I'm not sure, but Newport News, VA isn't all that rural is it? I thought it was pretty much an urban area close to Virginia Beach.

Either way, the homeboy mentality (while good in concept of remembering where you came from and those that were with you before you were "somebody") has lead to the downfall of more than a few athletes. Pacman Jones falls into this same catagory.

Yes, there are alot more "stupid and arrogant" people out there. As has been referenced in many articles about Vick, this isn't the first major federal case since dogfighting became a federal offense. I think the first one that produced convictions or at least guilty pleas was here in Ohio. Last I read there were 12 charged and 6 or 7 had already pleaded guilty.

What I'm reading on Vick is that his lawyers have advised him to accept any plea agreement with a sentence less than a year. However, it's not expected that the government will offer anything with that short of a sentence. As the last man standing, and the big fish in this thing, he has nothing to offer the prosecution, aside from the money saved by not going to trial. As it stands the maximum sentence is 5 years, but the new indictment will probably include racketeering charges, so that is going to go up significantly. I agree with Ryou in guessing if they offer any deal it'll be for at least 2 years mandatory.

"I have the sense that dog-fighting and cock-fighting and all that stuff happens all over, so maybe there are a lot more "stupid and arrogant" people out there besides Vick."

But how many of them are / were worth over $130 million? There in lies my point on being stupid and arrogant. Stupid in the vein, why would you do ANYTHING that could jeopardize your game and endorsement contracts and arrogance in that you believe you are above all all reproach and held harmless. Would it not be the arrogance that allows you to participate without thought of losing everything?

Originally Posted by RYou

"I have the sense that dog-fighting and cock-fighting and all that stuff happens all over, so maybe there are a lot more "stupid and arrogant" people out there besides Vick."

But how many of them are / were worth over $130 million? There in lies my point on being stupid and arrogant. Stupid in the vein, why would you do ANYTHING that could jeopardize your game and endorsement contracts and arrogance in that you believe you are above all all reproach and held harmless. Would it not be the arrogance that allows you to participate without thought of losing everything?

Yes, I see your point. Perhaps the arrogance comes in part from being a superstar athlete and having everyone kiss your behind for years.

Originally Posted by therick

I'm not sure, but Newport News, VA isn't all that rural is it? I thought it was pretty much an urban area close to Virginia Beach.

As to where he was raised, I was only speculating--'cause dog fighting strikes me as a country thing. But I could be wrong.

I still think it was mainly his homeboys that were involved.

He owned the property and the house, but they were the driving force.

Sure he knew about and was involved to a ceratin extent, but I doubt a NFL quarterback has the spare time to train dogs and set up underground dog fighting events.

MV rose to the top and brought his trashy neighborhood freinds along for the ride and they repaid him by using his property and money for illegal ventures.

That's the way I see it.

I suggest we put Vick and friends in that house, lock the doors and windows, pour a few gallons of gasoline over the house and light it up. I will volunteer to light the match.

They used quotes to try to show that "63,000,000,000 Billion" was the actual amount requested in the complaint. Actually, the complaint says "63,000,000,000.00 Billion". They probably should have used (sic) instead. Or, instead of trying to be cute and show how dumb the inmate was, they could have simply said "63 billion". But then, you gotta figure the audience for Fox News probably thinks on the same level as the audience for National Enquirer, and, as demonstrated by this story, the newsworthiness of their stories are about on the same level too.