If Pacman Jones was a black eye, then Michael Vick is a broken nose to the image of the NFL.
This Tuesday, an indictment (which can be seen in full here) was handed down from federal prosecutors to Atlanta Falcons Quarterback, Michael Vick, charging him with "competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines."
Ironically enough, the enterprise was called "Bad Newz Kennels".
This operation had been going on since 2001, Vick's rookie season with the Falcons, when he and his friends scouted out and bought the property in Virginia. From 2002 until around 2005, according to the indictment, Vick and his cohorts "continued to develop the 1915 Moonlight Road property for the ongoing dog fighting venture, including building : a fence to shield the rear portion of the compound from public view; multiple sheds used at various times to house training equipment, injured dogs, and organized fights ; a house to he occupied by the defendants and others associated with maintaining the property; and kennels and buried car axles with chains for the pit bulls. The buried car axles allow the dog chains to pivot, allowing the pit bulls to avoid getting tangled in the chains."
Now if the just the idea of this enterprise isn't chilling enough, the execution of the animals will make your stomach turn.
The indictment mentions five occasions where Vick associates executed dogs by shooting them. In another incident in 2003, a female pit bull owned by Bad Newz Kennels lost its fight and after a Vick associate, consulted with Vick about the condition of the dog, the associate wet the dog down with water and electrocuted it.
The most grisly of the accusations is that in April of this year Vick and two of his associates killed 8 dogs in various ways, including hanging, drowning, and in one dogs case, slamming its body into the ground repeatedly.
Now with these allegations being levied against him, you would think that endorsements and the NFL would be running from Vick as if he had the plague, this however, is not the case.
Nike suspended the release of Vick's latest shoe but has left all Vick merchandise in stores and has shown no signs of cutting him. To me this seems like a giant hypocracy. While it might be half-hearted, its still a stand of sorts on Nike's part against dog fighting and animal abuse, but Nike still turns a blind eye to the child laborers that make their merchandise.
The NFL on the other hand has taken no action against Vick and have released a statement saying that they will let due process take its course. There are also reports that there is pressure on Vick to take a paid leave of absence. Where was the due process for Pacman Jones who was never convicted of anything. Out of the three suspensions handed down under Goodell, none are getting paid during the suspension. This move by Goodell, who has shown that he feels he has carte blanche over the NFL and can do whatever he wants whenever he wants to do it, is handling this situation with kid gloves and is showing an unwillingness to take action because he isn't a Pacman Jones or a Tank Johnson. Goodell and the NFL need to realize that the Humane Society and PETA are not going away any time soon and that if they continue to not take action that they will be outside the NFL office, outside practices and games until they see sufficient action.
What Vick is accused of doing is one of the most heinous things that any athlete has ever been accused of. The NFL needs to put Vick on ice and start distancing themselves before sponsors start talking in a language the NFL might understand; in terms of cold, hard cash. If this keeps up its only a matter of time before sponsors start pulling funds and it becomes even more of a public relations nightmare than it already is.
If you feel strongly about this issue and want to let the powers that be your feelings on this situation you can contact the NFL and Nike at the links below.
Take Action: NFL Must Throw Book At Vick
Take Action: Nike! Drop Kick Vick!
