Just. Wrong.

[susiestar]

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32494159/ns/sports-nfl

Now you can pay $39.99 and get a jersey for your dog with Michael Vick's name on it.

First the guy ran ILLEGAL dog fights - a totally brutal exploitation of abused dogs abusing each other.

He went to court and then to jail.

Now he is not only allowed to go back to playing pro football (to me this is wrong. Pete Rose got tossed out of the Hall of Fame for gambling and this guy is getting millions of dollars to play another sport after he abused his position and celebrity and many many dogs to further another type of gambling.)

I don't think Vick should be allowed to play football. Ball players are role models for kids. What kind of role model is he?

I totally do NOT buy his wanting to be par of a solution and working with humane societies. At the least his earnings should be split between him and the humane societies. I have seen videos of the dogs that were rescued from his merciless business of exploiting them. It was heartbreaking.

This offer, shirts for dogs with his name on it, is just wrong. Rude, insensitive, and it makes a mockery of his consequences from the conviction on dog fighting.

JMO, of course.

 

[1905]

I will play the devils advocate, don't hate me, I'm a huge Eagles fan and bought 2 jersey's with Vick's name on the back.
I absolutely disagree with what he did, and am sickened by it. He went to jail, lost his millions, and paid the price he was given. How many of our difficult child's deserve a second chance at life? So, this can be a teaching moment. Even if you screw up your life so badly, don't give up- you can make decisions, and move on. Anyone can change thier lives from this moment forward. He can do something good for animals now, even if it's just for show, so what, he can still help. (That's a condition set by Jeffery Lurie, owner of the Eagles, for Vick to be on the team.)

Also, these animals were bred for fighting, they weren't pets. We eat chickens, they are bred and killed for us to eat, we have no problem with that. They're animals, too.

 

[DammitJanet]

Upallnight

There is a huge difference here in your argument.

First I will deal with your reference to the chicken example. You might have a point if you were talking about chicken fighting but he was dog fighting. Dogs are never meant to be eaten. We dont raise dogs in our back yard to be meat. They are pets. They have feelings and emotions. Yes, these particular dogs were raised to be fought and this breed tends to be raised to be fought but they were originally raised to herd and catch pigs and bulls. I cant abide dog fighting. We are, or have been, involved in chicken fighting because it is a totally different sport. Chickens really dont have the same emotions. They naturally fight in the wild. Dogs dont. Dogs arent even meant to be wild. Dogs are domesticated animals. Chickens arent. Chickens who are raised to be fought are kept in cages and live for years as opposed to the average 4 to 6 months that Purdue or Holly Farms keeps their chickens alive before they kill them to send them to the grocery store. We had chickens that lived for upwards of 13 or more years.

Now as far as Micheal Vick. I am all for people getting second chance if they are truly remorseful but he has not attoned for his sins. He has not admitted what he really did. He claims he only provided the space for this dogfighting ring to run. He hasnt admitted he actually killed those dogs in that awful manner, he hasnt admitted he betted on those fights. Or even that he actually went to the fights. There isnt a person alive who knows anything about dogfighting who believes a word coming out of his mouth. I know someone who bought a Vick dog. Before he got caught. We all know he was fighting them and that he was betting on them. If you are fighting them and NOT betting on them, you are just watching for the thrill of seeing a dog bleed to death. That is just a really sick individual. Which means he is just lying to keep from breaking the football leagues gambling rules. Which should be a problem for them too.

Anyway he goes he should be in trouble with the NFL for more than just the dog fighting because he is lying on top of the dog fighting and they know it. They are just choosing to turn a blind eye because he is a good quarterback. If I was Donovan McNab I would be really ticked off. He is a good quarterback who now has all the attention being drawn away from him and onto a donkey who shouldnt even be there.

 

[house of cards]

Seems to me that the shirts are marketed to the owners of fighting dogs...who else would want to display Vick's name on a dog?? Dog fighting is illegal and this is supporting it...very poor taste.

 

[flutterby]

Just for the record, all but 2 of Michael Vick's fighting dogs were rehabilitated and rehomed. Bred to fight or not, it's torture and they are obviously capable of so much more.

 

[donna723]

Michael Vick is one sorry, twisted person and it makes me sick to see him glorified in any way! He didn't just fight those dogs. He personally tortured the losers to death - and apparently just for his amusement. Some were drowned, some were burned, etc. Some had the leads from car batteries attached to their ears, then were thrown into his swimming pool to drown while he and his buddies watched. Apparently that was their idea of 'fun'. They said there are big gashes in the sides of the swimming pool where these poor dogs tried desperately to climb out. Doesn't get much sicker than that! I don't care how good of a football player he is. He's a miserable excuse for a human being!

 

[klmno]

Now you can pay $39.99 and get a jersey for your dog with Michael Vick's name on it.

I have no words for that one....but I won't be buying one. FWIW, I don't think he's remorseful at all. I think he's just saying what it takes to get him back to being a football star. He and his brother never seemed to have much of a conscience to me, not when they were playing college football and not now.

 

[susiestar]

That is precisely why I think it is simply wrong to sell shirts, especially ones for dogs, with Vick's name on them.

Dogs truly are domesticated animals. No 2 ways about it. they CAN go feral if dumped in the country and left to fend for themselves. But usually they end up dead because they just are not wild animals any more. I have known MANY people who live in the country and find dogs who are "feral", even those running in packs. With VERY FEW exceptions a loving person can work with these dogs and they can again become loving protective pets who are just as safe around people as any other dog.

Cats are NOT as domesticated. But they are harder to train so cat fighting never really seems to be an issue. Cats ignore you if you expect stupid things from them. They also will turn on a vicious owner.

Vick is not now remorseful over anything but getting caught. He is sorry he got caught. He is sorry he went to prison. He is sorry he lost money and didn't get paid for games while he was in prison.

He is a sorry excuse for a human being who needs to have done to him what he did to those dogs.

THAT would be a fitting punishment in my opinion.

He is NOT sorry nor does he "see the error of his ways" nor is he anyone I would want advocating for the Humane Society or any other animal group.

Maybe we should dump him hog tied into a PETA rally. THAT would maybe be fitting punishment.

I will not purchase any NFL merchandise for any reason from this day forward until such time as Vick is kicked out of the NFL. It is my personal choice. If others feel this way maybe contacting the team or the NFL is something you choose to do.

 

[jbrain]

Susiestar,
I totally agree with you--thanks for such a well written post--Now I don't have to try to do it!
Jane

 

[1905]

Janet, I agree with you. I think he is a liar, Jefffrey Lurie doesn't care either, and he made this phoney condition so the fans would still support the team. It's all about money for everyone. They only have to pay him 1 million this year, and 5 the next. That's cheap. I cannot believe he was reinstated to the NFL, and his punishment from the NFL is to only sit out for 2 games. Game 3 of this season he can play, I just heard that yesterday on the news. Many Philly fans are done with the Eagles. That not news, but it's a huge reality. I could never watch a helpless dog being tortured! My 15 year old was angry about him being on the team for awhile, then he forgave him and wanted the jersey. husband is fuming mad. He's mad at me for getting the kids jerseys. Last night watching the game, my family was shouting curse words at the screen whenever Vick came on. I'm sure this scene was played out by everyone watching. We are still Eagles fans though.

 

[DammitJanet]

I dont blame you for being eagles fans. It is hard to stop loving a team when this sort of thing happens. Sigh. I have to put my feelings aside because the eagles play my panthers in the opening game. I was going to boycott that game but what good would that really do...lol. I am just one person sitting in my home and they wouldnt even know I was doing it. I would just be upsetting myself and he isnt even playing in the game!