cadilacin

I respect yall boys opinion. But it doesn't change mine. and Tibias...I know plenty of kats who hunt just for the sport of it.

The bottom line is, there is no way to defend or justify Vick's actions. And thats not what i'm doing. I'm just saying that "I" feel that there are plenty of things that are accepted in society that are just as bad or worse than "dog fighting"

So he deserves a shot at "Redemption"...to me.

CheramieIII

You know I might agree with the redemption thing one day but I still have yet to see or hear in Michael Vicks own words, "I did all of those things and I lied to everyone over and over again. I thought I was above the law and that I would never get caught. I am a stupid idiot and I have let everyone down. I don't deserve to play in the NFL and definitely don't deserve any of the money I was paid. I am going to donate all of my earnings over the last 5 years to the SPCA. I will start fresh with no money and earn your respect once again. I am sincerely sorry for what I've done and I swear I will never hurt another animal as long as I am alive. I beg mercy. The mercy I could not give to those dogs I beg of you because it will take me a long time to become human again."

Once he says all that on National TV then maybe, just maybe we can talk.

Golf and sex are about the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.
Jimmy Demaret

ScottF

This thread started with does Vick deserve a shot at redemption...

Once he does his time, the NFL will need to decide how to punish 2 actions: the crime itself, and the fact he lied to Goddell's face about it, embarrassing the league further.

Everyone deserves a second chance after they have served their punishment.
Obviously, Vick will not see the field this year. I think he'll get a 16 game suspension following his jail term. I say add a $2 million fine. The NFL donates fines to charity, so someone calls the Humane Society with the good news.

Now it is 2009, Vick has just turned 29. If he can still play at an NFL-level, good for him. If not, he can write a book, or get a reality series.

He will go down as the BIGGEST waste of talent ever- not Ricky, Dupree, Jason Williams, David Clyde, anyone

BlackandBlue

If you are convicted of a crime, you're considered by the government to be "reformed" once you've completed your sentence. Webster's defines "reformed" as being "amended by removal of faults, abuses... improved in conduct, morals." However, upon release, options for employment are limited and sparse, and in most cases, need to be setup prior to release. We've all seen the section of the job application that refers to criminal records. Yet, I've never heard any organization trumpeting the cause of these ex-cons....
The way our government works, should Vick be redeemed once he's, "served his debt to society?" Yes, he should...
The way our society works.... no, he won't.

blacksaint

I think a lot of you guys posting on this particular thread don't know the severity of the situation. Dog fighting is not isolated to the poor black communities, it's happening in almost every State in this country and a lot of countries all over the world. I found a few stories around the Internet to give some of you guys some type of insight on the popularity and interest of the world of dog fighting.

U.S. Dog-Fighting Rings Stealing Pets for "Bait"
U.S. Dog-Fighting Rings Stealing Pets for "Bait"

The reality of dog fighting
Pet Pitbull - Sad Reality article

Humane Society Seizes Nearly Two Dozen Dogs
Unchain Your Dog.org News | Dogs Seized in Montgomery, Alabama Dogfighting Ring

300 Pit Bulls Seized after Fatal Shooting in Liberty County
Unchain Your Dog.org | 300 Pit Bulls Seized in Eleveland Texas; Dogs Chained and Penned

Pit Bull Settles Calmly into New Digs
Unchain Your Dog.org | Wisconsin Man Suspected of Dog Fighting

New Evidence Found In Apparent Dog Fighting Ring
Firefighter Believed To Be Responsible For Gruesome Crime
Unchain Your Dog.org | Indiana Firefighter Accused Dogfighting/ Fighting Pit Bulls

Owner Cruel to the Bone
Unchain Your Dog.org News | Long Island Man Charged with Dog Fighting, Animal Cruelty

Two Men Booked with Dogfighting
UnchainYourDog.org | New Orleans Men Charged with Animal Cruelty, Neglect and Pit Bull Fighting

17 Pit Bulls Seized in Raid; Homeowner Sought
UnchainYourDog.org | Man Wanted on Animal Cruelty Charges

Officials Find 50-75 Pit Bulls
Unchain Your Dog.org | Ohio Officials Find 50-75 Chained Neglected Pit Bulls

SPCA Rescues 30 Abused Dogs
Unchain Your Dog.org News | 30 Pit Bulls Siezed in Texas Dog Fighting Investigation

This is just a few articles from around the net just to show how deep this form of animal cruelty runs. I could have went on and on and on, but I think you guys can kind of get it, it's not right but it's as common as horse racing where all types of people are involved in it from all walks of life. Some of you guys say it not a racial thing and to a point it's not, but the media focus seems to gravitate to that general area, calling it a subcultural activity and focusing majority of their coverage on black athletes and poor black communities. These dog fighting activities occur in a lot of different communities, mainly but not exclusively in poor and rural areas. What we as a public, the media and all concerned have to realize is it's really not a racial or economical thing, but a cruelty thing. It's very funny to me that all these people are so appalled by what Vick is accused of but won't do anything thing about it but talk. I say if you're that disturb over all this than do something about it, because once the next big thing happen to capture your attention, the media will forget all about it and so will you, that's the real shame of it all, right now it's the big story and soon it will not be. And the dogs will still be fighting and dying and the people still betting, and the media is just going to move on and cover the next flavor of the month.

saint4life
(504)

Tobias-Reiper

... I'll take your word for it, but personally, of all the people who I know who hunt, and I know a lot, they all eat what they kill.

Butv don't get confused, it is not just the "dog fighting" and cruelty to animals that has him in the situation that he's in with the Feds. It is that he ran and financed an interstate enterprise that sponsored illegal activies, including dog fighting, illegal gambling (which just about automatically includes tax evasion) , and drugs - lest we forget, the original raid to his house was on a drug warrant. Once he engaged similar enterprises ,as in pitting his dogs against other kennels' dogs and betting on them, then he became a racketeer.

So let's put dog fighting and cruelty to animals aside, because they actually mud the real issues the Feds are looking at. What we have is, at the very least:

Sponsoring illegal gambling
Sponsoring drug trade
Tax evasion
Racketeering

And those are the issues the Feds, as well as the NFL, care about. And that's why Vick is trying to plead to lesser charges that concern just dog fighting, so he doesn't have to face the music on any of the above.

So you can argue about some things being "worse" than dog fighting that are accepted in our society, but again, is not the meat of the issue with Vick.

'Cause the simple man pays the thrills, the bills and the pills that kill