Most readers of this magazine have heard of Michael Vick, outside of his career as an NFL Quarterback.  In 2007, property owned by Vick in Virginia was searched and evidence of a dog fighting ring was found. Over 70 pit bull-type dogs were seized, most showing signs of injuries and horrific abuse.  It was alleged that Vick was directly involved in the dogfighting as well as the execution of dogs. He pled guilty to a single count of dogfighting and was sentenced to 23 months in prison for the federal charges and received a 3 year suspended sentence + restitution for the state charges.  He was also barred from owning an animal. As a consequence of these actions, he was immediately suspended from the NFL, lost millions in endorsement deals, was being sued by several banks and creditors for defaulting on loans and eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  Due to the heinous nature of his crimes, many believed that this was all just punishment and that he should not be allowed to play in the NFL again. However, in 2009, he signed a $1.6 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was traded around a few more times and then retired from professional football in 2017.  

The majority of people who condemned Vick’s actions were surprised to learn that he would be able to continue his career as a professional football player.  The even bigger surprise came when the president of the Humane Society, Wayne Pacelle, said in 2010 that he was open to the idea of Vick having a dog again.  

“He’s been going through counseling, he’s been speaking to kids twice a month, and he needs to interact with animals...if he continues to hit these markers, then if his daughter wants a dog two or three years down the line...I’m saying that we should be open to that possibility.”

-Wayne Pacelle- HSUS President

The Humane Society states that their mission is to fight the big fight to end suffering for all animals and fight all forms of animal cruelty.  They have seen countless cases of neglect and abuse and know how devastating the results of a dogfighting operation can be for innocent animals.  They argued that Vick is now participating in educating people about the problems of dogfighting and, due to his celebrity status, is reaching thousands more people than the Humane Society has ever been able to reach. However, there are many skeptics who doubt Vick’s motives and, given what he has done to abuse and kill dozens of dogs, think he should be banned from owning animals for life. The HSUS has since backed off their support of Michael Vick and are no longer working with him and have no plans to in the future.

Once the operation was broken up and the dogs saved from their terrible existence, there was the question of “what do we do with them now?”  Historically, dogs rescued from dogfighting operations would be deemed “too dangerous” and euthanized. In the wake of the Vick scandal, animal advocates saw an opportunity to change the past and fought to save the lives of Vick’s dogs.  When they were discovered on the compound, most of the dogs were cowering in the corner of their kennels, more fearful than aggressive. Some did not want to leave their kennels, because they knew that, in the past, bad things happened when they did. These dogs had never been in a home and did not even know what a toy or a treat was. Their rescuers were adamant about the fact that they deserved to feel love, security and freedom after all they’d been through. The dogs were put into one of four categories - euthanize, sanctuary 2 (needing lifetime care by trained professionals), sanctuary 1 (needing a controlled environment) and foster (with an experienced dog owner).  A majority of them were split up between eight rescue organizations and went straight into foster. Several were sent to Best Friends, a giant animal sanctuary in Utah, to live out the rest of their days in peace.    

Vick’s actions to rebuild his reputation are often sullied when people recall a quote from Kathy Strouse, a lead investigator into the dogfighting ring run by Michael Vick, when she quoted the former NFL quarterback saying:

"Yeah, fine. I killed the dogs. I hung them. I slammed them. I killed all of them. I lost f#*ng millions over some f#*king dogs."

While no one has verified that he actually said this, it has certainly vilified his image even more. Vick was recently in the news again when it was announced that he would serve as one of the 2020 Pro Bowl captains, a high honor in the football community.  The public let it be known, though, that they had not forgotten about his cruelty towards animals.   Despite a petition calling for his removal, Michael Vick will serve as the NFL's honorary Pro Bowl captain this year, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. More than 560,000 people signed a Change.org petition to bar Vick from serving as a captain, a role that would see him mentor players and coach from the sidelines. But Goodell said Vick's made progress since his 2007 conviction for illegal dogfighting.

“Over the last, what is it, nine years or so, we have supported Michael in his recognition of the mistake he made," Goodell said at a press conference. "He's paid a heavy price for that. He's been accountable for it.”

Even the passage of over a decade since this terrible incident has not lessened the passion and conviction of animal advocates.  Their hearts are huge and their memories are long. Still, some people believe Vick has paid his dues and has made great strides in giving back to the rescue community and educating children about kindness towards animals.  Michael Vick’s current net worth is over $15,000,000, while dogfighting still plagues our nation and has shown no sign of stopping. Thousands of fighting dogs are seized every year in the US, prized “bloodlines” of pit bulls are sold for tens of thousands of dogs are seen boasted on social media. Let us know what you think about this issue, and thank you for engaging in the conversation. Whether you support him or not, the questions we pose are these:

1. Does being a sports star, make you more forgiving or less forgiving in the public eye? Are you or should you be held to a higher standard?

2. Would any citizen in a professional career (doctor, lawyer, etc..) be hired back in their old job after being convicted of a heinous felony?

3. Should he be allowed to own an animal? (if so, does this mean a pedophile should be allowed to be around children after serving their sentence?) VICK RECENTLY PURCHASED A BELGIAN MALINOIS, a breed many people believe do not make good pets as they require extensive training and bred for military and police work.

If you would like to help stop dogfighting and abuse of animals in South Carolina, please support the efforts of Valiant Animal Rescue and Relief. VARR is the voice of the animals and has worked to stop many dogfighters and animal abusers in the Carolinas. Learn more and donate at valiantanimalrescue.org