Originally Posted by
Ziquor
I'm not looking to argue, nor am I retarded. But the mentally ill kids I work with sometimes would probably love you, that's the words of a true intellectual there. Dog fighting's legal in other countires? I hate to be the one to break it to you, but this is AMERICA, and it's illegal here. If you believe in the laws of other countries why not move? I doubt the US will miss ya. Besides since rapinng & beating women is not only legal, but you're expected to do it as a male in some countries does that mean it's ok here? No. Or since murder & torture were legal in in some parts of India does that mean it's ok to condone it and idolize & look up to the people who did it just because they can throw a football? But then again, Vick couldn't really throw a football. He never even came close to being in the same league as Brady or Manning, but he could run but then so could any running back, only better. At least justice prevailed and he'll never play pro ball again. Sorry if we disagree, I just don't understand what happened to real role models. Call me old-fashioned but I respect & look up to people like my parents, Martin Luther King, Abe Lincoln, and so on. Not some mediocre QB who's complete trash does illegal shi! just to get himself off & make himself feel empowered. Yet he received millions because of people who sadly look up to him because he played sports for a team they're a fan of. The funny thing is, even when Vick reached his peak in poularity the most he ever was to people, was the same exact thing his fighting dogs were to him, cheap tastless entertainment.
Just between his selection by the Falcons in the '01 Draft & early '07, here's a tribute to the great Michael Vick:
- In 2007, conflicting statements were made by his estranged parents about possible dogfighting activities in 2001. Michael Boddie, his father, who now lives in Atlanta, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that around 2001, Michael Vick was staging dogfights in the garage of the family's home in Newport News and kept fighting dogs in the family's backyard, including injured ones which the father nursed back to health. Boddie said his son had been urged to not engage in the activity, but continued. He stated "This is Mike's thing. And he knows it." Within days, Michael Vick's mother, Brenda Vick Boddie, who now lives in Suffolk, Virginia, responded. She told the Newport News Daily Press "There was no dogfighting [at our home]. There were no cages."
- In early 2004, two men were arrested in Virginia for distributing marijuana. The truck they were driving was registered to Michael Vick. The Falcons coach Dan Reeves recalled that he lectured Vick at that time on the importance of reputation, on choosing the right friends, on staying out of trouble for the good of his team. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Reeves as having told Vick: "You are an Atlanta Falcon...Whatever you do is going to be a reflection on all of us, not just you."
- On October 10, 2004, Vick and the other members of his party including employee Quanis Phillips were at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport on their way to board an AirTran afternoon flight to Newport News, Virginia. While they were passing through a security checkpoint with Vick, a security camera caught Phillips and Todd Harris picking up an expensive-appearing watch (either a Rolex or a fake) which belonged to Alvin Spencer, a security screener. After watching the theft on a video tape, Spencer filed a police report. However, he claimed that Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, known as the Falcons "fixer", interfered with the investigation.Although Vick representatives declined to make him available for an Atlanta police inquiry, six days later Spencer did get the watch back from them, according to the Washington Post.
- In March 2005 a woman named Sonya Elliott filed a civil lawsuit against Vick alleging she contracted genital herpes from Vick, in the autumn of 2002, and that he failed to inform her that he had the disease. Elliot further alleged that Vick had visited clinics under the alias "Ron Mexico" to get treatments and thus he knew of his condition. On April 24, 2006 Vick's attorney, Lawrence Woodward, revealed that the lawsuit had settled out of court with an undisclosed amount. Many fans bought custom jerseys from NFL.com with Vick's number 7 and the name "MEXICO" on the back, as a reference to his lawsuit. The NFL has since banned customizing jerseys with the name Mexico.
- November 26, 2006, After a Falcons loss to the New Orleans Saints in the Georgia Dome in apparent reaction to fans booing, Vick made an obscene gesture at fans, holding up two middle fingers. He was fined $10,000 by the NFL for his obscene gesture, and agreed to donate another $10,000 to charity.
- January 17, 2007, Vick surrendered a water bottle which had a hidden compartment to security personnel at Miami International Airport. "The compartment was hidden by the bottle's label so that it appeared to be a full bottle of water when held upright," police said. Test results indicated there were no illegal substances in the water bottle and Vick was cleared of any wrongdoing. Vick announced that the water bottle was a jewelry stash box, and that the substance in question had been jewelry.
I could go on but there's no point, peace.