Vick the Prick

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I love the NFL. I loathe Michael Vick. Here's ESPN:

NFL star Michael Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation so grisly the losers either died in the pit or sometimes were electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback and three others were charged with competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines.

The operation was named "Bad Newz Kennels," according to the indictment, and the dogs were housed, trained and fought at a property owned by Vick in Surry County, Va.

The 19-page federal indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges the 27-year-old Vick and his co-defendants began the dogfighting operation in early 2001, the former Virginia Tech star's rookie year with the Falcons.

The indictment states that dogs fought to the death -- or close to it.

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 in fines and restitution.

Yes, yes, yes -- innocent until proven guilty. Fine. So put him on trial. Make him defend himself. And -- yes, this, too, this without a doubt -- put dogfighting on trial. Expose it for what it is. Crack down on it. And prosecute those who are involved in it to the full extent of the law and to the full extent of laws that need to be rewritten and laws that need to be enacted in light of what we now know, and of what we will come to know, about this horrendous cruelty and, yes, mass killing.

And -- let me quote Ed Morrissey -- "[I]f [Vick]'s guilty of this, he should do some serious prison time for participating in such a cruel so-called 'sport'. It's despicable, and if convicted, the NFL should think twice before allowing him back in the game -- and not just for the cruelty, but for the gambling as well."

Yes, serious prison time. Six years max? Way, way too lenient.

There is hardly much room for compassion here.