SI report on dogfighting at Vick's house

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/05/29/vick0604/index.html

Dohrmann wrote this. Interesting details from Vick's house.

 

First herpes, now this. Man. this will NOT end well.

 

Outstanding piece... is very fascinating -- especially about the buildings painted black.

 

I thought the same thing. Very well done, as SI's takeout pieces usually are.

 

I think there is no question the dogs were fought on this property. That much is not in doubt.

I also think it is going to be tough to nail Michael Vick down on this one because so far there are a lot of things flying about his involvement but nothing with any substance.

It would be very interesting to see if the authorities would cut a deal with the cousin -- assuming he would talk -- to get that "smoking gun" against Vick they are looking so desperately for.

 

I have a connection from that part of Va who's told me that, even BEFORE this story broke nationally, there'd already been rampant rumors about Vick being a major part of the local dogfighting scene (amongst other nefarious activities). There doesn't appear to be any real doubt he was involved, indeed he probably played a major role. But unless the police there can find more first-had witnesses willing to testify without the protection of anonymity and veiled silhouettes, Vick's likely to skate free from this.

I'm also told that the group Vick hangs with down there is known locally as a particularly shady frightening lot. The truth is Michael has always been every bit the social miscreant his brother Marcus is, the only difference is he had more talent and a well-financed PR machine protecting him for a few years. If he'd not been born with extraordinary athletic talent he'd likely be spending his adult life in and out of incarceration. Although it now looks like he may find his way there even with the extraordinary talent.

 

I agree Michael Vick is not a very good guy by almost all accounts -- but proving this -- particularly with his ability to pay hush money -- is going to be awfully difficult I fear.

 

I would look at the paper trail.

Those barricks for fighting I doubt conveyed with the place. If they were built, they may have had to be permitted by the county government. If that is the case, Vick's name would have been signed to it since he is owner of the property.

If no permit was granted by the county, I'm still guessing that some manor of payment was needed. I'm doubting a check was written, but it could be a start. I'm also guessing the person who built them may be willing to go on the record about building them, especially if their tradesmen licenses were in jeopardy of being pulled for building something without the proper permits in place.

 

All of that is still not a smoking gun because he can pay fines for breaking building code regulations and still claim he thought they were just going to be housing dogs.

 

Not the fighting rooms. Those are not kennels. Those have a very specific purpose.

 

Think about where this is. Why couldn't this have been an older plantation home with the "slave quarters" still on the property. I'm not condoning anything with the post. Just pointing out that the buildings could have been there with modifications to make them into dog kennels and such.

 

That's a new home, or at least built in the last 10 years.

It is a cookie cutter style so common her in VA and many other places.