what is right. Those who are defending him at this point because they want to watch him play football are more like cult members than football fans in my opinion.
2007-07-25 07:00:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
Well he is innocent until proven guilty as far as the legal system, however a grand jury did find enough evidence to indict him so there is an issue. Vick is public figure who makes millions to play football - the fans have every right to chose to condemn the activities of the players if they so feel it proper. Vick has shown that he has been involved in this, he has consistently lied to the commish on this issue so right now he doesn't deserve much fan support and he still has the lingering issue with the water bottle with the fake bottom that we all remember.
2007-07-25 07:00:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
There's plenty of proof- the only question is HOW involved he was. The Feds only indict when they have very strong cases- their conviction rate is over 95% on such cases they prosecute.
He was allegedly seen attending the fights (and probably betting on them, we'll find out) and the whole operation ran from HIS property- not someone else's.
There's almost NO chance this was going on without his knowledge, it's really just a question of whether he was just aware of it and an occasional spectator (which would be bad, but not terrible) or whether he was involved in running the operation, in which case he's toast.
I agree he's entitled to due process, so we should let all the facts be heard and see what the jury decides.
2007-07-25 07:06:19 · answer #8 · answered by Proto 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I'm with you 100% on this. The charges are terrible, and if he did it he definitely deserves to go to jail. All the evidence I've heard of is purely circumstantial and they continue to say the same things day after day, not saying anything new, but continually saying it is just going to make the public continue to think he is guilty. I especially think it's crazy when it's one of the best known players in the NFL because of his exciting play. The Falcons and the NFL are both getting terrible publicity off of this. You would think the NFL would try to keep it under wraps as much as possible.
The best example of this is Barry Bonds, the only thing they ever say about his is suspicion and yet they are saying they should put an asterisk(*) when he brakes the biggest record in baseball. and not voting him into the hall of fame, at least on the first ballot when he will hold several records when he retires. I think the MLB commissioner is going after Barry just because Hank Aaron played for Milwaukee who he owned at one point, he is a good friend of Aaron's.
2007-07-25 07:05:22 · answer #9 · answered by Korey 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Vick is fun to watch, even if he isn't an elite qb he is fun to watch, and in Madden he is fun to play with but.... He is also a criminal. Whether he is convicted criminally or not he still has to answer for his actions off the field.
As for the loss of fans, when Barry Sanders took his ball and went home a few years ago the NFL didn't fold. It is way stronger than any team or player. I have no desire to watch Vick play anymore. And I won't! 31 other teams to watch on Sundays...
2007-07-25 07:13:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋