As quarterback Mike Vick prepares to remove a certain piece of jewelry within the next day or so, ESPN’s Outside The Lines has taken an in-depth look at the impact of the Vick case on dogfighting.
“It devastated the business,” a professional “dog man” known as Victor Lopez told Mark Schwartz of ESPN. “We got sentenced right along with [Vick].”
Still, Lopez thinks that, just like Vick, dogfighting is back on the rise. He said that prices for pit bull puppies have increased in recent months, after dropping from the range of $10,000 to $15,000 to a more modest high/low of $1,500 to $3,000.
And so the Humane Society of the United States plans to use Vick to get through to the next generation of dogfighters. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle told Schwartz that Vick claims he got involved in dogfighting at the age of eight, that he and other kids would do it, and that no one told them it was wrong.
Thus, Vick will be used to tell other eight-year-old kids that it’s wrong, while there’s still time to get through to them before they become desensitized to the consequences of dogfighting to the dogs.
“Our goal is simple,” Pacelle said. “End dogfighting in America. And I thought we could get much farther down the field by engaging with him then by endlessly flogging him.”
We agree with that approach. But we think that much of Vick’s impact will depend on his message. If he says only that people shouldn’t fight dogs because he lost his football career and many, many millions of dollars due to dogfighting, members of his audience might shrug and say to themselves, “I don’t have a football career or many, many millions of dollars to lose, so that doesn’t apply to me.”
The better message would be to get the kids to understand not that dogfighting is illegal, but that it’s barbaric and reprehensible and something lower than criminal.
To sell that to a room full of kids who are far more perceptive and insightful than they realize, Vick will need to be truly genuine in both his remorse and transformation — the same qualities for which NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be searching when he meets with Vick in connection with his coming reinstatement effort.
But to have any lasting impact, Vick also needs to continue to have a high profile, so that kids will listen to what he has to say.
To have that high profile, Vick needs to get back into the NFL. And so it all comes back to whether Vick can persuade Goodell that Vick knows what he did was not just wrong but a monstrosity. If Vick can sell that to Goodell, then Vick can sell it to the kids who are in a position to be drawn to dogfighting.
A good way to teach the kids would be to let a pitbull bite him repeatedly in the face and neck so he could explain how painful and inhumane it is. Then have someone slit his throat because he lost the fight.
No thoughts on the timing of the story?
“Vick claims he got involved in dogfighting at the age of eight, that he and other kids would do it, and that no one told them it was wrong.”
That Vick needed someone to tell him breeding animals to maul each other and brutally torturing and killing the losing dog is wrong is amazing.
Great write up Florio.. some of your pieces are great op-eds, and this is one of them.. hopefully some influential people are reading this and are affected.
For those who would argue that Vick didn’t harm any people, and these were “only” dogs, let me remind you that animal cruelty is not just its own atrocity, but is also a known clear marker for a path toward other, even more vile deviant social behavior. Let’s get through to youngsters that this behavior is NOT okay. Now! Before the seed is planted in their gullible minds that deviance is cool.
Vick is in a unique position to deliver this message. He has the rare opportunity to go from goat to hero. Hopefully, he won’t blow it.
First off he sucked as a QB and as he has showen he and his brother are buth punks.
If only his mother had used the pill this would not be an issue if anything he should be speaking out to the parents who do such a crummy job raising there kids.
He was fighting dogs at 8 when how where were mom and dad?
Lets cut to the chase this is about poor parenting parents who do not care what there little off spring are doing.
Where were Mom and Dad?
Did he have a Mom and Dad? A sober Mom or Dad? A Mom or Dad that wasn’t turning tricks or pimping?
They are the same as Vick. Pieces of Shit.
“You are all racists! You don’t understand the black culture you redneck, hunting, O’bama hating hillbilies!!”
Ha, no I’m just quoting what I think will be a future comment to this story. I hate this piece of crap, but if there is some way he can stop dog fighting then let’s give him a shot. HOWEVERRRR, I do not think he gives a rats ass one way or another and just wants his money back and sadly, with the economy the way it is, a lot of teams who need to sell tickets and sell merchandise just may go after this scum of the earth.
domino, i demand u take that back.
it is insulting to mere pieces of shit everywhere.
///////////////////
seriously, ookie has no remorse. he is just doing what he has to do to try and get back in the nfl. and get creditors offen his ass. and try to prove he is a real qb.
he is a product of his non-culture. expect no real change.
Mr. Florio, while I believe that the more a situation is looked at, the harder it is to come to a concrete unwavering opinion, I do believe that this is your first op-ed somewhat encouraging his reinstatement.
Is this truly the case?
I reserve the right to not judge Vick, only because that is left to Roger Goddell, and his decision is binding, so my opinion of his reinstatement is moot. But since you have a (somewhat) credible reputation and people actually listen to or at least read what you have to say, are you endorsing his reinstatement?
VICK is a POS /life
Once Vick realizes that he is not going to be allowed back in the NFL, I seriously doubt he will make these Public Service Announcements.
The basic flaw in enlisting Michael Vick to one-on-one look kids in the eye and tell them that dogfighting is wrong, is that there’s a slim-to-none chance that Vick believes that it’s wrong, and as demonstrated by his actions, even if he does, he not only participated in it, he did so over a long period of time, extensively, greedily, enthusiastically, and wholeheartedly, or maybe the better word is heartlessly.
If anybody thinks the truth of how he feels and what he believes is not going to come through in his “work” with these kids, they’re deluding themselves. There are no better lie detectors out there than kids.
He shoulda been swallowed.
ok, so all along with this whole dogfighting story I’ve just thought to myself that it was open and shut, dogfighting is inhumane and wrong and illegal….but, then I started thinking, really, is there anything wrong with dog FIGHTING? before anybody gets all up in arms, what’s the fastest rising sport in the USA right now?? UFC…a ‘sport’ in which two humans beat the shit out of each other in basically any way possible, with little rules holding them back from pulverizing the other opponent. it is HUGE! the next day at work how many of you are talking about the ufc fight last night?? with that being said, I think it’s totally wrong to kill a dog for underperforming in the ring or really for any other reason than it being a menace to society or to put it out of it’s misery…just thought I’d put a new twist on an old story.
This is a really sad situation considering the fact that it really isnt going to end the way it should. The way it should end is Vick realizes that what he did was horrendous and show true remorse but everyone and their dog(I write this as I’m scratching my pit bulls head whos the most loving, affectionate animal you could want) knows he is full of shit and just wants his money back. I also hate the fact that Vick didnt serve 24 months for dogfighting, he did it for running an inter-state gambling ring with some months thrown in for the dog torture. Its sick where our countries priorites lie.
This is the basic problem with american society today, this is the main reason people who have sex with infants get parole and people who fight dogs get everything took from them , why people who drive drunk and kill people get thirty days in jail and people who fight dogs get two years, nobody cares about getting housing for homeless people, or getting dope dealers off of the corners, but they do care if someone is fighting dogs this is totally absurd to me, if people want get in an uproar about fighting dogs then get in an uproar about killing deer,bears, ducks, and rabbits. All of you people on this site that said that this mans parents should have had an abortion, or he should have been swallowed are the most mean and dumbest people in the entire world roaches are smarter than you. If this is what America is about then i’ll move to China at least I know dogs don’t come before before humans.
i truely wonder if any of these kids would get it.here’s a a guy,vick,who was riding the crest of the wave,money,fame,adulation and loses it all to stupity and yet people still don’t understand what he did wrong.
being able to play football trumps being a human being that doesn’t abuse animals.i see no hope.sad.
If no one told you it was wrong when you were 8, Ronnie Mexico, then why did you lie to the commish about it? Obviously at some point you figured out it was wrong. What an effing cop out.
I see the usual suspects are out trying to pretend like Mike Vick is worse than Charles Manson, as they go about eating something that was slaughtered inhumanely for dinner tonight. Hypocrites abound. Mike Vick didn’t serve a day for dogfighting OR transporting an animal across state lines for criminal activity (the actual charge) – naw, he served for an entirely different reason and its crystal clear. BTW, where is the outrage over the pet food company that knowingly sold poisonous pet food that killed supposedly hundreds of pets, sickened thousands, and the two officials that knew are getting probation and a fine as part of the plea with the feds? Where is the outrage? Hello? No outrage? figures.
Here in Vick’s home town, not much has changed when it comes to dog fighting. It’s still part of the ghetto thug culture here, and nobody learned their lesson from Vick’s being busted. Most of these thugs and the children in these neighborhoods, think he’s a hero. It’s pretty sad.
(semi-unrelated rant ahead)
It’s a true shame that our justice system has become such a failure. The punishment for those that break the law should not only be a way to make on pay for their crimes, but it should also be used as a message to deter others from committing said crime. Instead we have a revolving door system that makes thugs look like heroes. Liberal attitudes bog our system down and help criminals go free to prey on society again, all in the name of being humane. It’s time the dregs of society be treated like the animals they truly are.
“it’s barbaric and reprehensible and something lower than criminal.”
Wow.
Really?
Of all the crimes NFL players have committed over the years, you’ve only described dogfighting as “lower than criminal.”
The hyperbole surrounding dogfighting is nauseating.
Well said, bigmike and famucancer.
I am not a dog or any animal lover for that matter. I do feel that what Vick did was beyond wrong. The thing that bothers me is much like what some others have said. When people that have comitted crimes against children can be let back into our comunities, I think Vick should be let in. He has served a sentence that is longer than many murderers. We can’t know what he thinks or feels, we can only use his actions from here on out to know if he is really remoursful.
I would also like to chime in towards those who think Vick didn’t hurt any people.
One thing many of you Vick supporters are forgetting, is that this gambling ring he funded, wasn’t just some peaceful boys club. Dog fighting and gambling revolve around a lot of other criminal acts that do harm others. Don’t think for one minute that drugs weren’t involved, as well as those who couldn’t pay their gambling debt off to these thugs. You can bet your arse that people were harmed. This was a thug run criminal organization, just like the other dog fighting rings in this area. People get beat down and shot over this stuff. To think people weren’t harmed, is to be a fool.
@ Volspar
Vick is being let back into society. I think that’s what many on here are forgetting. He is getting a “second chance”. If he doesn’t get back into the NFL, is doesn’t mean he’s not still getting that “second chance” everyone speaks of. i thik some of the twisted minds on here think that a “second chance” only means playing in the NFL again. I hate to break to them, but that just isn’t so.
Getting a “second chance”, means another shot at living free like the rest of us. It doesn’t mean one gets their old job back and life goes back to the way it was. He’s a felon now, and that stigma will live with him until the day he dies. Getting a job in the NFL has nothing to do with getting a “second chance” after serving a crime. He’s fortunate that the opportunity may still be there, but if he never plays again, it in no way means he’s not getting his “Second chance”. He can get a normal job like the rest of us.
I gotta agree with bigmike, famucancer & Chris Rush
You people showing compassion towards the victims is a the #1 problem in the world today.
Even if he is allowed to play I don’t see teams giving him a call. The teams that win emphasise character and they wont touch him with a twenty foot pole. This is a copycat league, It will take a desperate team.
Then again, the bills took a flier on TO
Who am I kidding, sombody will convince themselves it is a win-win situation and take a risk with him. And fans league wide will not be happy.
By the way, this is not a “second chance”. Vick burnt multiple chances prior to his jail time. His lie to Godell was his “last chance” and he blew it.
Good luck with ending dogfighting in america. It ain’t gonna happen. Its so badass. Watching two dogs fight to the death is awesome. Its like Gladiators from way back in the day. If the USA wasn’t such a conservative dogfighting would be one of the most popular shows on TV.
famucancer well put my friend well put, but the people who hate Vick so much would say your input is apples and oranges.
another thought for them who say they were just pitbulls, who most people dont care for either…
nope, not all. and generally not the bait dogs.
it is one thing to say of the fighting dogs, they were just pitbulls and they were bred for that.
but bait dogs were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. and got nabbed.
think about that the next time you go to adopt a dog, especially from a no-kill shelter. they are utilizing the vick example to follow their goal – dont adopt dogs out to anyone who treat them just like little fifi the poodle in a doggie dress.
and they wont adopt out to men or anyone who would keep a dog outside.
to vick and supporters: gfy.
Given the choice between making $50,000 to $100,000 PER dog fight, and compassion, along with extremely trying economic times – I would say this campaign of HSUS is moot at best. Most people don’t care about animals when it comes to the bottom line – and now-with the help of HSUS-Vick has become the nation’s darling, and his very name-Michael Vick-is the icon of “the dog fighter”. Now a DOG FIGHTER is playing NFL and America is cheering a dog fighter. Seeing a dog fighter strut his stuff and the power and glory associated with NFL – will rather encourage young people to start doing their own dog fighting ring. NFL and dog fighting have become synonymous. Nobody really cares, sure he served his time, but all the legal obliation in the world will NEVER remove the blood and reputation of Vick being the glorified DOG FIGHTER who is now playing NFL. Kids look at football players as heros: Now the will see a dog fighter as a hero. Keep in mind VICK didn’t merely “make a mistake,” but dog fighting was a lifestyle – and was done for years and years. According to the USDA report, Vick even threw in family pets into dog fighting rings because the sights and sounds of pets being torn to pieces alive “was funny” per Vick. Also keep in mind Vick LIED to the Court system saying he was innocent when initially charged which promptly changed when his buddies turned him in. IF VICK CAN LIE TO THE COURT SYSTEM WITHOUT BATTING AN EYELASH- what makes you think he’s telling the truth now that he’s remorseful.
When Vick approached PETA back in November 2008, PETA considered using Vick as a spokesperson. As soon as PETA seen the USDA report where Vick even threw in family pets into dog fitghting rings, PETA’s response was Michael Vick? NO WAY! NO HOW! NO VICK! That also was the opinion of the ASPCA, who also turned Vick down.
Since HSUS glorified Vick and basically helped him get his NFL job back, I will never again donate a penny to HSUS. I felt they back stabbed me and did not stick up for all of those animals who had no voice and were literally tortured to death. I’m very sad for America that the NFL chose an animal killing sadist who got off torturing pets because he thought it was funny, as a role model for our young. Our society has truly sunk to a new all-time low. Perhaps the NFL should consider hiring a child molester next-it would be in good company with a dog fighter in the creepy department.