Vick's Courage Award Sparks Controversy

[Stinky The Clown]

Michael Vick served prison time for dogfighting, but he is now receiving a prestigious award from a Baltimore organization.

Vick, the pro-football player who served prison time for torturing and killing dogs, is getting the prestigious Ed Block Courage Award.

His Philadelphia Eagles' teammates selected him for the honor, and Vick said in an interview last week, he deserves it.

"I've had to overcome a lot, probably more than one single individual can handle. You take a look at what I've been through. You ask people to walk in my shoes. They probably couldn't do it--probably 95 percent of the people in this world--because nobody had to endure what I've been through," he said.

>snip<

More here: http://wjz.com/local/Michael.Vick.award.2.1395411.html





Yeah, this pisses me right the fuck off. It makes me think that perhaps the Iggils are a buncha morons.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Obviously the Iggils are morons...so Vick fits right in with them...

I cannot believe the arrogance and unmitigated gall of Vick's statement!!!!

[Auggie]

2. Michael Vick gets the one finger salute from me

[TornadoTN]

3. Oh poor little Vick, he's been through so much

Cry me a fuckin' river. There are millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of people that have had it harder in life than Michael Vick.

The guy never should have been allowed back on the playing field, imo.

[snagglepuss]

6. Exactly.

A courage award?:puke:

[Bluzmann57]

4. "Nobody had to endure what I've been through"

Well, I never have but that's because I OBEY THE LAW! As do most other people. Vick has never been homeless, has never had to worry about where his next meal is coming from, has never had an involuntary job loss, well you get the idea. Vick is just another prima donna piece of shit. I didn't care about him getting a second chance at playing football, I figured he did his time, but a statement like the above one is absolutely ludicrous. What a dumbass. He obviously learned nothing in prison.
And yeah, maybe the Eagles are a bunch of morons.

[tblue37]

16. His tortured DOGS had to endure quite a bit more, I think! nt

[Rage for Order]

32. Silly...

Don't you know, dogs don't matter!

[JuniperLea]

5. He's overcome a lot...

Like the nagging conscious of a torturing, murdering coward... he's overcome the personal need to be a decent human being... he's overcome the need to feel responsible for his horrific actions.

I've overcome the need for him and his idiot teammates and their moronic team.

Me and my dogs stand in solidarity of the fallen innocents.

[msongs]

7. he is $$$ rewarded for his trial and tribulations. that's all he cares about here nt

[hughee99]

8. It's hard to credit someone with "overcomming adversity" that they brought upon themselves

and where the only thing we're sure they regret is getting caught.

[rvablue]

9. What a loser. n/t

[safeinOhio]

10. Didn't have the best childhood and

if you listen to this NPR story you might find that his arrest and conviction has done more for ending dog fighting in this country than any thing else.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vick

They were married when Michael was about five years old, but the children elected to continue to use their "Vick" surname. The family lived in the Ridley Circle Homes, a public housing project in a financially depressed and crime-ridden neighborhood located in the East End section of the port city. A 2007 newspaper article published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted "not much changed" by observations of local people almost ten years after Michael Vick left. One resident said that there was drug dealing, drive-by shootings and other killings in the neighborhood, then suggested that sports were a way out and a dream for many.<4>

NPR story

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=113158123&m=113165807

I'd say the law of unintended consequences operates in both directions.

[newtothegame]

18. "sports were a way out and a dream for many."

Unfortunately, we see that way too often in neighborhoods with poverty. Parents making plans for their kids to be rappers and athletes, when they should be making sure their kids do their homework.

[JanMichael]

19. Dogfighting is a "sport." Didn't seem to help too

many of the poor dogs Vick owned.

[Withywindle]

27. I get that but...

How many people grew up in that neighborhood or others just like it or worse, and don't torture animals to death for fun? I'll bet an awful lot. I'll bet the overwhelming majority! I've known lots of people from hellish neighborhoods with a lot of abuse and tragedy in their backgrounds. Some of them have been intense animal lovers and advocates. Poverty doesn't cause animal abuse. Sociopathy causes animal abuse, and you find that in every level of society.


And at the time that he did this, he was RICH. He could have enjoyed any form of recreation in the world he wanted, and he picked THIS?

It's true and a good thing that his arrest and the publicity brought a lot of increased awareness about the issue. But I wouldn't exactly give him "credit" for that.

[safeinOhio]

28. I can see you didn't listen to the

NPR story.

[Withywindle]

29. No, I didn't yet, that's true. n/t

[flvegan]

31. Erm...Vick bankrolled the dogfighting with his NFL QB money.

He was a rich man when he decided this was a good idea.

[Jakes Progress]

11. What else can you say? Fuck Michael Vick. Screw the iggles. nt

[emilyg]

17. +10

[Forkboy]

12. Boy, one can just feel the remorse!

[zonkers]

13. If the poor pitbulls who were electrocuted, beaten, starved and rapestanded could have voted.

[goldcanyonaz]

14. Did they give him a puppy as part of his award?

[MNDemNY]

15. 12 of them.

[rhett o rick]

20. Disgusting. nt

[Lugnut]

21. His attitude disgusts me.

I'll save my pity for the poor animals who were abusrd by the creep.

[AndrewP]

22. Michael Vick and the Eagles can go fuck themselves

[Quantess]

23. What an asshole. He has no remorse whatsoever.

And now we're supposed to admire him because he thinks he overcame some tragedies?

[shadesofgray]

24. He's a sociopathic POS, and so is anybody who defends him.

[shireen]

25. petition

http://www.change.org/actions/view/petition_against_awarding_michael_vick_the_ed_block_courage_award

that vile asshole ... sickening.

[shireen]

26. the irony ...

From http://www.edblock.org/
The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of neglected children and ending the cycle of abuse.

From http://www.paws.org/help/report/connection.php
Increasingly, child protection and social service agencies, mental health professionals and educators regard animal abuse as a significant form of aggressive and antisocial behavior, and consider it an important red flag in identifying other violent behavior.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

30. What a fu$&^*% thug dirtbag piece of shit!