Crossposted by permission from Muttley Crue:
This is an article that I pulled off the NFL web site. Dog owners in
America MUST show to the NFL that this is unacceptable behavior. People in
America are fired for lesser infractions every day. Michael Vick needs to
be suspended WITHOUT Pay until it is proven in court that he is "INNOCENT"
which I wouldn't believe anyway. Please call AND write the NFL:
National Football League
280 Park Ave
New York NY 10017-1216
212-450-2000
When the customers complain about the employees of the company things seam
to change quickly. We as fans of the NFL and as pet owners must show the
NFL that this behavior is unacceptable and we MUST act. Recently congress
tried t pass a bill that MOST of America was unhappy about. When the people
of America spoke by calling congress they received so many call that the
switchboard had to be shut down. This is the message that we need to send
to the NFL.
Vick indicted in dog fighting probe Click here to find out more!
NFL.com wire reports
RICHMOND, Va. (July 17, 2007) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick
was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to illegal dog
fighting.
Vick and three others are charged with competitive dog fighting, procuring
and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across
state lines.
The dog fighting operation was named "Bad Newz Kennels," according to the
indictment, and the dogs were housed, trained and fought at a Surry County,
Virginia property owned by Vick.
The indictment alleges that the 27-year-old Vick and his co-defendants began
a grisly dog fighting operation in early 2001 in which dogs fought to the
death -- or close. Losing dogs were sometimes killed by electrocution,
drowning, hanging or gunshots.
If convicted, Vick and the others -- Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips
and Tony Taylor -- could face up to six years in prison, $350,000 ($254,000)
in fines and restitution.
Telephone messages left at the offices and home of Vick's attorney, Larry
Woodward, were not immediately returned. A woman who answered the phone at
the home of Vick's mother said the family knew nothing about the charges.
"We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a
federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him," NFL spokesman
Brian McCarthy said.
"The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick's
guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should
allow the legal process to determine the facts."
After an initial raid in April, Vick said he was rarely at the house, had no
idea it may have been used in a criminal enterprise and blamed family
members for taking advantage of his generosity.
On Vick's Web site, he lists his birthplace as Newport News, "a.k.a.
BadNews."
The four men were accused of "knowingly sponsoring and exhibiting an animal
fighting venture" and conducting a business enterprise involving gambling,
as well as buying, transporting and receiving dogs for the purposes of an
animal fighting venture.
Purses for the fights ranged from hundreds of dollars (euros) to the
thousands, and participants and spectators placed side bets, the document
said.
About eight young dogs were put to death after they were found not ready to
fight in April 2007. They were killed "by hanging, drowning and/or slamming
at least one dog's body to the ground," according to the indictment.
The FBI and local authorities have been investigating the allegations since
an April 25 drug raid at the property Vick owned.
Authorities seized 66 dogs, including 55 pit bulls, and equipment commonly
used in dog fighting. About half the dogs were tethered to car axles with
heavy chains that allowed the dogs to get close to each other, but not to
have contact -- an arrangement typical for fighting dogs, according to the
search warrant affidavit.
The indictment said dogfights were held at the Virginia property and dog
owners brought animals from six states, including New York and Texas.
In a search warrant executed on July 7, the government said the fights
usually occurred late at night or in the early morning and would last
several hours.
Before fights, participating dogs of the same sex would be weighed and
bathed, according to the filings. Opposing dogs would be washed to remove
any poison or narcotic placed on the dog's coat that could affect the other
dog's performance.
Sometimes, dogs weren't fed to "make it more hungry for the other dog," it
said.
Thomas J. Dayton Jr.
Director of Sales and Marketing
Quality Vending Service, LLC.
E-Mail: Thomas@QualityVendingService.com
Tel: 901-566-2589 Ext. 6
http//www.qualityvendingservice.com