Commentary - Michael Vick, Dogfighting, and Drug Culture

Alumni blog contributor M.K. (opinions of this contributor are not necessarily shared by others SLBTS)

Let me admit my bias right from the start: I think Michael Vick is a vicious, sociopathic thug. I think he got off way too easy. I think he should have been forever banned from the NFL. And I think he has not changed one bit, no matter how many awards he’s won for throwing a ball around and how many Human Society ads he’s done. Weird, because my wife and I were raised in Pennsylvania and I’m the world’s biggest Eagles’ fan. But Philly’s darkest hour was when they signed Vick when he got out of jail. Let me also say that I have no information that he has ever been a part of drug use or trafficking. Finally, the truth is that I’m recovering from crack cocaine addiction – I’ve been sober for 16 months. My wife has been sober from alcohol for twelve years. 

Dogfighting is illegal in all 50 states. It’s a felony punishable by jail time, as Vick found out when he did 23 months in federal prison for his involvement in dogfighting through his hidden Bad Newz Kennel where he bred, raised, trained and fought pit bulls. It’s even a crime to attend a dog fight or have possession of training materials for fighting dogs. If you’re involved in it and get caught, you’re going to jail. Everybody knows what happens in dog fights; surely I don’t need to spell it out. Let’s just say that it involves the cruel torture of animals that suffer throughout their lives – not only in actual fights. Everything about dogfighting is bloody, gruesome, and seriously pathological. You can find lots of material about dogfighting on the Internet, but if you look at the pictures and videos, make sure you have a strong stomach. 

There’s more to dogfighting than just extreme animal cruelty. When Vick was arrested in 2007, people like hip-hop artist Russell Simmons and activist Rev. Al Sharpton joined with animal rights groups to condemn this so-called “sport.” Other professional athletes, rap artists, and actors called dogfighters “disgusting,” “cowardly,” and “losers.”

The Connection to Addiction

As an addict, I care not only about the dogs but also about the criminal activities that are associated with staged dogfights. I did some research and found that in addition to illegal gambling, dog fights were often associated with gang activity, organized crime, and (most of all) drug trafficking. The Michigan State University College of Law did a study of two dozen cases where law enforcement raided dog fights and found that in every single case, drug trafficking was involved -crack cocaine, mostly.

What’s even worse is that there are children who grow up watching their parents’ involvement in dog fighting. Mental health experts report that these kids are de-sensitized to violence of all kinds, including murder. God only knows what kind of drugs they grow up with. Drinking, smoking weed, using crack and meth, even mainlining – it all happens at dog fights. In gangs, the kids are recruited to steal other peoples’ pets right out of their yards to use as “bait dogs” to train young pit bull fighting dogs. Sometimes they get paid for this with weed, not money.

Michael Vick tortured animals to death in the cruelest way possible, but I hope people will remember than dogfighting is also about drugs. And the kids who are taught that violence and dope are their way of life. I always bought my crack on the street, not a fight, so I don’t want to sound self-righteous. Vick, to be fair, certainly isn’t the only celebrity to have been busted for dogfighting; he’s just the most famous and that’s Bad Newz for him.