Michael Vick's mother sends letter to judge: "PLEASE Your HONOR give my baby Michael another chance"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Michael Vick to judge: 'I am not the beast'

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/14/vick.letters/index.html?iref=newssearch



(CNN) -- Disgraced former NFL star Michael Vick declared that "I am not the bad person or the beast I've been made out to be" in a letter to a judge asking for leniency. "I have been talked about and ridiculed on a day to day basis by people who really don't know Michael Vick the human being. They only knew the football player which is unfair," Vick said in a handwritten letter released this week.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Vick on Monday to serve 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and helping to kill pit bulls that did not fight aggressively.

Vick wrote the judge that he had accepted responsibility for his actions, would pay restitution and never again use "a single dollar that I have earned for anything but to help people." The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback said he grew up not knowing the severity of the crime of dogfighting and asked Hudson for "a second chance."

Brenda Vick Boddie said her son fell victim to friends who took advantage of Vick's inability to "say no." "PLEASE Your HONOR give my baby Michael another chance. He's never been in trouble with the law before, PLEASE! PLEASE! one more chance," she pleaded in her own handwritten letter.

[hlthe2b]

1. Sorry, Mrs. Vick.... but somehow, you raised a monster.

When he bored of torturing these poor dogs (and profiting from their torture), what next? (Although I suppose the Bush* admin would gladly find him work in interrogations.:eyes:)

[SoCalDem]

2. He's a grown man.. a millionaire.. and a felonious animal torturer

let him stew in his own juices..

[hlthe2b]

3. I don't know the timing of that photo, but he sure looks defiant

Not a good PR image result that it was chosen, that's for sure.

[MADem]

7. I think he looks scared shitless but trying to mask it, myself. NT

[old guy]

4. "They only knew the football player...."?

Please explain, Mr Vick, what dog fighting and abuse has to do with football? Sorry but you are not a nice human being no matter what your mother believes. She's your mother. Get it?

[napi21]

5. Sorry Mrs. Vick. Miike is NOT a baby anymore. Perhapse YOU

should have talked to him BEFORE he decided to stick with his OLD FRIENDS and break the laws. Take a look at some of the pictures of "his dogs" that I've seen online. Do you honestly believe someone who funded and participated in the harm done to them deserves ANY SYMPATHY? I sure don't!

[Whisp]

39. as a mom, I think a bit differently than some posts here.

yes, what he did ws despicable but he is alone to blame for it. but his mom is his mom - not societal or judicial judgement involved, just momship.
I know I promised to love my child forever no matter what, and I meant it.

[pennylane100]

40. I know, as a mother, that lover for a child is unconditional.

But loving a child and asking society to condone acts of cruelty are different.

I am glad he has his mother's love, it will help him when he gets out, but she needs to come to terms with the fact that many people will view him as a monster, and he supplied the reason. He has to pay for his terrible acts of cruelty and she can show her love by letting him do so.

[theHandpuppet]

45. Yeah and her other son isn't exactly Mr. Nice Guy, either

A couple of seriously troubled young men who needed guidance and counseling a LONG time ago. I'm sure Mrs Vick has known for years who her sons chose to associate with -- a little late to be bawling now. All this time and she never knew he was fighting and murdering dogs? Yeah, and I gotta bridge to sell ya....

[flvegan]

6. Dear Brenda Vick Boddie, Please blow it out your ass.

I look forward to the trial for your "baby Michael" on the state charges.

Sincerest regards,
flvegan

[cali]

8. Dear Michael's mother:

Your precious baby tormented and killed dogs for sport. I don't give a shit that he never got caught before. He deserves every miserable day he spends locked up.

[theoldman]

9. His second chance will come when he gets out of prison.

[Wapsie B]

10. Don't worry. Charlie Colson's group will get ahold of him and he'll be redeemed.

Seems to me his brother Marcus ain't no choirboy either. There's gotta be one helluva back-story about that family.

[High Plains]

11. Wow, DU is as vicious as a pack of fighting dogs.

I love the smell of hate in the morning.

[cali]

32. gee, maybe we just don't have any sympathy for someone who

tortured and killed dogs for the fun of it. Shocking position to take, huh?

[xultar]

43. No shit. I told someone that Vick should get a taste of what he did to the pups

I personally found the rape stand for the bitches a bit horrifying.

[iamjoy]

12. Bitch Sent Letter To Vick

Asking him to give her son another chance and not kill the puppy for not fighting.

[xultar]

44. Why are you calling his mother a bitch?

[iamjoy]

53. That's What You Call Them

That's what you call a female dog used for breeding.

I'm saying the mother of the dogs Vick fought didn't want their offspring punished either.

[msongs]

13. typically, football stars have been worshipped spoiled brats since junior high

and many have been allowed to get with away with almost anything since they can play with a ball better than others. they are shocked when they are actually held accountable for negative behavior.

pity the poor multi-millionaire "vicitms".

Msongs

[frylock]

14. he DID get a second chance..

he was the one who decided he was going to continue with his lies after they offered him a plea. he would've probably walked with a fine, probation and public service otherwise.

[Prefer]

15. This is about painting a characture of black people.

If you lived in Atlanta, then you might know what I mean. There is a dynamic to the separatist subtext where they want to portray occurrences of black failure as the defining characteristic. They want to tear down black heroes. The other one you hear a lot is Bobby Brown. They love to say "Bobby Brown messed up yet again".

Yes they got him legitimately on the dog thing, but the point is it was because they were out to tear him down, just like the did to Bill Clinton.

[hlthe2b]

17. If it makes you feel better, I'd gladly pay more taxes to make sure

states throw the book at anyone who commits such cruelty, whether they be white, black, or little Asian grandmothers from the Joy Luck Club....:sarcasm:

These race, gender, or other similarly based excuses don't cut it. Cruelty is cruelty and I can not imagine why anyone would want to condone it in the "name of culture."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

18. You can't tear down a hero of any color if they are not heroic to begin with.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/10/sports/main3597108.shtml

Vick was denied any credit for taking responsibility for his crime. Hudson agreed with a federal probation officer's finding that Vick had lied about his hands-on killing of dogs and about his drug use. Vick tested positive for marijuana Sept. 13, violating conditions of his release while he awaited sentencing.

Hudson recalled that Vick at one point said he only handed over two dogs to co-defendant Quanis Phillips, who killed them. On another occasion, Vick said he dropped a dog after Phillips tied a rope around the animal's neck, the judge added.

"I'm not convinced you've fully accepted responsibility," (Judge Henry E.) Hudson told Vick.

[flashl]

21. Good point. Vick was the target.

IF it was about torturing the dogs, THEN why no ballywooing about this?

Last Vick cohort

If federal prosecutors had their way, the man who gave them most of the gruesome details about Michael Vick's dogfighting enterprise wouldn't go to prison for killing dogs and helping create "Bad Newz Kennels."

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson disagreed, saying it wouldn't be right to let Tony Taylor walk after sentencing Vick to 23 months in prison and two other co-defendants to 18 and 21 months.

"You were as much an abuser of animals as any other defendant in this case," Hudson told Taylor on Friday before sentencing him to two months in prison.

Prosecutor Michael Gill had recommended Taylor only serve probation.

[BadgerLaw2010]

23. How is Vick a "hero?" Paid too much money and deliberately tries for a thug lifestyle despite that?

Vick also has no guts and no loyalty. He was going to roll on his buddies until he found out it didn't work that way, then he still wouldn't fess up to what he did.

There is nothing about Michael Vick worth glorifying. He's a genetic lottery winner who lacks basic morality and doesn't have an ounce of common sense, including to not piss off a federal judge who is not known for giving soft sentences.

Bad idea to smoke a little bit of dope and weasel on your cooperation with the feds.

[pennylane100]

24. I am sorry you think Bobbie Brown and Vick are black hereos.

You are certainly selling black people short, and I do not care what what race you belong to.

[Prefer]

36. OK thanks for that.

I'll be sure to tell Atlanta to demolish Bobby Brown Blvd by the airport, because he's not a hero, according to my internet peers.

Listen, if you want to research this, I recommend listening to "The Steve and Vicky Show" to hear the distain for blacks, and balance that out with the Tom Joyner Morning Show to hear the reaction of the soul community that recognizes that this stuff is still marching on. You'll confirm for yourself that there is still an occurring subtext in this historic bed of separatist race relations. Closing of Grady Hospital is another one. Basically sold as the idea that whites are paying for the minorities to be irresponsible, as every basic bit of health care is treated for free as an Emergency Center walk in. However this is complicated by the fact that it is the only extreme level trauma center in the area, serving all of the emergency traffic incidents all the way to Florida.

This area bred the CCofC, you might explore that to get an idea of some underlying dynamics.

[pennylane100]

41. I have no doubt that all the facts you gave show a pattern of racism.

However, in spite of a boulevard name after him, Bobby Brown has been accused of spousal abuse and drunk driving on several occasions. Thats not what I want in my heroes, black or white.

[superduperfarleft]

25. Good post.

Regardless of what the other posters said.

I think the people who can't see a racial dynamic in what happened to Vick are naive or willfully ignorant.

After all, people of color have always gotten a fair shake when it comes to the media or the justice system. :sarcasm:

[Kucinich4America]

26. Sometimes you gotta wonder about this shit.

In no way in Hell am I defending Vick's actions. Or those of Barry Bonds. And certainly not OJ Simpson. But isn't the timing of all this shit a little suspicious?

Prison sentences for dog fighting? Or using steroids? Or "stealing" your own stuff?

Granted, OJ probably SHOULD be serving a life sentence for double murder. But because they couldn't get him on that, does that mean they have the right to manufacture charges??

Can anybody point to three white jocks facing prison sentences for these sort of things??

[BadgerLaw2010]

28. OJ's charges manufactured?? Say what?

Don't rob people in casino hotels, there are lots of cameras.

[Kucinich4America]

30. Is it really robbery if it's your own stuff?

That seems to be the issue. Who actually owned the property in question.

[BadgerLaw2010]

34. He took valuable property that wasn't all "his", even if the OJ stuff was actually his.

There's enough other felonies not involving him actually stealing something to put him in jail for life as well.

[cali]

35. no. it's not suspicious. You're trying to create a pattern by

connecting three unconnected cases. And what timing are you talking about? Three is hardly an epidemic of black jocks being prosecuted, and you can't really include OJ in there. He's hasn't been a jock in 30 years.
Michael Vick deserves his time in prison.

[cboy4]

38. I cringe seeing you place Bonds in the company of

those other two people, but I recognize the point you're articulating.

[TommyO]

27. No "hero" allows, or participates in the cruel treatment of dogs or other animals.

[cali]

33. maybe. but he tortured and killed dogs for sport, and he's paying for it. n/t

[theHandpuppet]

46. The Falcons have a real hero -- Warrick Dunn

I don't see anyone trying to tear him down. Then again, for some reason some folks think Vick deserves hero status just for being Vick.

[SidDithers]

16. You'd think with the amount of money he was making...

that he could afford to by both himself and his mom a fuckin' clue.

Sid

[SoCalDem]

20. Mom's sweating bullets because the gravy train has left the station... without her

:rofl:

[Name removed]

19. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[-..__...]

22. There goes your meal ticket Mrs Vick

You can see your baby on visitation days..

[NMMNG]

29. My heart bleeds for him.

Correction. My heart bleeds for the dogs he tortured and killed.

Let him serve out his sentence. He deserves every minute of it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

31. He should have joined the CIA where torture is legal, even applauded.

[bmbmd]

37. I'm white.

don't like the Falcons. Love dogs-yellow labs, especially. Don't care much for athletes.

Twenty three months is too much. I would like to see Mr. Vick get a second chance.
I see tremendous potential in a rehabilitated Mike Vick.

[xultar]

42. He can be rehabilitated after 23 months. Though I think he should get a taste

of what he did to those dogs. Animal fighting for sport is sick fucking business with a foundation on harming and murdering creatures. He didn't get NEARLY enough time for the evil he did.

I'm BLACK.

[ShaneGR]

48. I think the immediate reaction is to throw away key and ruin the offender....

Someone like Vick could be a better asset with a year lost and a longterm commitment to the government to help animals.

[951-Riverside]

47. Next she'll accuse the judge of being racist ...

I'm allowed to say that here, right?

[xultar]

49. Do you not see why your other post was so fucking offensive? If you can't see it

then I don't know what the fuck to say.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[superduperfarleft]

56. And since my post was deleted along with yours

And you decided to thumb your nose at the mods...

It doesn't take much for white "progressives" to show how they really feel about people of color. Despite all the platitudes of support, all it takes is one black man getting accused of something that is White Liberal Indignation Approved for "progressives" to feel comfortable being as racist as those they claim to oppose. The fact that your signature no longer attacks the OMFG TEH Mexicanzzz!!! and now attacks TEH BLACKZZZ!!!! says more than you ever could.

And if you can't see why it's racist for you make fun of a dialect in the manner that you did, I don't know what to tell you. I guess now is the part where you tell us all about your black friends, though.

[951-Riverside]

57. "The fact that your signature no longer attacks the OMFG TEH Mexicanzzz!!!"

This is what I had in my signature.

"We are working in the inner part and in the southern part of the country to stop migration flows that come from Central America that are crossing illegally the southern border of Mexico," - Vicente Fox

Now explain how this attacks Mexicans?

Edit:

and please explain how "judge be racist" attacks... quoting you "TEH BLACKZZZ!!!!" ...go ahead.

[superduperfarleft]

58. How about you explain why that was in your signature?

I think you know why I said what I said, so why not come out and define the terms for our discussion? I have my assumptions, so to prove how off the mark I am, why don't you explain why that was in your signature originally? You know, to prove how wrong I was.

[hyphenate]

51. Here we go:

"a single dollar that I have earned for anything but to help people.">>>>

Notice the word, "people." Fucking bastard should pour every fucking penny he's ever made to help the "sport" of dogfighting meet a crashing and final end. Help the DOGS he was killing, NOT people. This is one area that the animals didn't even have a voice.

[Horse with no Name]

52. It's his mother. That is what she is supposed to do.

The one person who can believe in you when nobody else can.
Certainly not someone who needs to be mocked or ridiculed while trying to save his life.
He is still her child.

[Ishoutandscream2]

54. thank you. A sane post

If a mother didn't say that, we'd wonder what kind of woman she would be.

[TheWatcher]

55. Well It's not like he invaded a Soverign Nation based on lies or anything like that.

:sarcasm:

He should have gotten a stiffer sentence than he did.

I guess these days we should just be happy if someone famous spends more than 82 Minutes in jail for anything.