[Lefty Noob]

Ah, so Congress is forcing their way in now. So this has OFFICIALLY become a three-ring circus.

[Atlanta Falcons News]

What kind of discipline could Michael Vick face?
He could face felony charges with punishment of up to five years in prison and fines, according to Virginia law. Ironically, Georgia is the only state where it is not a crime to attend a dogfight and/or possess a dog with intent to fight... Should Vick be charged, he could also face discipline, a suspension or fines -- from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Even if Vick is not charged but is found to be involved to some degree, Goodell could enact some type of discipline under the new player-conduct policy.

Why hasn't Vick been cleared or charged yet? Is it a good or bad sign the longer it takes?
Nobody has been charged or exonerated. Poindexter will meet with Brown and investigators Monday to review evidence. Once that is completed, they will decide if charges will be pressed and against whom. The amount of time it takes to reach a conclusion should not make a difference; however, it could give investigators and prosecutors time for informants to come forth or new evidence to surface.

Ledger-Enquirer.com | 05/21/2007 | Q&A on Falcons' Vick

[vincesanity82]

Arash Markazi of SI.com reports that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick was greeted by fans who were barking and chanting "Who let the dogs out?" when Vick participated in the NFL Quarterback Challenge on Saturday at the Cayman Islands.

But Vick apparently didn't mind the razzing. "They were awesome," said Vick. "They were into it. They were just having a great time."

(It's good that Vick wasn't bothered, because we have a feeling that it will be a common theme in every stadium in which he plays this year -- and possibly from time to time on his home turf at the Georgia Dome.)

Vick again refused to address the burgeoning (thanks, Tiki) controversy surrounding the evidence of dog fighting found last month at his property in Virginia. "I'm just excited just to get out there and start playing and put everything else behind me," Vick said. "We had just a horrible season last year and now I'm just getting ready to get back out there and do it all over again with a new coaching staff and some new players. I think everything's going to be all right.

"I'm just focusing on football right now. I've been practicing as hard as ever. I'm spending a lot of time in the film room and I'm expecting a big season."

ProFootballTalk.com -- The Best Pro Football Scoop on the Internet

[vincesanity82]

FALCONS PLOTTING POST-VICK PLAN?

We continue to hear rumors and rumblings from league insiders regarding the current thought processes currently unfolding in the headquarters of the Atlanta Falcons.

Earlier today, we posted an item about rumors in league circles that the Falcons could be a late entry in the Trent Green sweepstakes. And we're continuing to hear more and more talk from league insiders regarding the looming possibility that Mike Vick won't be a member of the Falcons when the 2007 season begins.

Per one source, there's a growing belief that the NFL is privy to more information about the still-developing investigation into a dog-fighting ring that was uncovered at Vick's property in Virginia -- and that the information available to the league tends to support (not refute) the notion that Vick was aware of and/or involved in the activities occurring on the property he owned.

Surely, the NFL and the Falcons have been using their own security resources to get a better handle on the question of whether and to what extent there's a connection between Vick and dog fighting. And if the league and/or the team have learned that there is evidence that tends to increase the chances of a prosecution and/or a conviction, it makes sense for the league and/or the team to begin planning for all potential outcomes.

There's a school of thought that if Vick is ultimately suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell for any portion of the 2007 season, the Falcons will simply cut him. Of course, the team would then be subject to a non-injury grievance for all or part of his $6 million salary, but teams now seem to be more and more inclined to dump a guy for disciplinary purposes and then deal with the financial consequences in due course.

We also continue to hear that the Falcons are looking for a veteran quarterback. Though the source with whom we spoke this afternoon has not heard Trent Green's name as a possibility, the source says that the Falcons definitely are pondering very carefully the possibilities at the position.

ProFootballTalk.com -- The Best Pro Football Scoop on the Internet

[JRL]

Damn it just keeps getting deeper and deeper here in Atlanta. I just wish it would end - so we can move on (without Vick).

I more inclined to say good bye because of his on the field performance rather than the ancillary BS. He is a gifted athlete but he is not a gifted QB.

I bet Arthur Blank lays awake at night wondering what his over paid QB will do next.

[vincesanity82]

NFL OFFERS TO ASSIST VICK INVESTIGATION

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that NFL Security has offered its services in connection with the current probe regarding evidence of dog fighting found last month at the property of Falcons quarterback Mike Vick.

Though NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wisely told the AJC that it is "routine protocol" to get involved in legal matters, we think that there is hardly anything routine about the protocol being used in this specific situation.

We believe (and this is our opinion only) that NFL Security already has dredged up enough evidence to convince the league's powers-that-be that Vick has been lesions deep in dog fighting, and that Commissioner Roger Goodell knows that he can't credibly suspend Vick unless Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter has at his disposal the kind of strong evidence that NFL Security has developed.

Can anyone blame Goodell for getting his in-house corps of retired FBI-types involved in the process? If, as we believe, Vick lied to Goodell last month when they talked about the situation in New York and if, as we believe, Goodell has determined via evidence discovered by NFL Security that Vick has lied, Goodell has a very good reason to see to it that Vick suffers the consequences not only for dishonesty, but also for the underlying conduct about which he was lying.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again. Goodell gets it. The available circumstantial evidence indicates that, as Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pointed out on Thursday,either Vick and/or the people living at the house were using those 60-some dogs for fighting, or they were getting ready for a run at the Iditarod.

The Vick apologists out there (if any of you are left) can carp about the presumption of innocence, but presuming that a guy is innocent does not require ignoring proof that suggests otherwise. Every prosecutor must first come to the conclusion that, in the prosecutor's belief, the guy "did it" before charges can be pursued. Prosecutor Gerald Poindexter seems to be resisting that conclusion in this case; the NFL apparently is not.

As we mentioned on Wednesday, something is prompting the Falcons to brace for a suspension of Vick and explore options for replacing him. That something very well could be the information that NFL Security already has uncovered.

The separate question is whether the investigation needs the assistance of the NFL. Though we think that the folks in Surry County (with the exception of Poindexter) are doing a great job, we (and several readers) were troubled by the notion that investigators have been unable to locate a potential witness named Tony Taylor, even though the Virginian-Pilot was able to get him on the phone.

And it remains to be seen how Vick will react to the news that the company for whom he works is offering to help gather evidence that could put him behind bars. We have a feeling that he might not like that one very much.

ProFootballTalk.com -- The Best Pro Football Scoop on the Internet

[JRL]

Poor Mr. Blank - what is he to do? Circle the wagons and hope money and power can stop the landslide of negative press or that he can be spared having to make a choice. On the other hand he can hope the NFL pursues the issue and relieves him from the angst of having to make the choice. Either way we will have a group that insist the other is wrong - sadly it is becoming a racial issue here in Atlanta.

[simple simon]

ok, i know we all detest unnamed sources ........ but here we go anyway

Our confidential source says he's been involved in dog fighting for over 30 years. He's trained and fought -- by his estimation -- around 2,000 pit bulls and was poised to tell "Outside the Lines" about the time in 2000 when his dog squared off against a dog owned by someone he referred to as one of the "heavyweights" of the dog fighting world: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

"He's a pit bull fighter," the source says of Vick. "He's one of the ones that they call 'the big boys:' that's who bets a large dollar. And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money -- $30,000 to $40,000 -- even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

This source -- who required anonymity as a condition of our interview -- has helped law enforcement by supplying information on dog fights that has led to dozens of felony arrests.
ESPN.com: Source: Vick a 'heavyweight' in dog fighting

well obviously he appears to be someone law enforcement trusts ...... so maybe this is the beginning of the end for Vick for real

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by simple simon

ok, i know we all detest unnamed sources ........ but here we go anyway

well obviously he appears to be someone law enforcement trusts ...... so maybe this is the beginning of the end for Vick for real

What's wrong with this picture?...a gut with over 2,000 pit bull fights has a card blanc chance to turn in Vick...yeah, uhm, we are not concern with the dogs now are we?...a guy with 2,000 fights boys and girls!!!...that's 2,000 walking charges of animal cruelty and he walks...yeah...its about "the dogs"....give me a freakin break...it's about hauling in a media big name...lets call it what it is...a witch hunt...even if the witch is in part guilty...sad really...

[simple simon]

c'mon now man

i think the media is all over it because it's Vick, but i dont think the authorities are ......... this guy has helped make dozens of arrests they said ....... none of them were big names or we would have heard of them

i give the feds and whatever other authorities involved credit for going after the big names and the nobodies

[JRL]

Cut the head off a snake and it dies - cut the tail of and it continues on. It may well be a witch hunt but if the end results put an end to these thugs I'm all for it.

I just wonder how long it will take to shake out.

One more thing - many thugs use get out of jail cards to ward off jail time.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by JRL

I just wonder how long it will take to shake out.

i heard today on ESPN Radio that these investigations can take about 9 months JRL

so i guess that could save Vick's season anyway

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by JRL

Cut the head off a snake and it dies - cut the tail of and it continues on. It may well be a witch hunt but if the end results put an end to these thugs I'm all for it.

I just wonder how long it will take to shake out.

One more thing - many thugs use get out of jail cards to ward off jail time.

2,000 fights man...who is the head and who is the tail?

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

2,000 fights man...who is the head and who is the tail?

Let's wait to see how many are tied to Vick. 2,000 sure sounds like a lot, but what if, in the greater scheme of things, it's not?

[JRL]

Guess I wasn't clear - Vick represents the upper echelon (star status) which I consider the head. If Vick is brought down it will send a message - that even super stars are not above the law.