Falcons News Conference On The Michael Vick Issue

I'm watching Atlanta Falcons' Owner Arthur Blank, General Managr Rich McKay, and Head Coach Bobby Petrino talk to the media about the Michael Vick issue.

If you've not followed this, Vick's indicted for being involved in felony dogfighting. This press conference is for the Falcons; heads to explain to the public how they're dealing with this.

To me, it seems as if Arthur Blank's forced to walk a tightrope between supporting Vick and not upsetting the activitist animal rights organizations that have been crawling all over them.

More soon..

Michael Vick's In Big Trouble But Not Convicted

As you may know, Michael Vick's been convicted of running a dogfighting ring, a felony offense. I'll write more about this soon, but here's the details from George Dormann of Sports Illustrated:

Shocking charges
Indictment against Vick describes unfathomable acts
Posted: Tuesday July 17, 2007 11:42PM; Updated: Wednesday July 18, 2007 2:39PM

During an April raid of Vick's property in Virginia, authorities seized 66 dogs and equipment commonly used in dog fighting.
AP

By George Dohrmann, SI.com
The indictment handed down Tuesday against Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three others describes in detail how they procured a property in Virginia for the purpose of staging dogfights, bought dogs and then fought them there, and in several other states, over a 6-year period. With at least three cooperating witnesses providing the details, federal authorities compiled a detailed case that traces the birth and rise of Bad Newz Kennels.

But not a single line in the 18-page indictment will generate more rage toward Vick and the others charged -- Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips and Tony Taylor -- than a sentence near the end. It reads: "In or about April of 2007, Peace, Phillips and Vick executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road by various methods, including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

In interviews I conducted for an earlier story on the subculture of dogfighting and Vick's involvement, several experts described to me the process of "rolling" dogs. Owners take young dogs, usually puppies, and put them in an enclosed area and see how they react. They prod the dogs and urge them to get angry. If a dog shows aggression toward another dog, that's a positive. If a dog is timid, it is useless. Some fighters give away puppies that don't show the required "gameness." Other owners don't bother with the trouble of finding them a home and simply kill them.

Vick and his three associates, according to the indictment, fall in the latter category. Federal investigators allege Vick is a murderer of dogs who weren't willing to fight for his enjoyment. Even worse, his actions appear more sinister than most professional dogfighters.

"If you want to kill a dog, why exert the energy to slam him into the ground or drown him? Why not just shoot him, which is the most common method?" says John Goodwin, dogfighting expert for the Humane Society of the United States. "That is insane. These guys, if they did that, have serious problems."

Vick's problems would seem to be plentiful now that he has gone from a person of interest in local and federal investigations to one of four men charged in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., with conspiracy to commit interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture. On the Travel Act portion of the conspiracy charges, he faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The dogfighting charges carry a possible sentence of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine or both.

Still, even with the gravity of the crimes alleged, Vick's most serious problem would seem to be one of perception. If one believes the allegations against him, Vick is neither a novice dogfighter nor or a hobbyist who dipped his toe into the sport briefly. The indictment alleges Vick is a professional dogfighter who"sponsored" more than two dozen dogfights. He is not, as he previously said, someone who merely trusted the wrong people. Rather, he is the face of a bloodsport that the majority of NFL fans probably didn't know existed until the property he owned on Moonlight Road was raided in late April. And, now, he becomes the ultimate test for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his new discipline policy.

Read the rest at S.I.:

NFL Statement On Michael Vick - NFLMedia.com

NFL Statement on Michael Vick - NFL Media.com
07/17/2007
STATEMENT FROM AN NFL SPOKESMAN:

We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him. We will continue to closely monitor developments in this case, and to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal. Michael Vick’s guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts. The matter will be reviewed under the League’s Personal Conduct Policy.

San Diego Chargers' GM A.J. Smith's Constant Fucking With Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer Reaches Boling Point - Schott Fired

Yep. That headline sums it all up. "Chargers' GM A.J. Smith's Constant Fucking With Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer Reaches Boling Point - Schott Fired"

It has been known and well-told that San Diego Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith has not worked to get along with Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer. Indeed, A.J. Smith doesn't have the best image with a number of people. In my book, and that of others, this is stupid. The GM's supposed to get along with the coach -- indeed, supply the coach with a steady stream of capable players that the coach can teach his system to and hopefully win a Super Bowl or two.

But A.J. Smith doesnt' see life this way. Indeed, Smith can be considered as one who was openly screwing with the desires and fortunes of Coach Schottenheimer, from not only failing to retain star quarterback Drew Brees, but earlier passing on Michael Vick -- a sure jersey-seller if not star quarterback -- and basically stocking up on look-alike immoblie White QB's A.J. Feeley, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, and Eli Manning for a New York minute. You can't fault Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips or Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron for taking head jobs, you know and I know that typical teams at least lift a wallet to retain their most talented teachers.

This is weird.

Everything about it reads hollow. Look at Chargers' President Dean Spanos statement:

"Today I made an extremely difficult decision: Marty Schottenheimer is no longer the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.

"This decision was so hard because Marty has been both a friend and valued coach of our team. But my first obligation is always to do what is in the best interest of our fans and the entire Charger organization. I must take whatever steps are necessary to deliver a Super Bowl trophy to San Diego. Events of the last month have now convinced me that it is not possible for our organization to function at a championship level under the current structure. On the contrary, and in the plainest possible language, we have a dysfunctional situation here. Today I am resolving that situation once and for all.

"My decision means that our organization will be obligated to pay the last year of Marty Schottenheimer's contract and will begin an intense search for a new head coach at this relatively late date, but these are sacrifices that I believe are necessary to give the Chargers the best possible chance to win on the field this season.

"Our fans deserve to know what changed for me over the last month. When I decided to move ahead with Marty Schottenheimer in mid-January, I did so with the expectation that the core of his fine coaching staff would remain intact. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case, and the process of dealing with these coaching changes convinced me that we simply could not move forward with such dysfunction between our head coach and general manager. In short, this entire process over the last month convinced me beyond any doubt that I had to act to change this untenable situation and create an environment where everyone at Charger Park would be pulling in the same direction and working at a championship level. I expect exactly that from our entire Charger organization in 2007."

Dean Spanos must be smoking a big one to think the Chargers are going to have "the best possible chance to win on the field this season." In one fell swoop, he took the best-team in the NFL from early 2008 Super Bowl favorite, to possible division cellar foder for the Oakland Raiders, much to the delight of the Raider Nation.

Ohhh!!!!!!!!

Dean and A.J. have taken a big risk and there's no high reward. Keeping their head guy - a renowned teacher -- was the action that had the best upside. Now, that's gone.

I'm going to go out on a limb and state that Spanos decision was one based on emotion, a snap-judgement, and an argument with Marty. It wasn't calculated at all. How could it be? Spanos himself described the climate as a 'dysfunctional situation.' What does that tell you? It explains that at some point in the recent past, someone had a big angry discussion. I'm betting it was Smith and Schott, with Spanos getting in the middle.

Nick Campena laid it out first back in March 6, 2006, when he wrote: "Looking out from shore, it appears the reluctant marriage between Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith and coach Marty Schottenheimer is this close to the rocks – and the surf's up. There's trouble in what not long ago was perceived as a replenishing paradise."

Campena pointed to the Drew Brees matters, and a February 26th article by Jim Trotter of the San Diego Union-Tribune, where Trotter noted Schottenheimer as stating "I think it's important that there always be communication between the coach and the general manager,” he said during a break at the annual NFL Scouting Combine. (of 2006) “I've sought to see that realized, but, quite frankly, there hasn't been as much communication as I would like.. I think we all understand that ours is a very difficult, competitive enterprise, and in my opinion it's important that everybody is aimed in the same direction.”

Is that the case with the Chargers?

“We'll have to maybe wait and see,” he said.

Well, apparently it's not -- the Chargers are apparently torn apart. And the last time this happened, Bobby Ross was the head guy and Bobby Bethard was the GM. The Chargers never smelled a playoff end-zone after that affair.

Some online newhounds -- the people at Profotballtalk.com seem to think that A.J. Smith is the next person to be fired. This corner says "great" but I also state that allowing rumors of hiring Pete Carroll to replace Schottenheimer is wrong-headed. First, there's nothing to state that Carroll will be a great NFL head coach, second, you don't need the Rooney Rule to know their are great Black and Latino head coaches out there.

Indeed, if the Chargers can't find a good Black head coach out of the 131 assistants in the NFL game, they must be totally stupid. I hope I'm wrong.

But now that I think about it, racism is borne of stupidity, so the Chargers shoud be careful.

Hue Jackson Now Offensive Coordinator For Atlanta Falcons - Michael Vick In Good Hands

My favorite for head coach somewhere, Hue Jackson, was named Offensive Coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and will be reunited with Head Coach Bobby Petrino, whom he worked with at Arizona State.

Here's Jackson's background as written on the Falcons website:

Jackson, 41, will serve as the Falcons offensive coordinator after serving as the wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals the past three seasons. During his time with the Bengals, Jackson molded wide receivers Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry into one of the most productive receiving units in Bengals history. In 2006, Johnson (1,369) led the NFL in receiving yards with Houshmandzadeh (1,081) following closely behind, making them the first Bengals teammates to each surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark. From 2000-01, Jackson served as the running backs coach for the Washington Redskins, where he helped RB Stephen Davis record a career-high 1,432 in 2001. A year later, he served as the offensive coordinator for the Redskins. Prior to coaching in the NFL, Jackson spent 14 years coaching in the collegiate ranks, including two seasons alongside Petrino at Arizona State.

Jackson's Coaching Background: Offensive Coordinator, Atlanta Falcons (2007) | Wide Receivers, Cincinnati Bengals (2004-06) | Offensive Coordinator, Washington Redskins (2003) | Running Backs, Washington Redskins (2001-02) | Offensive Coordinator, Southern California (1997-2000) | Offensive Coordinator, California (1996) | Assistant Coach, Arizona State (1992-95) | Assistant Coach, London Monarchs (1991) | Assistant Coach, Cal State-Fullerton, (1990-91) | Assistant Coach, University of Pacific (1987-89).

Michael Vick, The TSA's Gertrude Joseph, AirTrans, and The Water Bottle

Why in heck would Gertrude Joseph, a TSA screener, feel it necessary to dig through trash -- trash -- to smell a water bottle? Several reasons: first, she knew it was Michael Vick; second, he complained; third, and most important, she's black and he's black and some of us don't like others of us who have achieved any level of success. So she takes jock-sniffing to a new level -- water bottle sniffing -- in the process of trying to bring down the brother.

Why did she go through the effort, when people complain about the TSA liquid regulations all the time. She's certainly used to it. She hears complaints about this all the time. You think she digs through every trash can and sticks her nose in perfume bottles, cosmetics, and old medici bottles? I doubt it.

As for Vick, with the money he makes, why the hell is he flying AirTrans? He should take one of those private jet timeshares!

Geez.


Here's the story below...

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
NFL star's water bottle draws suspicion at MIA
Security screeners at Miami International Airport called police after Michael Vick left a water bottle that smelled of marijuana.
By EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was reluctant to throw away his water bottle at a Miami International Airport security checkpoint Wednesday morning.

The reason, police say: The 20-ounce plastic bottle had a secret compartment that had a dark residue and a pungent odor of marijuana. Vick boarded his 8:20 a.m. AirTran flight to Atlanta before screeners called police. Now, Miami-Dade police are examining the bottle and could charge him if it tests positive for drugs.

Police notified the National Football League about the investigation, Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS4 reported. Joel Segal, Vick's agent, declined to comment late Wednesday.

According to a Miami-Dade police report, here's what happened:

Vick, 26, balked when security at the Concourse G checkpoint asked him to surrender his water bottle, which had an Aquafina label. Security regulations prohibit travelers from carrying bottles with more than 3 ounces of liquid through checkpoints.

Eventually, Vick left the bottle behind and went to his gate. But his initial reluctance aroused the suspicion of Transportation Security Administration screener Gertrude Joseph. She pulled the bottle out of a recycle bin and notified her supervisor when she discovered its hidden compartment.

Screeners told police they recognized Vick as the pro football player, and they were certain it was his water bottle because they saw him throw it away and it was the only water bottle in the recycle bin.

Miami-Dade police reviewed surveillance video from the checkpoint and said it corroborated the screeners' version of events. They also confirmed Vick was a passenger on AirTran Flight 338 from Miami to Atlanta.

The bottle had a clear partition in the middle, separating the bottle into two compartments. An online spy-equipment retailer lists an Aquafina Water Bottle Diversion Safe for $15. ''It has room for more than just water,'' according to metrospysupply.com. ``Twist and pull the bottle in half to reveal a hidden compartment.''

In his report, Miami-Dade Det. Kevin Kozak wrote: ``The concealed compartment contained a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana. The top half contained a small amount of clear liquid. When held upright the bottle appeared to be half full of water.''

Vick, the top NFL draft pick in 2001, is the older brother of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Marcus Vick and second cousin of Oakland Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks.

Vick is known for his ability to elude defenders and make dazzling runs. He is third on the NFL's all-time rushing list for quarterbacks, running for more than 1,000 yards this past season.

Vick is two years into a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons.

Vick made headlines when he flipped his middle finger to booing fans after a Nov. 26 home loss to the New Orleans Saints. The league fined him $10,000, and he agreed to give another $10,000 to charity.

Miami Herald staff writers Armando Salguero and Gladys Amador, and Brian Andrews, a reporter with Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS4, contributed to this report.