Co-defendant’s plea agreement: Vick helped execute eight dogs
posted at 1:28 pm on August 17, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Most of the gruesome details came out last month but Vick himself notably wasn’t accused at the time of having participated in any of the killings. The AP report simply stated that eight dogs had been executed. Vick, in fact, “said he was rarely at the house [where the fighting occurred], had no idea it may have been used in a criminal enterprise and blamed family members for taking advantage of his generosity.”
Two of his co-defendants copped a plea this morning; the Smoking Gun has a copy of one of the agreements. If it’s true, then the reality about Vick’s role is, it seems, more nuanced:
According to the other co-defendant’s plea agreement, which the AJC has seen but the Smoking Gun hasn’t, he also posed for a photo with the three other suspects and one of the pit bulls on a trip to North Carolina for a dogfight in 2003. (See paragraph 22 of the Smoking Gun document for more.) The AJC identifies the opposing side in that fight as Lockjaw Kennels; reader Ray F., who tipped me to this story, e-mails to say that there’s a website for something called Lockjaw Kennels online but obviously there’s no way to know if it’s the same Lockjaw Kennels fingered by Vick’s co-defendant. Let’s hope it isn’t: the webpage lists blogosphere fave R. Lee Ermey among its celebrity endorsements.
Paragraph 4 of the Smoking Gun document also alleges that Vick bankrolled the whole operation, not surprisingly. The amazing thing is how far back this appears to go: if you believe the plea agreement, he was traveling out of state for dogfights as of late 2003, after he’d already been to the Pro Bowl and become an established superstar. Exit question: How’d he manage to keep it quiet for this long?
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First rule of fight club.
JackStraw on August 17, 2007 at 1:33 PM
have the falcons even suspended him yet or the nfl?
lorien1973 on August 17, 2007 at 1:34 PM
Even better question: why didn’t someone turn him in sooner?
This is the most disgusting, inhumane thing I think I’ve read in a very long time.
pullingmyhairout on August 17, 2007 at 1:39 PM
Can the newz get any worse?
JammieWearingFool on August 17, 2007 at 1:41 PM
Just keeping it real, Dawg.
Matticus Finch on August 17, 2007 at 1:44 PM
Duffel bags full of cash at the fights according to an informant of Outside the Lines a few months ago. No kidding. He was the banker and nobody rats out the money source (until they get caught).
For those of you interest in the whole dog fighting underworld, watch this weeks episode of Real Sports on HBO. Bernie Goldberg did a whole segment on it. It’s very, very disturbing. These creeps steal dogs from yards to train the young Pit Bulls to kill. When a dog quits it’s killed – no exceptions. The cull their herd of the weaklings. I’m getting angrier and angrier just thinks about what I saw…
TheBigOldDog on August 17, 2007 at 1:45 PM
If he’s not banned for life, I’m through with the NFL.
Blacklake on August 17, 2007 at 1:47 PM
PS – they are all super secretive paranoids too and as well all know, only the paranoid survive. You get like an hours notice before the fights and they change the location several times, that sort of thing…
TheBigOldDog on August 17, 2007 at 1:47 PM
” How’d he manage to keep it quiet for this long? ”
You assume it was quiet just because it was out of the media spotlight. But lots of people knew Vick was fighting dogs. Many of those people are black athletes too. Week before last, Deion Sanders admitted that he knows athletes who fight dogs. Redskins running back Clinton Portis grinned while dismissing what Vick did, intimating that lots of people he knows fight dogs.
Vick’s brother Marcus was probably in on it too. Aaron Brooks, the cousin of Michael Vick probably watched a few of the fights too, after all, the Sportscasters keep telling fans how close the two are.
And then there are all of those other kennels in New York, Jersey, the Carolinas, etc that also knew that Vick was involved in dog fighting, and probably thought it was cool to bring an opponent against one of his animals.
BelchSpeak on August 17, 2007 at 1:52 PM
HA – very good!
taterblade on August 17, 2007 at 1:59 PM
Exit question: How’d he manage to keep it quiet for this long?
Money talks baby…..
JohnnyD on August 17, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Vick’s mistake is that he didn’t kill a human.
/s/ Ray Lewis
Labamigo on August 17, 2007 at 2:02 PM
He’d be facing life or execution. Instead, a plea deal could put him in for just a year.
amerpundit on August 17, 2007 at 2:09 PM
Perhaps Peace, Phillips, and Vick could be chained into a dog fighting pit with a bunch of angry pitbulls. Make the punishment fit the crime.
infidel4life on August 17, 2007 at 2:17 PM
CLANK!…that sound of metal coming together…and that flusing sound of $$$$ going down the drain…where’s al and jessup when you need them…after all…this is a racist thing …isn’t it…???
areseaoh on August 17, 2007 at 2:18 PM
Don’t get me started on this. Let’s see. /s
No unbiased jurists can be found(jury of fellow dog fighters).
Co-defendants were bought off by an over zealous prosecutor,caving in to the whims of a public with an un-natural respect for dogs.
Notice, members of the jury. The prosecutor is a white man.
/-s
I’ll shut up now.
captivated_dem on August 17, 2007 at 2:19 PM
The blatant arrogance – that celebretainers can act with impunity a la Rosie, Britney, Lindsey, Vick, PacMan, Rodman, et al, is only reinforced by our shameless acquiescence. I knew there was a reason I didn’t watch pro sports since my dad died. The idea that thugs of this caliber are paid insane sums just because is appalling.
TinMan13 on August 17, 2007 at 2:22 PM
The Falcons have told him not to report to camp. There are reports of the NFL suspending Vick for the year, and others saying that they haven’t done so.
Bigfoot on August 17, 2007 at 2:24 PM
Oh yeah, them Lockjaw Dawgz are just deformed and fat. No 92lb dawg could last with a good game pit dog.
TinMan13 on August 17, 2007 at 2:26 PM
Sarcasm on /s
Sarcasm off /-s
captivated_dem on August 17, 2007 at 2:27 PM
I’m not defending any of this, but what strikes me is the reaction at “how despicable this is” when many people hardly raise an eybrow over things that are much worse.
For years, there have been all kinds of professional athletes running around doing coke and sexually assaulting women and whatever else and people didn’t call for them to be banned.
Plus, I find especially odd the liberal bleeding hearts that are so concerned about dogs, but then embrace the Castros and Chavezes and Mugabes, oh – and Husseins, who treat real, actual human beings like dogs and worse.
CP on August 17, 2007 at 2:31 PM
its bad, but Abortion is less humane. Whats going on in the Middle east and elsewhere turning kids into human bombs is also worse. human life trumps animal life, though obviously what Vick was doing was pretty bad.
jp on August 17, 2007 at 2:40 PM
I’m wondering if he is “still looking forward to proving his innocence.” If he gets probation then our legal system is no longer credible.
volsense on August 17, 2007 at 2:43 PM
What a monumental scumbag. And incredibly stupid to boot! If i was a NFL quarterback, earning tens of millions of dollars a year, you can be 100% sure i wouldn’t get involved in dog fighting.
madne0 on August 17, 2007 at 2:44 PM
Answer: it wasn’t all that quiet, was it? Lots of people knew about this. It just seems that outsiders (government and media) weren’t paying attention. After all, it is absurd that someone in Vick’s position would do this.
Dog fighting is not like some other crimes. The fighting and the gambling are both highly social activities. Lots of people knew.
Thomas the Wraith on August 17, 2007 at 2:48 PM
I’m already there, add most professional sports too. It’s a ll a game of power and exploitation and way too commercial to boot. Players are overpaid, overhyped and spoiled. Money is power and power corrupts.
synycalwon on August 17, 2007 at 2:57 PM
The media seems to be stymied by the Hierarchy of Victimhood matrix.
Abusing dogs — even Pit Bulls — ranks near the top of every category, and even transcends sports by reaching women, who tend to be merciless on the issue.
But, we have a persecuted black man with cornrows in Mr. Vick, and this factor competes with the puppy factor at the top of the matrix. The effect is a muting of the seething hysteria which bubbles quietly below the surface.
The answer: selective release of photos – related or not – of pit bulls who have been injured, maimed, or killed in dog fights, which will leapfrog the story back into the most public of public eyes. God help Vick if some of the pictures I have seen get MSM play. His only hope is that they’re too graphic for TV.
A picture is worth a thousand dogs.
Jaibones on August 17, 2007 at 3:02 PM
Late Disclaimer: I am a dog owner and dog lover, and this story makes me sick to my stomach. Vick should be banned from the NFL just for being a sadistic asshole.
Jaibones on August 17, 2007 at 3:03 PM
After you have money, the next step is to have power. That includes the power to dictate life and death over an animal. Vick has been a wanna-be gang banger since college. This is how he keeps his “street cred”.
It’s ridiculous.
If convicted, let him rot in prison for a few years.
natesnake on August 17, 2007 at 3:05 PM
Oh, forgot to add collegiate sports too. There is a whole underlying problem here that creates these spoiled athletes.
synycalwon on August 17, 2007 at 3:05 PM
All the reports said that Mr. Vick had until 9:00 am today to accept the plea offer, which would have given him a year in custody. It was reported that, if he failed to accept the plea deal by today, he would then be subject to a much more serious and broader ranged series of charges.
There is no report that Mr. Vick has accepted.
It seems to me, therefore, that Mr. Vick is exhibiting the same good judgement that he used when he decided that getting into dog-fighting would be cool, or a neat way to make some extra cash (because,I guess, he wasn’t making enough as a first string NFL quarterback).
Blaise on August 17, 2007 at 3:07 PM
That arrogant prick doesn’t deserve his talent, money, or fame.
ROT.
natesnake on August 17, 2007 at 3:09 PM
Why can’t we have more pro athletes like Lebron James and Peyton Manning?
Pro sports is littered with these arrogant, self absorbed, criminally fascinated idiots. The NBA, NFL, and MLB would do well to institute zero tollerance policies. I don’t care how much talent you have. If you can’t operate as a normal human being, then you don’t deserve the money and fame.
Period.
natesnake on August 17, 2007 at 3:16 PM
ProQB turns ConVickt.
fogw on August 17, 2007 at 3:25 PM
I’m already done with the NFL!
sabbott on August 17, 2007 at 3:26 PM
ummm…Peyton may be a relatively nice guy, but he is as arrogant and self absorbed as the rest of them.
Rightwingsparkle on August 17, 2007 at 3:27 PM
Could have been you taken off the porch, being a big old dog. But then I have a feeling they would have gotten more of a “dog” then they bargained for.
right2bright on August 17, 2007 at 3:38 PM
A year sentence is actually 6 months. He would have time to complete for his old job or replace the one in KC.
ackrite55 on August 17, 2007 at 3:51 PM
Lockjaw Kennels 1st listed celebrity endorsement: C-Murder
His wiki entry contains this tidbit under career highlights:
clghitis on August 17, 2007 at 4:05 PM
I think the reason why this is so much more “shocking” than a sexual assault is because so many people are quick to disbelieve a female who claims sexual assault. They think she’s just a gold digger trying to get money (like the Kobe Bryant accuser). There’s a level of disbelief and skepticism for many people because of the she-said/he-said aspect of it. And rightfully so, if the Duke case taught us anything.
In this case, there are no dogs trying to cash in on Michael Vick. They didn’t just jump into the pit on their own just to turn around and say “Vick forced me. Now pay me my millions.” The evidence is there in all it’s glory. There’s really no way for him to defend himself against it.
CookeyD on August 17, 2007 at 4:07 PM
I’m not going to say that Peyton is on my speed-dial and we are best buddies, but I we ran into each other quite a few times in college. I challenge you to name another pro-athlete who has donated more of their time to charity. Don’t confuse arrogance with a winning attitude.
natesnake on August 17, 2007 at 4:22 PM
Well, that and feminazis.
Andy in Agoura Hills on August 17, 2007 at 4:24 PM
Hey it’s not called the National Felons League for nothing!!!!
Andy in Agoura Hills on August 17, 2007 at 4:24 PM
Me too! After my Dad passed away it just wasn’t the same thing. But in more ways than one. When I was growing up in the mid-60s in Los Angeles, the Rams were the big deal. The athletes back then were just so much more mature, refined, scholarly. In fact, the QB for Cleveland back then was a gut named Frank Ryan. This guy had a Ph.D. in Mathematics. Or how about Bart Starr, what a sportsman. Yeah, today’s athletes may be physically superior, but they are not morally better. Today, most athletes are just classless thugs.
Andy in Agoura Hills on August 17, 2007 at 4:34 PM
I believe fed time is 85%. So he will serve 10 months out of a 12 month sentence.
Capitalist Infidel on August 17, 2007 at 4:37 PM
Natesnake, i would throw Warrick Dunn’s name out there. Peyton can raise a lot more funds, but Dun has put his money where his month is.
ackrite55 on August 17, 2007 at 4:47 PM
**mmouth
ackrite55 on August 17, 2007 at 4:47 PM
I’m not going to judge the whole sporting world on the actions of a relativly few bad eggs. There are what? a few thousand players in the NFL at any given time. One guy does a bad thing and now they are all classless thugs?
And whats all this about Peyton Manning? Any of you sat down and had lunch with him lately? My God, what a bunch of old hens.
dingbat on August 17, 2007 at 5:01 PM
C’mon man, can’t a brutha have a little down time? I cancelled my NFL package the day after that idiot packman was involved in that shooting that left a man paralyzed. Let someone else cheer for and bankroll these ignorant thugs. The game is a parody of what it once was on top of being a 3 1/2 hour snooze.
Peace out, yo!
JWS on August 17, 2007 at 5:18 PM
This sort of sadism is just once removed from that of the Nazis and the Communists.
This jive-ass punk will get his – they always do.
OhEssYouCowboys on August 17, 2007 at 5:22 PM
Football is the only sport I’ve ever really enjoyed but too many athletes these days, (perhaps most of them), are lowlife scum. I don’t think I’ll be able to watch another football game and cheer for a team knowing the kinds of people who are playing on the field. Mark Levin played a clip of an interview with some players from SF who were defending dog fighting as a personal choice and while both of them seemed to think dog fighting was hilarious, one of them couldn’t even stop his hysterical laughter long enough to answer a question.
Football is for lowlifes and losers. I’m done with it. Even if they bad Vick for life those players from SF and probably countless others will still be profiting if I continue my interest in the sport.
FloatingRock on August 17, 2007 at 5:48 PM
You don’t even want to know what I think of this barbarian. He’s lucky he doesn’t have to rely on my mercy.
I’m disgusted with sports. It’s not because these thugs show up in sports, it’s because the rich owners and rule makers hem and haw on what to do because they are sad their cash cow went sour.
The other day in the minors in baseball, a batter got hit by a pitcher. The batter charged the mound and started to beat the catcher and the pitcher with the bat…I mean BEAT. The catcher ended up losing consciousness and went to the hospital.
What did the guy in charge have to say….well they all are good men…just wrong timing.
Wrong timing, eh chief? How about major assault by a thug with a baseball bat that should never see the light of day on another baseball diamond and be paid? Yeah, they’ll suspend the guy..begrudgingly.
Keep it up sports…only those who could careless what they support will watch you if you don’t clean up your act to how you punish this stuff.
Highrise on August 17, 2007 at 5:58 PM
I am not an animal freak. But, I love animals especially battered and deep fried. However, anyone who fights dogs or bets on dogfights should be sentenced to death by brutal maiming.
TheSitRep on August 17, 2007 at 6:37 PM
This lawyer appearing on Fox thinks Vick will play in the 2008 season.
Christoph on August 17, 2007 at 7:38 PM
…running quarterbacks. I KNEW it!
Mojave Mark on August 17, 2007 at 9:00 PM
Fran Tarkenton loved puppies. He would not have been “down” “wit” “dis”. Yo…
JWS on August 17, 2007 at 9:41 PM
No kidding!! There are losts of decent players. If anything maybe this will finally get the bad eggs out of the pro sports! Hopefully!
Suz on August 17, 2007 at 11:32 PM
dingbat, indeed. This is a very special kind of denial that you are living, bro.
There are about 2,000 final roster players, and a quick Google search of the kinds of criminal and anti-social behavior documented in the last year would stand up with any cross-section of the American population for “scumbag per 2,000 citizens” that you wish to examine.
One guy does a bad thing? That is priceless.
Jaibones on August 17, 2007 at 11:57 PM
Even pee wee football? Whatever. Football is as American as Ford and apple pie. Alot of those boys work their @$$ off to get where they are, so God bless ‘em, especially the Friday night HS boys.
So which is the most honorable sport with the most virtuous players? I’m going with NASCAR.
Yes, Vick is a lowlife thug, but oh God, I can’t wait til September.
BTW, to claim Peyton Manning is an elitist smacks a bit sanctimonious to me. He’s a frikkin billionaire practically not to mention a huge sports star. Of course we all view him differently. Welcome to America.
SouthernDem on August 18, 2007 at 1:00 AM
Well, here we go again. This guy Vick is already receiving preferential treatment. The federal prosecutors had given him until 9:am Friday (8-17-07) to agree to a plea bargain for a lesser sentence or they were going to throw the book at him. Well guess what, he didn’t plea and they didn’t throw the book at him. I don’t know how many of you know all the details about this case but he has already received preferential treatment from the sheriff and state prosecutor (both black) in Surrey County, Virginia where the dog fighting took place. The dog fighting setup was accidentally uncovered during a drug raid on Vick’s house in Surrey County and the local sheriff and prosecutor refused to present the case to a local grand jury for indictment. They had hauled away all the evidence of a dog fighting operation and numerous dogs that had the familiar scars and markings of such activity. Both of them said they didn’t have enough evidence to go to a grand jury. Remember, they are both black. That is when the feds stepped in, investigated the situation, dug up some dead dogs and had a federal grand jury indictment issued and filed charges in a matter of days.
If this case does go to trial, all Vick needs is one juror who will not vote for a conviction (which is easy) and he walks. The feds know this and Vick knows this. My guess is that if he chooses not to make a plea deal and goes to trial he will walk out free as a bird. Remember OJ Simpson!
OBX Pete on August 18, 2007 at 4:29 AM
So which is the most honorable sport with the most virtuous players? I’m going with NASCAR.
“Sport”? Sleeping pill maybe…
JWS on August 18, 2007 at 10:04 AM
I think pretty much all team sports appeal to morons.
Individual sports are probably enjoyed by the higher intellect.
Even higher intellects make sport of those whom like sports.
I say this because; it is my opinion that people with high order ability for reason, would surly have to ask themselves:
“Why am I watching two team try to advance a ball down a field?”
TheSitRep on August 18, 2007 at 12:44 PM
I think pretty much all team sports appeal to morons.
Individual sports are probably enjoyed by the higher intellect.
Even higher intellects make sport of those whom like sports.
I say this because; it is my opinion that people with high order ability for reason, would surly have to ask themselves:
“Why am I watching two team try to advance a ball down a field?”
TheSitRep on August 18, 2007 at 12:44 PM
Na. I think alot of people admire those that can do things they can’t or can do them at a higher level. They enjoy watching competition. The morons are the ones who worship them, ache to shake a hand or get in a picture with them, get in actual fights over them, etc…
JWS on August 18, 2007 at 1:12 PM
I feel the same way about pro athletes as I do the rest of the “entertainment community”. That they all should get real jobs and real lives. It would make a better society, (not gonna happen).
That said, do the Falcons play Cleveland this year? Vick up against “The Dawg Pound” would be an interesting matchup, like Rush’s PC NFL predictions.
Buck Turgidson on August 18, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Well, now we know he’ll never co-host American Idol.
Randy Jackson would be speechless.
profitsbeard on August 18, 2007 at 4:45 PM
I heard he executed those dogs with a Bradley fighting vehicle.
Well that’s what I heard!
Kevin M on August 19, 2007 at 2:09 AM
As in OJ’s case didn’t the law & jury system work as it always worked.
ackrite55 on August 19, 2007 at 12:17 PM
No – in some cases the guilty are convicted. It depends on who you are and how much money you have. You must know that ackrite55.
OBX Pete on August 20, 2007 at 5:15 AM
Whether you want to believe it or not, Manning is a good guy. His bar of choice in college was an off campus joint called Toddy’s on Kingston. I worked there from ‘94 to ‘98. We kept it low key so he’d have a place to go without getting hastled. Whenever Manning visits Knoxvegas, he plays golf with the owners of Toddy’s. They are also good friends of mine.
No, I have not had lunch with Manning lately. But I know friends who have.
Old hens? Since we’re on the topic of poulty, don’t be such a cock.
natesnake on August 20, 2007 at 10:06 AM
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