Man Who Hung, Electrocuted and Beat Dogs to Death Given Courage Award by Philadelphia Eagles

Because poor Michael Vick has been through so much. Another reason to root against the Eagles. Sorry but after seeing the victims that he left behind on Dog Town, I still think he's slime.

It takes a special kind of callousness and brutality to treat dogs that way. This isn't a bar fight. It's not the mistakes made from being young. This is making dogs tear each other to shreds. This is watching a dog hanging from a rope getting strangled to death because he didn't make the grade. That kind of cruelty is beyond what most normal people can conceive. I can, for instance, understand how someone can get drunk and do something stupid. I can understand how an NFL player can get into a fight over a girlfriend or something like that. They may be acting stupid, but I can at least understand it. I cannot understand how someone could do what Vick did. It is so utterly cruel.

This man didn't just go to dog fights. He didn't just bet on them. He set up a clandestine business to participate in it. He painted buildings black so nobody could see his dirty business. He set his dogs loose on others that couldn't defend themselves so they could get the taste of blood. And he ran this business for years. A lot of stuff came out in the indictment, but think of all the stuff we don't know about. I bet there's a lot.

I doubt he has the courage to tell us all about all the other nasty things he did. Shame on the Eagles.

New Book on Michael Vick Case

A new book has come out about the Vick case. You can read about it here.

Vick Signs with the Philadelphia Eagles

I used to like this team. I'll never root for them again. I guess someone did want a dog killer on their team.

SCLC to Celebrate Michael Vick Day

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is sponsoring a Michael Vick celebration in Newport News. Whether you think he deserves a second chance or not in the NFL, I find it a little strange that they are sponsoring this. What exactly are they celebrating? His release from prison?

Vick May Be Allowed Back Into NFL

According to the Post, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is considering letting him in with a whopping four game suspension. This is just speculative at this point, but it sounds like he is leaning towards letting him play again. Of course, I wonder which NFL team will want him...

53. In or about March 2003, PEACE, after consulting with VICK about the losing female pit bull's condition, executed the losing dog by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal.

And then there's this:

83. In or about April 2007, PEACE, PHILLIPS and VICK executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in "testing" sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road by various methods including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground.

Sounds almost like they were making a game out of it. I understand, as one sports columnist said, that the man has a right to make a living. I just don't think he should be in the NFL.

Vick Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Dogs

I just hope that flag football contract he gets when he's out of prison can make up for these losses.

His lawyer William R. Martin said in court documents that Vick will deposit $928,073.04 by Friday to an escrow account.

The money is "to be used to pay whatever restitution money is ultimately ordered in this case," states the document, known as a consent order.

The order was filed a week after federal prosecutors asked a federal court in Virginia to order Vick -- also known as "Ookie" -- to keep that much money on hand to cover the dogs' care.

Vick had agreed under his plea agreement to pay "restitution for the full amount of the costs associated with the disposition of all dogs" in the case.

And here's a list of his other liabilities from the CNN article:

• The Atlanta Falcons' attempt to recoup bonus money from his 10-year, $130 million 2004 football contract,
• Vick's alleged default on a $1.3 million bank loan for a wine store,
• Another bank's lawsuit seeking payment for default on a $2.5 million line of credit,
• A third bank's lawsuit seeking at least $2 million for loans related to a car-rental business.

I foresee a future career in advertising psychic hotlines on late night TV or maybe used cars.

Photo by Barrio Dude

Vick May Have to Pay Falcons Back $20 Million

Ouch. Looks like Vick might be giving up more then his job and freedom.

Michael Vick has already paid a heavy price for his role in a gruesome dogfighting ring: a brilliant career on hold, the possibility of prison time, the loss of lucrative endorsement deals.

He might have to tack on another $20 million to the cost.

The disgraced quarterback lost the first round in his financial battle with the Atlanta Falcons when an arbitrator ruled Tuesday that Vick should repay most of the bonus money he got while secretly bankrolling the long-running operation.

The case is far from over. The NFL Players Association said it will appeal the ruling by Stephen B. Burbank, a University of Pennsylvania law professor and special master who oversaw last week's arbitration hearing in Philadelphia.

The Falcons argued that Vick, who pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges, knew he was in violation of the contract when he signed a 10-year, $130 million deal in December 2004.

The team said he used proceeds from the contract to fund his illicit activities and sought the repayment of $19,970,000 in bonuses he was paid over the last three years.

Photo and artwork by Futternut