Michael Vick Pleads Not Guilty

Star Quarterback Was Released Conditionally Until November Trial For Dog Fighting Charges

(CBS/AP)  Michael Vick pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal dog fighting allegations and was released without bond until a Nov. 26 trial.

"I take these charges very seriously and look forward to clearing my good name," the Atlanta Falcons quarterback said in a prepared statement read outside court by his attorney, Billy Martin.

"I respectfully ask all of you to hold your judgment until all of the facts are shown. Above all, I would like to say to my mom I'm sorry for what she has had to go through in this most trying of times. It has caused pain to my family and I apologize to my family."

Vick and three others entered their pleas in U.S. District Court to charges involving competitive dog fighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting, and conducting the enterprise across state lines.

According to the 15-page affidavit, Vick, a cousin and two friends ran a dog fighting business — Bad Newz Kennels — out of Vick's house in Virginia, reports CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts.

In grizzly detail, prosecutors allege dogs that lost in the fighting pit were often shot, hanged, drowned, or electrocuted, adds Pitts.

U.S. Magistrate Dennis W. Dohnal, in releasing the defendants without bond, said the judicial system is grounded on the principle that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty "no matter how heinous the allegations may be."

Among the conditions set for all the defendants is that they surrender their passports, that they not travel outside their immediate area without court approval and that they do not sell or possess any canine.

In addition, Vick was ordered to surrender any animal breeder or kennel license.

Vick and his co-defendants entered their pleas before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

"He asserted in a loud and clear voice that he is not guilty of these allegations," Martin said of Vick. "This is going to be a hard-fought trial."

Vick arrived at the courthouse at 3 p.m. in a black sport utility vehicle and was booed by a crowd of hundreds as he emerged.

The allegations detailed in a graphic, 18-page indictment sparked protests by animal rights groups at the headquarters of the NFL and the Falcons. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has barred Vick from training camp while the league investigates.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the team wanted to suspend Vick for four games, the maximum penalty a team can assess a player, but the NFL asked him to wait. Instead, Blank has told his embattled player to focus on his legal problems, not football.

Thursday, the Falcons opened their first camp under coach Bobby Petrino.

The case began April 25 when investigators conducting a drug search at the home found 66 dogs, including 55 pit bulls, and equipment typically used in dog fighting. They included a "rape stand" that holds aggressive dogs in place for mating and a "breakstick" used to pry open a dog's mouth.

Vick contended he knew nothing about a dog fighting operation at the home, where one of his cousins lived, and said he rarely visited. He has since declined comment, citing his attorney's advice.

Animal rights organizations have seized on the case as an opportunity to raise awareness of the largely underground and always gruesome world of dog fighting, where two dogs are trained to fight to the death, sometimes for hours.

Early Thursday, activists, supporters of the athlete and the media gathered outside the federal courthouse. Some members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals dressed in dog costumes and carried signs, including one with the image of a battered pit bull and the words "Dog Fighting Victim." Some people brought their dogs.

According to the indictment filed July 17, dogs not killed in the fighting pit were often shot, hanged, drowned or, in one case, slammed to the ground. The document alleges that Vick was consulted before one losing dog was wet down and electrocuted.

It alleges that the dog fighting operation began in 2001, not long after Vick parlayed a dazzling two-year run as the quarterback at Virginia Tech into being the first overall selection in the NFL Draft. His first contract was for $62 million.

In 2004, he signed a 10-year, $130 million deal, then the richest in league history.

The indictment alleges the fights offered purses as high as $26,000, and that Vick once paid $23,000 to the owner of two pit bulls that had beaten Bad Newz Kennels dogs.

That owner is one of four cooperating witnesses cited in the document.

Charged along with Vick are Purnell A. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va.; Quanis L. Phillips, 28, of Atlanta; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Va. All face up to five years in prison, $250,000 in fines and restitution if convicted of both charges.

[cryonbrian]

I don't care what newspaper or book you find your information in. You will never find a more violent group of people than the White man! Fact! He will drop an atomic bomb on civilians and try to justify it! Sick!

[keithle1]

Black pride? What's that?

[agnim]

"You go back and forth, confused can%u2019t seem to make up your mind, one minute you%u2019re arguing whites have this conspiracy against blacks to disembowel them economically, socially, and politically, then in the same breath you state blacks and whites are a part of a monolithic society. Make up your mind,
Posted by kailumego1 at 05:17 PM : Jul 27, 2007"

Here is in in a nutshell for you.

A MINORITY of Black people live in a society that HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN DOMINATED BY WHITES WHO HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THE PRACTICAL CONTROLS OF THE NATION!

America does not have to be a monolith: All that needs to happen and what has been happening is that Blacks are SCATTERED in a WHITE SUPREMACIST SOCIETY, in which the white supremacists holds sway over the significant powers in the nation as a whole!

America is a warmonger society? You ever seen Black Americans up and deciding how much to waste on armaments, or which countries to invade to murder and plunder?

White community is real and PRACTICAL because of powers monopolized by it.

Black community is illusory and IMPRACTICAL because of the LACK OF POWER to mold and guide a community! OK?

Power or lack thereof to determine its destiny determines a community or not.

[agnim]

"Agnim, obviously you don't understand, the concept of "black community" is cultural not physical, blacks in America are a culture within a larger society, not imaginary,
Posted by kailumego1 at 05:20 PM : Jul 27, 2007"

Very very 'imaginary'!

Black INDIVIDUALS in America may share some ethnic/ancient cultural origins; but 'Black community' as a collective in America is an illusion!

And this race-based and racist illusion is being used by white supremacists and their unwitting apologists to make Black people responsible for practical things in the society over which they DO NOT WIELD POWER AS A COMMUNITY OR GROUP!

The Black community ILLUSION is been use to have Blacks (in total) make bricks in America without straws!

[kailumego1]

Agnim, obviously you don't understand, the concept of "black community" is cultural not physical, blacks in America are a culture within a larger society, not imaginary, tandem to Native Americans, Asians, Arabs, etc. possess cultural differences from a greater society, notwithstanding, they reside on American soil.

Don%u2019t you confuse citizenship [American] with cultural/ethic differences, we are all American citizens, however, possess cultural/ethnic differences, and it%u2019s because narrow-minded individuals refuse to accept those cultural differences is why we have a problem.

[kailumego1]

Narrow-minded unilateral thinking individuals such as you, we do not live in a monolithic society, did you forget the %u201Cmelting-pot%u201D theory, we are huddled masses from different countries bringing with us cultural/traditional differences, and that%u2019s not a %u201Cbad%u201D thing, as some would like to believe.


I don%u2019t understand why blacks reference themselves African Americans, because this characterization only describes citizenship, not ethnic identification, you don%u2019t see whites referencing themselves as European Americans.


It%u2019s already understood that you are an American, therefore, there%u2019s no need for hyphenation.

As stated before your comments are based on schizoid-logic, all over the place and nowhere particular, you argue there is no such thing as a black community, then turn around and argue white supremacy, where%u2019s your logic, if we are all a part of this monolithic schema, then your argument falls on death ears.


You go back and forth, confused can%u2019t seem to make up your mind, one minute you%u2019re arguing whites have this conspiracy against blacks to disembowel them economically, socially, and politically, then in the same breath you state blacks and whites are a part of a monolithic society. Make up your mind, oxymoron.

[agnim]

"You are a strong argument for BIRTH CONTROL...
Posted by kailumego1 at 03:53 PM : Jul 27, 2007"

LOL
Very deep thought?
You no doubt acquire that mindset from the beastly beings of Europe; because they are the only ignoramuses on the planet who would be so devilish as to entertain thoughts like those, along with weapons of mass destruction to destroy everything alive, as if that wouldn't also destroy themselves. LOL

Obviously you understand very little about America's history of racism.

As soon as an INNOCENT Black Vick is indicted on a patently misguided charged (and it wouldn't matter what the ALLEGED crime), all the white supremacist bigots are out with their lynching ropes.
Your kind are the white supremacist enablers; because your thinking is shallow and narrow.

The thinking becomes do we enable the white supremacist bigots and their canine se.ex partners over a HUMAN!

[agnim]

Also, just to school you a bit, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BLACK COMMUNITY IN AMERICA!

It's just a MYTH advanced by white supremacist bigots and unwittingly kept alive by their ignorant apologists enablers.

There are BLACK PEOPLE BUT NO BLACK COMMUNITY IN AMERICA!

You can't have a community when YOU CONTROL NOTHING OF PRACTICAL VALUE THAT IMPACTS THE COMMUNITY!

You don't control food supply; so you can't be responsible for producing healthy foods.

You don't control housing stocks, and can't be responsible for proper housing.

You don't control Laws and Police; so you can't be responsible for maintain law and order in the IMAGINED community.

You don't control politics, economics, law, infrastructure, etc, etc, nothing of PRACTICAL value to impact the destiny of a community? You don't have a community.

You have an AMERICAN COMMUNITY!

[kailumego1]

%u201CRight now I'm thinking that your unfortunate type have had too many acts of se.exual perversions with the dogs. %u201C
Posted by Agnim at 03:09 PM : Jul 27, 2007

Yes, black self-depredation, having difficulty understanding what the word means, use a thesaurus, or dictionary.

You are a strong argument for BIRTH CONTROL...

[kailumego1]

Why are you so pitifully redundant, %u201CRight now I%u2019m thinking that your unfortunate type have had too many acts of se[x]ual perversions with the dogs%u201D, you are only demonstrating your lack of intellectual thought and reason, or should I say critical thinking.

Are you that dense, or socially inept, why do you continue to make erroneous comparisons between human tragedy and animal abuse, as support of your argument?

Are you several 100cc%u2019s short of brain matter?

Is this your explanation, for why you continue with this vulgarity?


You appear to have a schizoid-personally, your perspective and viewpoints are all over the place; likewise, your jumbled comments resemble that of a three-year old.


You harp on white racism whenever your %u201Cschizoid-mood%u201D permits, notwithstanding, evidence as proven contrary.

Blacks contributing to black self-depredation have nothing to do with %u201Cwhite racism%u201D, and is a major threat to the %u201Csurvival of the black community%u201D, and yes there is a black community, because otherwise why are you arguing white racism, if we are all %u201Cequal-brethren%u201D in this %u201Cmelting pot%u201D, oxymoron.


And by all means continue to assert your schizoid-personally diatribe; I%u2019m quite sure many viewers are getting a %u201Cgood laugh%u201D.