Portis says Dog Fighting No Big Deal

[ALinChainz]

While prosecutors and the league try to find out if Michael Vick was involved in a dog fighting ring at a Virginia house that he owned, one NFL player says it doesn't matter if he did take part.

"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it's his property, it's his dog," Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis told WAVY-TV in Virginia. "If that's what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business."

When told that dog fighting is a felony, Portis replied, "It can't be too bad of a crime."

Investigators are still trying to determine if crimes were committed and if charges should be filed in the case. Authorities met to compare information on Monday.

"At this time, the investigation continues. We have no further comment," said a statement distributed to reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting said.

The meeting at the Surry County government office involved Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter, Sheriff Harold Brown, the county's animal control officer, two special agents from the Virginia State Police and an investigator with the U.S. Department of Agriculture also representing the U.S. Office of the Inspector General.

The case began April 25 when police conducting a drug investigation raided the house Vick owned in rural Surry County and found dozens of dogs. They also found items associated with dog fighting, including a "pry bar" used to pry apart a dog's jaws.

No charges have been filed in the case, but Poindexter last week told The Associated Press as many as six to 10 people could be involved. Dog fighting is a felony in Virginia.

Vick is a registered dog breeder.

He has blamed relatives for taking advantage of his generosity and insisted he's rarely at the house -- even though he's the owner.

The Daily Press of Newport News has reported Vick has since sold the home.

Poindexter said the county seized some 60 dogs from the house. Several dogs had old scars, but mostly the dogs appeared to be well-cared for, he said.

Vick has said he let a cousin, Davon Boddie, live at the house, and that he didn't know a large kennel on the property could be involved in a criminal activity.

Vick, the former Virginia Tech quarterback, in recent weeks has been sternly warned against misbehavior by Falcons owner Arthur Blank, and summoned to New York to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Redskins offensive lineman Chris Samuels, who was promoting a Redskins fan event with Portis, doesn't want the public to rush to judgment.

"You can't accuse this man of something and go ahead and throw the book at him right now," he told WAVY-TV. "He's got to be convicted first, and I don't think that's fair."

The NFL has shown a willingness to see if animal abuse is a widespread problem in the league, but Portis doesn't think it's an issue.

"You want to hunt down Mike Vick over fighting some dogs?," Portis told the television station. "I think people should mind their own business."

Portis said that dog fighting is more common than people think.

"I know a lot of back roads that have the dog fighting if you want to go see it," he said.

Later in the day on Monday, Portis tried to back down from his comments, issuing a statement that was posted on the Redskins' Web site.

"In the recent interview I gave concerning dog fighting, I want to make it clear I do not take part in dog fighting or condone dog fighting in any manner."



ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2878099&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines)

[ALinChainz]

Saw Portis on the news talking about it.

A real brainiac there ...

[ALinChainz]

Portis backtracking so fast he can smell his ass ...

Portis Statement On Dogfighting Comments

May 21, 2007

The following is a statement from Redskins running back Clinton Portis regarding recent comments he made to a Norfolk, Va., television station.

"In the recent interview I gave concerning dogfighting, I want to make it clear I do not take part in dogfighting or condone dogfighting in any manner."

http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=26335

[WARF]

For some strange reason I'd like to hear Joey T's comment about this lol.

[ALinChainz]

Joey is a huge fan of dog BITING ... like on a nutsack.

[Cult of Roth]

Clinton Portis just proved he is a dumb ASS.

I got a feeling this dogfighting thing is a fairly widespread part of the football culture. If they really dig into this they might have a scandal almost as big as MLB's steroid issue.

[ALinChainz]

Each day it appears to be a bigger mess ... interested to see who bought Vick's house ... supposively going to "turn heads".

[chi-town324]

Portis is gay...no really...all those fag costumes he wears every week...prolly wants to get in Vicks pants...the whole thing makes me sick!

[knuckleboner]

big deal.

nobody cares if football players go hunting in the offseason.

is it REALLY that much worse to fight 2 dogs than to kill 2 deer?

look, i'd probably make dog fighting illegal, too. there's some line out there. but i wouldn't make it such a huge case.

[ALinChainz]

It is illegal. Deer hunting is humane, humans killing deer helps keep their population down, food supplies for deer in balance, weeds out the weak. Humans use them for food. Deer don't kill each other for money.

[VanHalener]

My take on this...

To all who use dogs this way

FUCK YOU :mad2:

EAT SHIT & DIE :fu:

now back to our regular programing...:hitch:

[TAKIN WHISKEY]

Now you know why Denver got rid of this guy. Portis is a complete idiot. If Vick owned the house, he is responsible for what takes place there. Just the same as if someone falls in your pool and drowns. I didn't live their, I didn't know that there was no fence around the pool. Too bad! With fame and fortune comes EXTRA responsibility. The reason that this is a big deal is because Vick has shown that he is a punk ass bitch off the field and he is a shitty QB on the field. I'm glad I'm not a Falcons fan.

[knuckleboner]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
It is illegal. Deer hunting is humane, humans killing deer helps keep their population down, food supplies for deer in balance, weeds out the weak. Humans use them for food. Deer don't kill each other for money.

i've got an uncle who hunts. bow and arrow. saves the meat in his freezer and uses it all. and yes, some deer hunts are definitely to cull the population.

but all deer hunts? how about squirrel hunts? geese? etc?

there are definitely people out there that hunt simply for sport. they're not trying to use the animal for food/clothing, and they're not trying to help control the population. some people hunt just to hunt.

and, if that's the case, i find it a little difficult to distinguish between hunting for sport and dog fighting for sport. both involve killing animals for amusement.


again, i WOULD draw the line, nonetheless, and make dog fighting (cock fighting, etc.) illegal. i just wouldn't make it that big of a crime.


and that's because i'd feel a little weird putting somebody in jail for killing animals for sport, and then i go out and buy a pair of leather shoes when fake leather would do, or eat a big mac when the tofu burger would sustain me. or go kill a deer, simply to put the head and antlers on my wall.

[ALinChainz]

Usually guys who don't keep the meat, give it to someone who does and many sportsman eat all of their kills, squirrels, geese included.

Animal skins are still used, etc.

I know the difference between sportsman and the brutal cruelty to animals. How many children are killed each year, and some in the news here recently from dogs who suddenly kill because they are bred that way.

Irregardless of principle, hunting has seasons, and in season is not against the law. When it is out of season, its poaching, against the law.

Dog and cock fighting are gambling outlets that are against the law. Again, dog fighting isn't a human killing an animal, its breeding animals to do it and be bet on. Humans hunt and fish, I think there is a huge difference and if Vick is guilty of it, I don't think it should be a simple slap on the wrist especially if he felt the need to lie about it.

[knuckleboner]

i don't know.

it should be illegal, whether there's gambling involved or not (and yeah, i'm sure in the real world it's almost all gambling.)

especially because it's cruel. it's not quite the same death as a hunter who tries to make it as quick as possible.

so i have no problem calling 1 a crime and the other an activity. but i don't know if i'd support making it a major crime.

[chi-town324]

i have never heard of a pet deer

[ALinChainz]

Just heard they yanked 66 dogs from Vick's place, and something like 55 or so were pitbulls, all having fight scars.

[DlocRoth]

I got $40 on Santa's little helper.

[knuckleboner]

Originally posted by chi-town324
i have never heard of a pet deer

is that the distinction? animals that are generally used as pets get more protection than animals that are wild?

i'm happy to draw the distinction based on cruelty/humane-ness, as AL pointed out.

but overally, i just think there's not a tremendous amount of consistency in our laws on what one can and can't do to specific animals.

[SA ME WHO]

Deer and squirrels aren't bred to be inhumanely pitted against each other in vicious fighting rings.

It's cruel, specific for gambling, and illegal.

To me, there's literally no comparison between hunting and dog fighting.

(And Portis just guaranteed himself a view in much of the public's eye as a Grade A moron.)

[ALinChainz]

By Kelly Naqi

Special to ESPN.com

Updated: May 27, 2007, 10:48 AM ET


He arrived at the hotel room, where our cameras were set up, in a T-shirt and jeans. "I'm nervous," he said, surveying our lights and camera equipment. "I've never done anything like this before."

Our confidential source says he's been involved in dog fighting for over 30 years. He's trained and fought -- by his estimation -- around 2,000 pit bulls and was poised to tell "Outside the Lines" about the time in 2000 when his dog squared off against a dog owned by someone he referred to as one of the "heavyweights" of the dog fighting world: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

"He's a pit bull fighter," the source says of Vick. "He's one of the ones that they call 'the big boys:' that's who bets a large dollar. And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money -- $30,000 to $40,000 -- even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

On April 25, authorities raided a house in Surry County, Va., owned by Vick and reportedly found -- among other things -- 66 dogs (most of which were pit bulls), a dog-fighting pit, blood stained carpets and equipment commonly associated with dog fighting. Vick was not at the scene and denied knowledge of dog fighting at the property. To this point, no charges have been filed against him. But questions about Vick and his possible connection to dog fighting linger.

This source -- who required anonymity as a condition of our interview -- has helped law enforcement by supplying information on dog fights that has led to dozens of felony arrests.

"I've fought dogs, I pitted them, I bred them and I've done everything with them," says the source of his three decades in dog fighting. He then went on to describe the scene from that night seven years ago, as he took his 42-pound dog into the pit (the area where dogs fight) to face off against Vick's dog. He says Vick did not get into the pit, but had a member of his entourage handle his dog, while Vick placed bets with the 20 or so people in attendance.


"Then he started, you know, waving money," the source says. "He was betting with everybody ... He said he got $5,000. He said he's betting on his animal."

While the source says he doesn't know how much Vick bet that night, he does recall the matches' outcome: Vicks' dog lost. He says Vick is known in the dog fighting community as "the man that comes with all the money" and his reputation is "[that] he brings a good dog and he's going to bet and he's going bring a nice sum of cash."

ESPN contacted Vick's agent, Joel Segal, who did not respond to the source's allegations.

In the U.S., dog fighting is considered a felony in every state except Wyoming and Idaho. Despite that fact, according to the Humane Society, it's estimated that somewhere between 20,000 to 40,000 people in this country take part in this multi-billion dollar industry.

"I believe that dog fighting is on the upswing," says John Goodwin, the deputy manager of the Animal Cruelty Campaign for the Humane Society. "And I believe that certain elements of the pop culture have glamorized dog fighting and glamorized big, tough pit bulls."

American pit bull terriers account for 99 percent of the species involved in dog fighting, and a pit bull puppy can cost as much as $5000. An average dog fight carries a $10,000 purse.

So why would a professional athlete risk his reputation -- and a lifetime of financial security -- to do this? "For the thrill of it," says a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, who asked not to be identified. "It's like gambling, no different than when Michael Jordan drops $100,000 on a hole of golf."

There's no official data on just how many professional athletes may be associated with dog fighting today. Before the current investigation against Vick, in the last couple of years, only two professional athletes stand out as having been publicly linked to allegations of dog fighting: former NBA forward Qyntel Woods (who faced possible charges of dog fighting before pleading guilty to animal abuse in 2005) and former NFL running back LeShon Johnson, who pled guilty to three charges related to dog fighting, also, in 2005. Johnson is currently serving a five year deferred sentence. But those players only scratch the surface of what Goodwin calls a 'subculture' of dog fighting among professional athletes.


"You know, it's very interesting that we have got a whole roster of names of professional athletes that we know are involved in dog fighting," Goodwin says. "Surely, not every single one has come to light; I bet not even 10 percent have come to light."

If that's true, one reason may have to do with the "Code of Silence" among dog fighters. The source says many matches take place on rural farms, with 'lookouts' stationed in the woods and down surrounding roads, up to eight miles away. He adds that sometimes, local sheriffs are paid off to look the other way -- that is, when they're not participating in the dog fights themselves. But with up to two hundred people in attendance at any given match, how is it possible that a high-profile athlete can attend dog fights and never have word get out to the general public?

"Dog fighting is a very private thing," answers the source, who says that Vick was still involved in dog fighting as recently as last year. "It's all Pit Bull Men. It's close knit: you got your little boys, then you got your heavyweight boys. It's a completely different class ... And now [that] it's all over the media, and you have to keep it more private."

The source says he consented to our interview to change people's perceptions about dog fighting, because they have "the wrong idea" about it and should see "just one" match for themselves before judging it. "They'll let this other thing go -- what is it called? UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship]?" he asked. "That is every bit as bad -- you know, that's terrible. But then you have thousands of people that cheer, rah, rah, and they really love that. You see guys get their heads busted, you know, and they get their arms messed up, their legs twisted almost off. But then they fuss over this here, is wrong."

When asked what he thinks people's reactions will be when they learn of his account of Vick's involvement in dog fighting, the source was nonplussed.

"They shouldn't be really upset, OK?" he said. "Because it's only just an animal. It's just a dog that is raised up. He's put out there, you know, and he's chained up, OK. And the time he gets a certain age, this dog is going to want to fight. It is bred in him, OK? He knows what he is and he's going to fight. Just take him off the leash, let him go."

"Dog fighting is illegal for a reason," says Goodwin. "It's a severe form of cruelty."

"The gameness that the dog fighters strive for -- and 'gameness' is the willingness to continue fighting, even in the face of extreme pain, even in the face of death -- is something that's bred into the dogs," Goodwin says. "There are pit bulls that have been bred away from the fighting lines that are perfectly socialized but the game bred dogs -- bred for fighting -- just have it bred in them, to want to kill any dog in front of them."

On Friday, Surry County Commonwealth Attorney Gerald Poindexter told The Associated Press that the investigation against Vick is "moving forward." When contacted by ESPN and asked for a response to the source's contention of Vick's involvment in dog fighting, Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts responded via e-mail, "Michael was drafted by the Falcons in 2001. The allegations regarding him are still under investigation, and until we have facts related to the investigation, we are unable to respond further."

The NFL released this statement: "Dog fighting is cruel, degrading, and illegal. We support a thorough investigation into any allegations of this type of activity. Any NFL employee proved to be involved in this type of activity will be subject to prompt and significant discipline under our personal conduct policy."

While the NFL continues to monitor the Vick investigation, there's another group closely monitoring it as well … but for a different reason.

"Everybody in the dog world is worried about Michael Vick talking," the source added, shortly before leaving our interview room and heading back to work. "Michael Vick is making large money, he's making millions, OK? And if he has to tell on some people [to avoid prison time], I think he would tell … I don't put nothing past him."

Kelly Naqi is a reporter for Outside the Lines.

ESPN OUTSIDE THE LINES REPORT (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2884063&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines)

[ALinChainz]

Just watching the video of these dogs fighting ... makes me sick.

Call me a pussy ... whatever ... I've owned dogs all my life.

These dogs are dangerous enough when those who own them also have children.

[SA ME WHO]

I think anyone convicted of dogfighting should be put in the ring with a dog for 2 minutes.

[Dan]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Just watching the video of these dogs fighting ... makes me sick.

Call me a pussy ... whatever ... I've owned dogs all my life.

These dogs are dangerous enough when those who own them also have children.

It's going to take someone to be Killed when something is going to be done about it.

Back Home,People are being Killed and Kids being hurt too.

There are so many DumbFucks out there that they think this is a Sport and it's them that need to be put down.

[ALinChainz]

What ever happened to dog races at a track, seems like that would be enough of a competitive fix.

[ALinChainz]

I agree Dan, just read where a five year old got their ear ate off and all the adults, including the owners, were there.

They couldn't react in time.

[Dan]

Whoever Breeds these Dogs need to be Stopped.Stop Breeding Dogs to Fight cos that's all they know have to do.

Scars are there for Life.

[scamper]

Originally posted by ALinChainz

cock fighting

That's gay.

[PlexiBrown]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2888085