NAACP on Vick

Published 7/30/07

The NAACP has weighed in on Michael Vick:

R.L. White, president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the Atlanta Falcons quarterback has been vilified by animal rights groups, talk radio and the news media and prematurely punished by his team and corporate sponsors.

“If Mr. Vick is guilty, he should pay for his crime, but to treat him as he is being treated now is also a crime,” White said at a news conference. “Be restrained in your premature judgment until the legal process is completed.”

I assume the organization urged the same restraint, and also cautioned against a rush to judgement, during the Duke lacrosse players fiasco case earlier this year. Right?

The Fray

5 responses (add yours)

Kelly says:

Touche.

July 30th, 2007 at 11:11 PM

Cube says:

Great take on this story here: http://averagebro.blogspot.com/2007/07/this-aint-about-racism-mike-vick-is.html

July 30th, 2007 at 11:20 PM

Andrew says:

That’s a great piece, Cube, and it makes a good point. I don’t care what color Vick is — if a white idiot was in the same position I’d be mocking him, too. (Hear that, Eli?)

The Falcons have good reason for putting distance between them and Vick. Allegations like these, especially backed up with a lot of evidence, are hard to shake, and the team has its reputation to maintain.

I won’t go so far as to call for his head (or his castration) because he hasn’t been convicted yet. But I can certainly form an opinion based on what I’ve seen, and Vick hasn’t offered any alternative explanation.

July 31st, 2007 at 7:09 AM

gnomic says:

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick “almost exclusively” financed the dogfighting and gambling operations based at his Surry County house, a co-defendant in a federal dogfighting case says.

From the Richmond paper: http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-07-31-0098.html

Sure, I’ll wait to see if he’s convicted. But if he is, I hope that they dip him in gravy train and throw him into a pit with the dogs he’s trained.

This isn’t about race; its about basic humanity.

July 31st, 2007 at 8:05 AM