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Sat. Aug 18, 2007

Vick's Longest Yard

I just finished watching a very dated 33 year old movie, The Longest Yard. In part, it involves a football player who lets his teammates down with his illegal acts. He ends up in jail, his career ruined, and his reputation in tatters. And it most definitely made me think of Michael Vick, especially given events earlier in the day: “Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s NFL career is stuck in limbo as his remaining two co-defendants cut deals with prosecutors Friday, leaving him to face federal dog fighting charges alone [...] On Friday, co-defendants Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, and Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy related to dog fighting, joining a third co-defendant Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Va., who entered a guilty plea last month.”

Though Friday passed with no announcement of a plea deal for Vick, and there is even a rumor afloat he’s going to refuse any deal, it sounds like the evidence against him is mounting in a big way.

From the PDF of Phillips’ plea:

PHILLIPS agrees that the “Bad Newz Kennels” business enterprise involved gambling activities in violation of the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as set forth in the indictment. In general, only those accompanying the opposing kennels and “Bad Newz Kennels’” associates were allowed to attend the fights. For a particular dog fight, the opponents would establish a purse or wager for the winning side, ranging from the 100’s up to 1,000’s of dollars. The purse was contingent and dependent on the uncertain outcome of the dog fight, with the winner taking all of the purse at the conclusion of the fight. Participants and spectators would also occasionally place side-bets on the fight, dependent on the ultimate outcome or certain events occurring during the course of the dog fight. The “Bad Newz Kennels’” operation and gambling monies were almost exclusively funded by VICK.

I think in prosecutor talk, that’s “interstate gambling,” which they’ll take up in a “superseding indictment.” But never mind what a prosecutor or a prison term might do to his career, the New York Times points out the Greatest Threat to Vick May Be Links to Gambling: “The N.F.L. prohibits any association with gamblers or with gambling activities. Such involvement may result in severe penalties, including ‘a suspension from the N.F.L. for life,’ the league’s gambling policy states.”

Gambling and being a professional sports star do not mix well. At all. Ask Pete Rose. Then we read in the PDF of the Peace plea: “In or about September 2004, TAYLOR left the ‘Bad News Kennels’ operation following a disagreement with PHILLIPS and others. PEACE became the primary caretaker for the pit bulls at 1915 Moonlight Road and was paid approximately $3,000 per month by VICK.”

Three grand a month. Granted, for Michael Vick that’s not a very big wad. But let’s add it up over time. Taylor helped Vick find the property in spring of 2001 (add cost of property), on which they built a house and “outbuildings” for their operation (add cost of new construction), and until they had a falling out, Taylor likely got that three grand a month. Followed by Peace. Six years times 3K per month is $216,000. Add in the cost of the property, house, outbuildings, and dog expenses, and you’re likely not far from a half million dollars.

So this was a little bit more than “just dogs,” as the common refrain has gone in defense of Vick; “It’s just dogs.” This was an operation very few people would have the disposable income to fund.

And more specific evidence of Vick’s involvement is being mentioned, like at least one photo: “In or about the spring of 2003, PEACE, PHILLIPS, TAYLOR, VICK, and two other individuals traveled from Virginia to North Carolina with a female pit bull named ‘Jane’ to participate in a dog fight against a female pit bull owned by ‘Lockjaw Kennels’ from North Carolina. The purse for the dog fight was established at an unknown amount. Prior to this fight, all four ‘Bad News Kennels’ members took a picture together with ‘Jane.’”

Now, let’s look back to April of this year. Towards the end of April, after the initial search of the property hit the news, Michael Vick told Arthur Blank, no sir, I’m not involved in dog fighting at all. When asked to shoot straight with the NFL Commissioner, he assured him of his innocence as well.

Hell, he told us, meaning you and I, “I’m never there. I’m never at the house. I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven’t been doing the right thing.”

What does the plea say Vick was actually doing in April?

In or about April 2007, PEACE, PHILLIPS, VICK, and two others “rolled” or “tested” additional “Bad Newz Kennels” dogs by putting the dogs through fighting sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road to determine which animals were good fighters. 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 and drowning. All three participated in executing the dogs. PHILLIPS agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of PEACE, PHILLIPS, and VICK.

And Arthur Blank, who has always spoken of the presumption of innocence before now, had this to say Friday: “You think you know somebody for six years and you find out another side of their personality that you didn’t know. It’s always disappointing. If it’s a positive thing you welcome that but something like this. ... I don’t know if any of his teammates anticipated anything like this. I certainly know this owner didn’t anticipate anything like this. It’s very sad.”

Indeed it is. And I’ll leave it at that for now. Though I guess it’s pretty obvious how I feel about this topic, I’m actually holding off on some thoughts until this is a bit more resolved.

Oh, and on a tangential note, the Falcons played tonight. They “won.” That’s in quotation marks because in a pre-season game that didn’t count, they lost another quarterback.

Yes, that’s a black cloud you see hovering over the Georgia Dome. Even during away games.