DECEMBER 10th 2007
THAT DAY........................................MICHAEL VICK. is sentenced in federal court to 23 months in prison for his role in a dog fighting operation.
Michael Dwayne Vick is former American football quarterback who played college football at Virginia Tech and was selected by the Falcons as the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. During his six years with the Falcons, Vick was regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities and was named to three Pro Bowls.
Vick was born in Newport News, Virginia as the second of four children, His mother worked two jobs and his father worked long hours in the shipyards as a sandblaster The family lived in the East End section of the port city. Very rough neighborhood with drug dealing, drive-by shootings, murders .As he grew up, Vick, learned about football..he always says "Sports kept me off the streets," "It kept me from getting into what was going on, the bad stuff. Lots of guys I knew have had bad problems."
Vick was a three-year starter for the Warwick Raiders then went to virginia tech. Vick led the NCAA in passing efficiency in 1999, a record for a freshman (180.4) and the third-highest all-time mark.
January 11, 2001 - Announces that he is leaving Virginia Tech and will be eligible for the NFL draft. After an amazing Pro Day workout,where Vick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds, which is the fastest-ever for an NFL quarterback at the time, he was selected first in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Miachel VIck became the first African-American quarterback to be taken with the top pick and signed a six-year $62 million contract .
In 2002, Vick set numerous single-game career highs during the season, On October 31, 2004 in a game against the Denver Broncos, he became the first quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game. Vick was having a great career and In 2006, Vick became the first quarterback to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. VICK was a real phenom and one of stars of the NFL with a bright future.
But the worst was coming...
The year after, July 2007 - Vick and three associates of Hampton, Virginia, are indicted in federal court on a conspiracy count alleging they bought and sponsored dogs in animal fighting and traveled across state lines to participate in illegal activity which included gambling. Michael Vick was found with 56 pit bulls on his property, many showing serious signs of abuse.
On December 10, 2007 - Vick is sentenced in federal court to 23 months in prison for his role in the dog fighting operation. Vick had already face problems with law but never that big: In early 2004, two men were arrested in Virginia for distributing marijuana. The truck they were driving was registered to Vick. Falcons coach Dan Reeves said he lectured Vick at that time on the importance of reputation, on choosing the right friends, and on staying out of trouble. The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. After Vick apologized to the court and his family, Hudson told him: "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you."
The 27-year-old player admitted "poor judgment" and added that he was "willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility" for his actions.
multiple animal rights activists stood across the street holding posters showing injured pit bulls and the messages, "Report Dogfighters" and "Dogs Deserve Justice."
"He did more than fund it," Hudson said, referring to the "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting operation. "He was in this thing up to his neck with the other defendants."
People will have a lot difficulties to understand why VICK did that as he clearly didn't need that money. He was richer than he could ever imagined so why?
Vick said he saw himself as an animal lover, growing up with various pets and bringing home stray dogs that he would care for. He knew from a young age that caring for animals “was the right thing to do.” But when he was 9, teenage boys in the city of Newport News, Va., where he grew up, started taking him to neighborhood dogfights.
The young Vick observed how these operations were largely ignored by neighbors and authorities. “My perception changed because what I saw was not the same as what I heard,” he explained. He began to see dog fighting in terms not of right and wrong but of competition. “I fell into the trap » .
To know more about the subject:
Michael Vick biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
Dohrmann, George; Evans, Farrell (November 26, 2007). "The Road To Bad Newz". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
Michael Vick Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
Simmons, Bill. "Breaking down the contrary views of Michael Vick". Grantland. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
Mihoces, Gary (November 20, 2007). "Michael Vick surrenders to federal authorities". USA Today. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
Tim McGlone. "Michael Vick plans guilty plea to state dogfighting charges". Hamptonroads.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
Parent, Pam. "Five sports celebs who have lost endorsement deals because of questionable behavior". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
Vick sentenced to 23 months for dogfighting Archived December 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine CNN.com
Vick pleads guilty, apologizes". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
