I awoke this morning to read stories stating that Michael Vick has now been indicted on federal charges related to his involvement in an interstate dogfighting ring.
Vick obviously claimed and still claims that he had no involvement in the dogfighting on property he owned but that was inhabited by a relative. Who wouldn’t?
But here’s the thing. This isn’t having babies outside of wedlock. This isn’t getting (and giving other people) herpes and going thru getting tested under the nomme de plume Ron Mexico. This isn’t his ass-hattery involving a water bottle with a false bottom that may or may not have contained pot or smelled like pot or whatever.
This indictment not only implies that Vick knew what was happening, but that he also was intimately involved in the operation and even had a hand in the execution of multiple dogs in various ways (drowning, electrocution and slamming at least one dog’s body against the ground repeatedly until it was dead).
At this point, I’m long past the point where I am a quiet apologist for the other bullshit. This gutless, ignorant fuck actively ran an activity that is as cruel as an activity can be. And innocent until proven guilty be damned, we have every reason to believe this bastard was like a godfather of dogfighting. I don’t think I have been more disgusted by a public figure.
The question now is, what do the Falcons do?
I’m sure they’ll wait the 12-18 months it will take for this to get to trial. Then, if (and you know I mean when) Vick is either convicted or cops a plea (which you fucking know he will do also), the league and the team will have some hard decisions to make, but the team in particular will be in the spotlight.
Why? Because Arthur Blank has repeatedly touted his “good citizenship” policy and talked about how he won’t tolerate players that break the law.
This isn’t drunk and disorderly at a strip club in the middle of the night. This isn’t possession of a gun while high in your car. This piece of shit did something for a period possibly approaching a decade that a brain dead eggplant would know is not only completely wrong but also absolutely immoral and inhumane.
And I know what you are saying. An indictment doesn’t mean anything. To quote myriad lawyers over the years, if a grand jury wanted to, they could indict a ham sandwich. But a Federal indictment is way WAY different. Why? Well, according to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com:
“There is a reason, however, that the Feds own a conviction rate of better than 95 percent. The government typically doesn’t indict unless it knows it can probably convict, and that should be unsettling news for the Falcons and their quarterback.”
If Arthur Blank wants to maintain a shred of his credibility, he needs to be proactive. Either trade Vick or cut the fucker. I don’t care. I’d rather the Falcons lose every game for a decade than have them win a Super Bowl with this piece of human shit as the quarterback.
What say you?