“The Falcons QB had participated in executing animals that ‘performed poorly’ by hanging, shooting, drowning and electrocution.”
CNN | OPINION – Since pardons are something of a topic du jour, Mr. President, I have a simple request …
By James A. Gagliano | Feb 24, 2020
I’m fairly certain you’ve heard of former NFL star quarterback Michael Vick.
ESPN’s two-part 30 for 30 documentary entitled “Vick” aired recently.
And to tell the complete story of the film’s 39-year-old protagonist, every second of its three-hour run time was required.
Vick’s tale is one of against-long-odds achievement, meteoric ascension to the pinnacle of his profession and losing it all, while falling prey to hubris and his own cripplingly poor decision-making.
It is also a story of forgiveness, second acts and deserved redemption, Mr. President.
The implausible story arc of Michael Vick begins in a Newport News, Virginia, housing project, where he was born to a teenaged mother in 1980.
As a redshirt college freshman at Virginia Tech in 1999, he nearly singlehandedly won the national championship against Florida State, leaving some wondering whether Vick would be the quarterback of the future.
The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, coming off a disappointing 4-12 season in 2000, traded up to the first spot in the 2001 draft, selecting Vick number one.
Vick didn’t disappoint, bursting onto the scene, electrifying NFL audiences, and becoming the face of the franchise and, for many, of Atlanta.
And in 2002, when Home Depot cofounder Arthur Blank purchased the team for $545 million, his leadership coupled with Vick’s weekly highlight reel performances ushered in a new era of fan excitement.
But Michael Vick wasn’t only an Atlanta Falcons star — he was also the unsuspecting main character in his own Greek tragedy.
On April 25, 2007, arrived the shocking news of his possible complicity in a dog-fighting ring at one of his homes in Surry County, Virginia.
Authorities inadvertently stumbled upon the illicit operation while conducting a drug investigation that involved one of Vick’s relatives.
As further details were revealed of the inhumane treatment and destruction of kenneled dogs at the Vick estate, public outcry against the quarterback reached a zenith. Protestors picketed Falcons facilities and PETA lobbied the NFL to banish him.
But Vick, who in December of 2004 had signed a $130 million, 10-year deal, presumably making him in Blank’s words — “a Falcon for life” — initially refused to admit to any crimes.
He lied to the face of the team owner who had made him a millionaire. He even lied to his Mom.
On July 17, 2007, the Department of Justice came calling when a federal grand jury voted to indict Vick, and three other men, on “conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture” that spanned six years.
Atlanta’s famous quarterback ultimately faced an exposure of up to six years imprisonment and $350,000 in fines.
According to truly chilling details contained in the 19-page indictment, the Falcons quarterback had participated in executing animals that “performed poorly” by hanging, shooting, drowning and electrocution.
Horrifying details contained in the indictment sickened me. I have owned pit bull terriers — the breed kept by Vick and his associates … Read more.
DOGS CAN ENHANCE HUMAN HEALTH – PROVIDED NO ONE BEATS THEM TO DEATH FIRST:
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