Michael Vick: criminal or victim?

Michael Vick, the brilliant 27-year-old quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, pled guilty on Aug. 27 to conspiracy dog-fighting charges in a Richmond, Va., federal court. He publicly apologized to his fans, family, the National Football League Commissioner, Falcons’ coaches, teammates and others for his actions.

He is scheduled to be sentenced to a prison term on Dec. 10. He has been suspended indefinitely from playing football. In fact, some media even predict that his football career may be permanently over.

Vick, who is African American, gained national media attention last spring when his associates accused him of promoting dog fighting on his property in Surrey, Va. Ever since the accusations were made, the mainstream media has seized the opportunity to demonize Vick to the extreme, even calling him a “fascist.”

After the media reported that Vick had “executed” some dogs that did not perform well while fighting, protesters carried signs that Vick should be “neutered.” Others referred to the athlete in even more sub-human terms. Not surprising, sportscasters have stated that in various polls, more Black people view Vick as another victim of racism while more whites see him as a criminal.

It should be mentioned that months before the dog-fighting scandal, the media jumped on Vick as possessing a “suspicious” substance during an airport security checkpoint. It turned out to be nothing illegal.

What is behind this media frenzy surrounding Vick? Does it really have to do with dog fighting or is there more than meets the eye?

First of all, dog fighting did not begin and certainly will not end with Michael Vick. It is but one of many forms of animal abuse—which are seldom reported, whether in a home, pet store or animal shelter. It is also another form of gambling, an addiction that seduces millions of people, including Vick. In a more humane society, addictions would be treated with diverse methods ranging from medical to re-education, not incarceration.

But under this appropriately labeled “dog-eat-dog” capitalist system, those who suffer from addiction are ostracized, demonized and even imprisoned, especially if they are people of color.

Vick, who grew up poor and then suddenly became a millionaire, will now become super-poor in prison. “All inmates get paid whether they are at the penitentiary or at the camp,” said Mike Truman, a public information specialist for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, commenting on Vick’s situation. “Their starting salary is 12 cents an hour and it goes to 40 cents an hour.” (Atlanta Constitution)

Without a doubt, a racist double standard exists on the part of the media, especially where Black male athletes are concerned. Athletes like Vick, who get to the top because of their enormous talent, are at first put on a pedestal by the media and public and are then expected to stay out of trouble due to their wealth. When white athletes or coaches admit to abusing their spouses, it is a “here today, gone tomorrow” blip on the printed page. But when high-profile Black athletes like Vick or Adam “Pac Man” Jones get entangled in the criminal justice system—whether over guns, domestic violence or animal abuse—their stories dominate the press indefinitely. The media love to treat these athletes as the prime individual examples of all the ills in society.

Did those who are demanding Vick’s imprisonment for dog fighting call for a full investigation of the New Orleans police officers who wantonly slaughtered dogs and cats separated from their owners in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? Not to do so is sheer hypocrisy. New Orleans police officers also shot Katrina survivors for so-called looting.

Violence runs rampant in the U.S. The official institutions of the state commit crimes against humanity every minute of every day, whether in Iraq or at home, where those executed are mostly people of color like young Kenneth Foster, now in the Texas death house. And where has the media called for the arrest and imprisonment of Bush and Cheney for causing the deaths of countless Iraqis, Afghans and U.S. soldiers?

Michael Vick is not a criminal. He is but another victim, like countless others, of a violence-riddled, monstrous capitalist system.