Dog Killer

I am still unbelievably disappointed in Michael Vick. It just kills me when I see people with such great talent (football, art, music, whatever) fuck it up by doing something ridiculously stupid. Part of is jealously on my part for wishing I had some sort of great talent. He has talent. He was a great football player - admittedly more so in college than in the pros. Still. He was a great figure that we could all support. Watching him play in person at Lane Stadium was one of the coolest things ever. Then these horrible charges come to light and we learn who the real Michael Vick is. Someone who has no regard for the lives of other living animals. Dogs (and cats - holla!) are part of our families and our lives. People spend ridiculous amounts of money on their pets every year on toys, food, health care, etc. That is why what he did is so horrible. It isn't the same as cockfighting or bull riding (although i don't support either of those activities either.) Anyone who has that level of disregard for a dog is just a short slippery slope away from feeling that way about a person.

The great number 7 turned himself in to the authorities today to start serving his sentence (whatever that might be) - three weeks before his scheduled sentencing hearing.

Let's hope that he learns something while in jail. But what is done is done. He will never be the same in my eyes. If I owned a Vick jersey I would have sent it to the ASPCA just like all of those other former fans. I am so disappointed...

Vick surrenders early to begin dogfighting sentence
Story Highlights
Sentencing set for December 10 on dogfighting charges against Michael Vick
Atlanta Falcons quarterback pleaded guilty in August
Monday, he surrendered to begin whatever sentence he gets on December 10
He faces 12 to 18 months on charge of running dogfighting ring from his home
(CNN) -- Michael Vick turned himself in to authorities on Monday to get a head start on serving his sentence for running a dogfighting ring, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10 on a federal conspiracy charge of bankrolling the dogfighting operation.
Vick, 27, voluntarily turned himself in around noon, said Kevin Trevillan of the Marshals Service, and is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia, until the sentencing hearing.
The quarterback, who has been suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, faces 12 to 18 months in prison on the charge.
He pleaded guilty in August after three associates admitted their own roles in the operation and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
On September 25, a Virginia grand jury indicted Vick and the three co-defendants -- Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia -- on state charges of running a dogfighting ring at Vick's home outside Newport News.
The Surry County grand jury brought two charges against the four men: one count of unlawfully torturing and killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. Each is a felony charge that could result in a five-year prison term.
In addition, Taylor faces three additional counts of unlawful torture and killing of dogs.
A hearing in that case is set for November 27, but Vick does not have to be in court at that time.
In September, Vick was put under tight restrictions by the federal court after he tested positive for marijuana use.
Vick tested positive for the drug on September 13, a court document from the Eastern District of Virginia shows.
As a result, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ordered Vick to "submit to any method of testing required by the pretrial services officer or the supervising officer for determining whether the defendant is using a prohibited substance."
Those methods could include random drug testing, a remote alcohol testing system "and/or any form of prohibited substance screening or testing," the order said.
Vick was also ordered to stay home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., "or as directed by the pretrial services officer or supervising officer," the order said. He was to be electronically monitored during that time.
Vick must participate in substance abuse therapy and mental health counseling "if deemed advisable by the pretrial services officer or supervising officer" at his own expense, the order said.