Fresh Loaf

October 2009.

That’s when a 29-year-old Michael Vick will be released from federal prison for bankrolling a dog fighting operation that will go down in history as one of the dumbest things a high-profile professional athlete has ever done.

$130 million.

That’s the contract Michael Vick threw away when he helped kill a half-dozen pit bulls that weren’t up to snuff as fighting machines.

23 months.

That’s how long Michael Vick will spend in prison. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson went above the 12-18 month sentence that was recommended by prosecutors when Vick pleaded guilty. There was word last week that federal prosecutors who debriefed Vick on the dog fighting world said he was not forthcoming with them. At the hearing today, it was revealed the FBI gave Vick a polygraph test in October, which he flunked. And the fact that Vick tested positive for marijuana just two weeks after he entered his guilty plea certainly didn’t play in his favor. (One now wonders just what strings were pulled to get that charge concerning the Aquafina water bottle with the hidden compartment at the Miami airport dropped.)

Michael Vick was once the prototype for the new modern quarterback. Now he’s the poster child for stupidity.

As ESPN notes on its homepage, the sentence is a serious blow to Vick’s future as a pro football player. He’s going to spend the next two years in prison, where he’s not going to be getting good food. He won’t be able to work out. He was already a player who needed to improve, and there will be no way to hone his talents sitting in a cell. He was a player who depended on speed, and that speed will be dissipated once he’s released.

And there are the state charges that hang over him that could mean even more prison time once he’s released on the federal conviction.

Even if he can still play football once he’s out of prison, what team is going to want him and all the baggage that comes with him? What team is going to want to deal with protesters outside the stadium with every game? And that’s assuming he’s even allowed back in the NFL, which shouldn’t be taken as a given.

This is the highest fall for a professional athlete since Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball in the prime of his career. Michael Vick and Peyton Manning were the faces of the NFL. Vick had the world at his fingertips.

Today, Manning leads the Indianapolis Colts toward another Super Bowl while Vick arrived at the courthouse in Richmond, Va., wearing prison stripes.

Michael Vick has thrown his life away. And that’s the most tragic thing of all.

Bookmark It

With the fall of Falcons star Michael Vick — who is scheduled to find out his prison term Monday — dogfighting has been under the spotlight in Georgia this year. The irony is, according to state Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, had Vick been under investigation by Georgia authorities, the law against dogfighting here is so arcane that he would never have been charged.

In short, the law against dogfighting in Georgia (pardon the pun) has no teeth.

Rogers has introduced legislation the past two years to toughen Georgia’s laws against dogfighting. Last year, it passed unanimously in the Senate, only to die in a House committee. This year, Rogers expects the proposal to pass. “I think the chances were very good before the Michael Vick situation,” Rogers told CL. “With the Michael Vick situation, the chances are even better.”

Rogers has gotten the support of the Best Friends Animal Society, a 33,000-acre animal sanctuary in Utah. The sanctuary enlisted Willie Nelson to film a public service announcement to bring attention to the proposed law.

Francis Battista, one of the founders of the sanctuary, says Nelson filmed the spot in Las Vegas before a gig at the Hard Rock Hotel. “He has helped us before,” Battista says. “We got involved because the laws in Georgia are pretty slack, and it’s difficult to get any type of conviction.”

The problem with the current law, according to Rogers, is that it is so specific that you have to be caught in the act in order to be prosecuted. “There’s not a single person in jail today in the state for dogfighting,” Rogers says.

As a result, Georgia has become a center for the dogfighting industry. “It’s pretty prevalent now and it’s getting worse because we’ve become kind of a haven,” Rogers says. “We need to be going after the entire dogfighting industry.”

Bookmark It

Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace — who were two of Michael Vick’s closest friends and later turned on him when they agreed to plead guilty to dogfighting conspiracy charges and to testify against him — were sentenced to federal prison this morning in Richmond, Va.

Phillips was one of Vick’s childhood friends and later worked at MV7, Vick’s marketing company. He received a 21-month sentence. Peace received an 18-month sentence. As part of his plea agreement, Phillips gave a statement that said Vick joined in executing at least eight dogs that didn’t do well in test fights by various methods, including hanging and drowning.

“You may have thought this was sporting, but it was very callous and cruel,” U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson told Phillips.

The sentence handed down to Phillips and Peace give an indication of what Vick will face when he is sentenced Dec. 10.

If Vick receives an 18-month sentence in the federal case, the earliest he could return to professional football — if a team will sign him — would be 2009. However, he also faces two state charges in Virginia that have his football career in deeper limbo: Vick could be sentenced to five years in prison on each of those counts.

Bookmark It

The Washington Post devotes a story today that details the accommodations Michael Vick can expect now that he’s turned himself in to begin his prison sentence. Vick has traded the red and black of the Falcons for the standard uniform of the Northern Neck Regional Jail: black-and-white-striped uniforms. The good news is that inmates can wear their own shoes. Wonder if Vick will wear his signature brand of Nikes?

The paper also reveals Vick’s Thanksgiving menu: turkey, stuffing, rice, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie.

Bookmark It

Zoo Atlanta giant pandas Mei Lan and Lun Lun will appear in the 2007 production of Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker.

From Atlanta Ballet Artistic Director John McFall:

“… It has always been a goal of mine to reflect the history, diversity, and energy of our city, the South and its culture. As the father of two little girls, the excitement around Zoo Atlanta’s Pandas amazes me and it just seemed logical to incorporate such icons of our city into, what has become for our patrons, a cherished family tradition.”

Rumor has it that the inclusion of giant pandas is one of several changes the Atlanta Ballet will put in place this year to make the Christmas classic more local and timely.

A source close to the production informed me today the Prince has been replaced by a bloodied pit bull and the Sugar Plum Fairy will be played by Sara Blakely in footless tights.

Bookmark It

Although I was a very young tyke in 1966, I still have memories of the Falcons’ inaugural season when quarterback Randy Johnson spent most of his time trying to avoid being a punching bag for opposing linemen. The Falcons went 3-11 that year, then 1-12-1 the next.

It was futility at its finest.

What I saw last night is simply the worst Falcons team since the original version. As the ESPN commentators pointed out, the defense came out playing hard. They seemed determined to prove their mettle. But once the team fell behind, they stopped trying. And the offense? It only showed how dependent the team was on Michael Vick playing an NFL version of Houdini every week.

But it’s not about the loss of Vick. It’s about how little is left without him. There is an abject lack of planning and player management in the Falcons organization. They started two rookies on the offensive line, one of whom wasn’t even drafted. The wide receivers dropped pass after pass after pass. The team has blown $12 million on Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich, two quarterbacks who can’t lead this team.

But let’s be real: Even Tom Brady would have problems making this team win.

The Falcons are a mess. The veteran players clearly don’t respect coach Bobby Petrino. GM Rich McKay has done a woeful job of player evaluation. And Arthur Blank must be walking around like someone who doesn’t know what hit him.

The Falcons are 1-5. The team has given up. The question now: Are they mediocre enough to be the most mediocre team in the NFL? There’s a No. 1 draft pick next year that’s on the line. And that’s the only thing the Falcons have to play for now.

Bookmark It

If there is any doubt that the Atlanta Falcons will sever ties with its former star quarterback, look no further than today’s arbitration hearing, where the team seeks to recoup $22 million in bonus money paid to Michael Vick.

According to ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, the Falcons contend that Vick “defrauded” them because he knew he was in violation of the terms of the contract when he signed it — he was fighting dogs and knew it violated the personal conduct clauses.

A team doesn’t throw around the term “defrauded” if they intend to continue a relationship with a player. A lot of people in Atlanta desperately want Vick back. Forget it. He’s gone.

An interesting aside: An ESPN poll revealed that a vast majority of people want Vick to be able to continue his football career once he’s released from prison. But when asked if they would want him to play for their team, a majority said no.

Bookmark It

This strange story was reported today by ESPN.com: Michael Vick accepted an invitation from PETA to attend a course on preventing animal cruelty. He then returned to take a test on what he learned, and passed.

Said PETA Assistant Director Dan Shannon: “He seemed nervous at first, but he seemed really interested.”

PETA, of course, has helped lead the charge in designating Vick as the poster child of dogfighting. Vick quietly spent a day with the organization on Sept. 18 and impressed the organization with his sincerity.

It’s the first positive news from the Vick camp since he made his emotional plea for forgiveness at a press conference following his guilty plea in federal court.

Since then, Vick has tested positive for marijuana, been sued for defaulting on a $2.5 million loan and been sued for at least $2 million for not repaying loans related to a car rental business. He’s also been indicted by a Virginia prosecutor on state charges related to the deaths of dogs and dogfighting.

He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson on Dec. 10 for the federal charges.

Bookmark It

ESPN’s Town Hall meeting on Michael Vick last Tuesday featured an audience that was so pro-Vick, it booed and hissed a representative of the Humane Society. It was riveting television, with panelists divided on how, and whether, race has played a role in Vick’s dogfighting conviction.

“I talked to Michael. I said, ‘Michael, I’m going on this show. What do you want the people to know?’ The first thing he said was, ‘T, if I’m guilty of anything, it’s being loyal to friends and family. I have never picked up a gun and killed anyone or anything in my life. I love animals.’”

— Terance Mathis, former Falcons wide receiver

“When you have an organization like PETA, and you’re like Michael Vick and so visible … you become the big face of what dogfighting is. From that standpoint, he gave them the ammo to load that gun.”

— Chuck Smith, former Falcons defensive end

“I guarantee you … if it was a white player, we would not be having the same discussion that we are now.”

— Selena Roberts of the New York Times

“There was the aftermath of that town-hall meeting, for instance, when a middle-aged man approached me with a pained look. He said he was upset that I kept ‘attacking’ Vick … [and that] ‘People just don’t want to give Michael Vick credit for doing so much for Atlanta.’ For instance? ‘He’s the reason we’ve been on “Monday Night Football,”” said the man, with others in the vicinity nodding after his every word. ‘We never would have been on Thanksgiving Day without Michael Vick. He’s just done so much, and y’all just won’t give the young man credit for that. Y’all just want to keep tearing him down, because he’s Michael Vick.’”

— AJC columnist Terence Moore on his experience as a panelist

Bookmark It

A grand jury in Virginia has handed up two felony indictments against Michael Vick and three others.

Vick was charged with one count of beating or killing a dog and one count of engaging in and promoting dogfighting. The charge of beating or killing a dog carries up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine per animal.

Vick and his co-defendants pleaded guilty in federal court to killing between six to eight dogs.

The arraignment is Oct. 3.

Read the AJC story here.

Bookmark It

On a day when fallen boxing champion Mike Tyson pleaded guilty to a cocaine charge and faces four years in prison, the county prosecutor in Surry County announced that he will seek a state indictment against Michael Vick for dogfighting and cruelty to animals.

And if the fallen former Falcons quarterback is convicted of state charges, he would face an additional 40 years in prison.

One presumes that Vick’s legal team would fight any state indictments on the grounds of double jeopardy. It is a basic legal right, addressed in the Constitution, that forbids the government from trying Americans twice for the same offense.

In recent years as the U.S. Supreme Court has grown more conservative, it has become more “liberal” in its interpretation of what constitutes double jeopardy. According to our friends at Wikipedia:

Double jeopardy is … not implicated for separate offenses or in separate jurisdictions arising from the same act. For example, in United States v. Felix (1992), the Supreme Court ruled: “a[n]…offense and a conspiracy to commit that offense are not the same offense for double jeopardy purposes.”

Which would seem to place Vick in a tenuous situation where he could face serious jail time on top of whatever federal sentence he may receive in December.

It will be argued that Surry County Commonwealth Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter is piling on and using the indictments to save face. Poindexter’s office originally pursued the dogfighting allegations against Vick, and was criticized for not being aggressive enough. In fact, the feds swooped in and basically took the case away from Poindexter.

He told the AP last night:

“Most of the matters that I’m presenting have already been admitted in sworn statements authored by the defendants in the federal proceedings,” Poindexter said.

Poindexter couldn’t detail the exact indictments he will pursue, but said the local investigation and the federal investigation largely focused on different crimes.

“The killing of dogs is one of those statutory prohibitions. Dogfighting is a crime, the mistreatment of animals is a crime, so you could take your pick, or take them all,” Poindexter said before cutting the conversation short. “I don’t have anything else to say about it. I’m through with it. Hopefully it’s coming to an end.”

For Michael Vick, it appears, the end is not coming anytime soon.

Bookmark It

As someone who is constantly outraged by what doesn’t outrage other people, I found today’s column about the “Jena 6″ case by Amina Luqman in the Washington Post illuminating.

The passage that hit me in the gut:

When what happened in Jena has been reported, the media’s language has been tepid — marked by such phrases as “a town in turmoil” or “racial strife rips a town apart.”

This language presumes a legitimacy to both sides, a fair fight. Yet there is nothing balanced or fair about what is happening to these boys. Black Americans crave the same outrage the media rained down on Michael Vick for his unjustified abuse of dogs. For mainstream America, Vick’s actions were beyond debate. “How could he be so cruel?” we lamented. Whatever the reason, mainstream America said clearly that what Vick did was wrong. Shouldn’t America be at least as appalled by how Jena has treated these six black teens?

Wow.

Read the rest.

Bookmark It

In what should be a lively discussion, ESPN will host and broadcast a town hall meeting from Atlanta next week to “examine the repercussions of the story that shocked the city and the nation.”

“The Vick Divide — An ESPN Town Meeting” will be broadcast live at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, from Sidney Marcus Auditorium, and hosted by “Outside the Lines” anchor Bob Ley.

ESPN says the show will address the involvement of athletes with dogfighting and the status of the investigation, as well as what lessons can be learned from Vick’s situation, and how Atlanta can move past the issue.

The network also has an online poll that shows interesting numbers.

As of this morning, 72 percent of the respondents say Vick should be allowed to play again after he is released from prison (who would have thought a year ago they’d ever read that sentence). However, 59 percent say they don’t want him to play for their team.

Bookmark It

Former all-pro John Abraham signed a six-year, $45 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons last year to be the team’s star on the defensive line. He wound up missing eight games, but he’s back and healthy so far this year.

ESPN’s Seth Wickersham has a fascinating piece on Abraham, how he lifted his own life out of an alcoholic spin and how he is trying to help his team deal with the loss of its star quarterback. Abraham and Wickersham provide fascinating insight into the dysfunctional team that was the Falcons last year:

“I don’t want this taken the wrong way,” he says, “but we were 7-9 with Mike last year.”

It’s a frank comment from a man who’s spent the past few years learning to be honest with himself. And it’s hard to argue with the assessment that last season’s Falcons were a team that sorely lacked leadership. During a 30-14 loss to the Lions last November, defensive tackle Rod Coleman screamed obscenities at then-defensive backs coach Brett Maxie, who had the nerve to ask Coleman for more effort. And during at least one game, cornerback DeAngelo Hall listened to his iPod on the sideline, tuning out coaches. The Falcons needed Vick to be the leader he was paid $130 million to be; instead, he was the first to leave the complex after practice.

Abraham’s maturity in the locker room will hopefully be a calming influence for the team this year, and he is optimistic about the Falcons.

Then again, Abraham doesn’t play quarterback.

Bookmark It

Whoopi Goldberg came to Michael Vick’s defense on her first day as moderator of “The View.”

Goldberg, who was born in New York City, says blacks in the Deep South have a “different relationship to dogs and cats and things.”

Uh, Whoopi: Open mouth, insert foot.

Also, you can own the notes Michael Vick used to prompt his comments at his news conference following his guilty plea in Richmond.

The latest bid on eBay is at $2,000.

Bookmark It

Those clever guys at ESPN.com came up with some humorous headline ideas concerning Michael Vick’s guilty plea.

Our personal favorite: “Vick Completes First Step To Joining ‘09 Raiders.”

Bookmark It

OK, I’m biased. I’m Sugg.

But Monday, I hinted that the news about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales finally being run out of office might have been timed to coincide with Michael Vick’s crash and burn in a Richmond, Va., federal court. I wrote: “I’ll bet … the cable and network news devote much more time to the dog abuser than they do to the Constitution abuser.” My only error was not including the AJC in the list.

In the Tuesday paper, Vick rated about twice as much space on the front page as did Gonzo. Inside, the Constitution abuser got about five-sixths of a page, while the dog abuser got more than 1.5 pages — plus about two-thirds of a page in the Sports section.

Yep, ol’ Rove knew how to time this one.

Bookmark It

It must be a coincidence. I’m sure the Bush regime wouldn’t try to time the announcement of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ resignation with today’s circus in Virginia involving Michael Vick pleading guilty to charges stemming from dogfighting. Nah, Bush wouldn’t be so craven, would he?

An old spin tactic is to announce bad news at a time when the media are distracted. Bush has been good at that. Gonzo, who likely has committed perjury more than once in recent months, and who has been unrelenting in his attacks on Americans’ constitutional liberties, finally has been run out of office. His likely replacement, Michael Chertoff, will be worse.

But Vick rides to the rescue, press-wise, by falling on his sword in Richmond today. The suspended NFL star rightly deserves every bit of punishment he gets, and much more. But I’ll bet (or as Vick does, I’ll give some money to associates who will bet) the cable and network news devote much more time to the dog abuser than they do to the Constitution abuser.

Bookmark It

The agreement signed by Vick Thursday is notable in its carefully worded passages, especially when it comes to whether he gambled and whether he killed dogs. It also goes far beyond his co-defendants in spelling out the consequences if he lies to the feds.

The wording of the plea agreement is important to Vick in one critical regard: He didn’t gamble. Of course, an NFL player who gets caught up in a gambling scandal can be banned for life from the league. However, although Vick didn’t admit to gambling, he did admit to consorting with gamblers and with bankrolling the bets made by his co-defendants.

Here are some of the key provisions of his plea agreement:

Gambling: Vick says he didn’t gamble. Vick admits that Bad Newz Kennels was involved in gambling activities during the dogfights. He says he provided money for the wagers but did not gamble himself, and that the gambling proceeds were generally split by his co-defendants.

Killing dogs: Vick admits that he helped kill dogs. There are two references to this. The first, in 2002, Vick admits that dogs were tested to determine if they were good fighters. Vick says he was aware the dogs that did not perform well would be killed, but that he “did not kill any dogs at this time.”

In April 2007, Vick admits they tested another batch of dogs and agreed to kill 6 to 8. “Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Vick.”

However, compare that to the terse and stark wording of plea agreements of Peace and Phillips: “Peace, Phillips and Vick executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions … by various methods, including hanging and drowning. All three participated in executing the dogs. Peace [and Phillips] agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick.”

Length of sentence: While prosecutors are expected to recommend a prison term of 12 to 18 months, the agreement plainly spells out that the judge is not bound by that recommendation. Many people who have appeared before the judge predict that he will give Vick additional time.

Cooperation: Vick must provide “full and truthful” cooperation to the government, and provide all information on criminal activity as asked by the government. Vick also agrees to provide to the government all information he knows about his dogfighting enterprise.

Polygraph: Vick agreed to submit to a lie detector test, if requested by prosecutors.

Penalty: If the government discovers that Vick has lied to them, either directly or by omission, Vick cannot change his plea and must face the possibility of a full prison term and perjury charges.

Bookmark It

AP:

More than 50 pit bulls seized from Michael Vick’s property face a Thursday deadline to be claimed. If no one comes forward, they could be euthanized.

Bookmark It

We further ask the NFL, Falcons, and the sponsors not to permanently ban Mr. Vick from his ability to bring hours of enjoyment to fans all over this country.

Don’t do it for Vick. Do it for the people — the people who need the hours of enjoyment he provides!

Puke.

Bookmark It

The fall of a sports icon.

No wonder the Michael Vick plea is getting reaction from all corners of the country. Here’s a sampling of what others are saying:

Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post:

You wonder if the people who unabashedly apologize for Michael Vick, particularly in and around Atlanta, will see Vick for what he is, for what he’s been, or whether they’ll continue to give him the kind of cover that allows his brand of arrogance to thrive. You wonder how many of them will come to the conclusion most of us have, that if Vick really did what his co-conspirators said and drowned dogs after trying unsuccessfully to hang them, he’s pretty much scum-of-the-earth material.

… Like most people who are arrogant but not particularly smart, Vick overplayed his hand. To get back into pro football — and there’s no guarantee — Vick is going to have to repeatedly and convincingly demonstrate a level of humility I doubt he’s felt a single day in his life. And it has to start between now and Monday’s appearance in Richmond.

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News:

For as long as he is in jail, Vick ought to think about what kind of person he wants to be when he gets out, whether he finds another team that wants him or not. He ought to wonder what kind of person got involved in something as terrible as dogfighting, however much he was involved, ask himself what kind of athlete thinks that is some kind of acceptable sport.

He sure ought to think about what kind of friends he had or thought he had, ones to whom he always said he had to be so loyal. This case isn’t about race, even though there are people who want it to be. It is about values and judgment and skewed definitions of friendship, and accountability. If it isn’t some kind of alarm sounding throughout sports, where a lot of guys, white and black and Hispanic, aren’t taking a closer look at all those around them, it ought to be.

(more…)

Bookmark It

The New York Daily News easily wins the award for best headline in the Michael Vick coverage.

Which begs the question: Will Vick ever hear cheers again? Once he’s out of prison, should he be allowed to play pro ball again? And, if so, would you welcome him back to the Falcons?

Bookmark It

1) Michael Vick’s tenure with the Atlanta Falcons is over.
Read Arthur Blank’s statement to Peter King of Sports Illustrated after Vick’s final two co-defendants entered guilty pleas:

“With Michael, I guess looking back now, we should have been concerned about the time he spent away from our facility. When he went home to Virginia, it’s like he disappeared. It seems clear now that Michael had a secret life we didn’t know about. …

“You know, I’ve been criticized for being too close to Michael, for doing things like wheeling him around the Georgia Dome when he was hurt. Being too close to your players is not a negative. I still think, actually, it helps to be close to them, to try to get to know what they’re thinking and what’s going on in their lives. I think what this proves is that you can try to get as close to them as you can, but you’ll never truly get inside their heads.”

That doesn’t sound like an owner ready to stand by his man.

2) Vick will probably serve 12 to 18 months in federal prison.
Citing a source close to the case, the Washington Post reports that the deal, which the judge must approve, will mean Vick goes to prison for up to 18 months.

3) Vick’s NFL career is in jeopardy.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken a hard-line approach with players who get involved with the law.

And don’t forget: Vick lied to Goodell when he was called before the commissioner in July and asked point-blank if Vick was involved with dog fighting or gambling. That’s a huge strike against him. Another huge strike is that Vick violated the NFL’s code of conduct by gambling and consorting with gamblers. The last player who lied to a commissioner about gambling was Pete Rose. It is conceivable that Vick could face a lifetime ban from the sport, and have to apply for reinstatement.

4) Even if Vick does return to a NFL team, he will face a huge public backlash.
What franchise will want a felon convicted of dog fighting to lead their team? What franchise wants to face protesters every Sunday? What franchise wants to bank on a quarterback known for his running ability who has been out of the league for two or three years and is approaching the age of 30? If Vick does return to the NFL, those will be hurdles he and his team will have to face.

5) It ain’t over yet.
According to reports, Vick’s legal team wanted a promise from the state of Virginia not to prosecute him for animal cruelty and dog fighting as part of his federal plea agreement. The Washington Post reports that did not happen.

Vick could face an additional 40 years in prison if the state proceeds with charges.

Bookmark It

Amount of the 10-year contract Michael Vick signed with the Falcons in 2004: $130 million

Average price of a house in Sugarloaf Country Club, where Vick lives: $1 million

Amount of Vick’s signing bonus the Falcons could reclaim: $22 million

Approximate number of e-mails sent to Nike before the company suspended its contract with Vick: 165,000

Betting pool for a fight in 2002 that included a female pit bull named Jane who was owned by Vick: $2,000

Amount lost in wagers on a dog that Vick’s co-defendant says he and Vick later executed by wetting it down and electrocuting it: $13,000

Amount in cash Vick allegedly paid in a gambling loss to a cooperating witness when his dogs lost two fights: $23,000

Number of dogs Vick allegedly helped execute in April because they weren’t good fighters: 8

Years of jail time Vick faces if the state of Virginia, as promised, pursues animal cruelty and dogfighting charges against him: 40

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ESPN.com, federal court documents

Bookmark It