Michael Vick is eligible to play football this Sunday when the Eagles meet the Kansas City Chiefs. Mark Maske at The Washington Post delves into the locker room drama. I will be interested to see if any anti-Vick T-shirts make the broadcast.
Hat tip to Andrea Lechner-Becker, PR/Marketing Coordinator for renowned dog artist Ron Burns, for sending me the above graffiti image from Yahoo Sports.
Guilty by Ian Kim
In October of 2008, in an attempt to combat Pennsylvania's reputation as the "Puppy Mill Capitol of the East" and better the life of dogs bred in his state, Governor Ed Rendell signed into law House Bill 2525. Tonight, the Philadelphia Eagles announce they have signed Michael Vick to a one-year contract worth $1.6 million with an option to renew for $5.2 million. What is with Pennsylvania and dogs?!
I know he has paid his debt to society, and he has not officially been reinstated to the NFL by Commissioner Roger Goodell (who will decide in week six when Vick can play), but I am still appalled. I wonder how Philadelphia fans will react? What puppy mill crusaders who are very active in the state will do? What should I do? I love football. Thoughts?
9:13 pm update: Well, this is something. At least negative backlash is on their radar:
Tony Dungy, the former coach of the Colts,
has
acted as Vick’s mentor. Dungy has said that he spoke with several
head coaches about Vick, and there was a small pool of teams that would
be a good fit for Vick, particularly because team owners feared that
adverse fan reaction would follow him.Dungy has said that he spoke with
several head coaches about Vick, and there was a small pool of teams
that would be a good fit for Vick, particularly because team owners
feared that adverse fan reaction would follow him. [via NYT]
What's up with Tony Dungy, the uber-Christian?!
9:19 update: Dan Brown calls bullshit on the Eagles at The Huffington Post:
"We couldn't care less about Michael Vick's past, the dogs he
killed, the families he harmed, or any moral lessons anyone wants to
infer. All we are thinking about is winning the Super Bowl and we will
put any eligible player on the field we can who can possibly give us an
edge in any way."
Because that has to be the truth. If the Eagles cared in any way
about the messages they sent to pet-owners, football fans, or human
beings in general, they would never have invited this ugliness into our
house.
9:27 pm update: The Vick Dog Blog features stories from the dogs who survived Vick's Bad Newz Kennel. They deserve better than seeing their tormentor rewarded so generously.
Related Links:
Anti-Michael Vick T-shirts
Michael Vick's Jury by Gary Varvel
More Anti-Michael Vick Cartoons
Micheal Killen is the man who makes the California Cheese Cows, the Taco Bell Chihuahua, and the Panda Express Pandas talk. When he heard about the horrors of Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring he felt heartsick and compelled to do something.
With the help of his partners, Jim Kreitzburg and Kathy Dziubek, he called in favors from Lindsey and Bronson Smith of Smith Brothers Advertising to produce this beautifully executed and profoundly moving PSA called Peace for Dogs.
Read more about the passion everyone on the team, including his 9 year-old daughter Erin, brought to this project on Michael’s website.
And, you may not have heard about the recent successes at the ASPCA busting huge dog fighting rings in Tennessee and Georgia with the help of the ASPCA’s Senior Director of Veterinary Forensics, Dr. Melinda Merck, and their Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation Unit — a CSI lab on wheels. Maybe these barbaric torture enterprises are finally coming to an end.
I heard about this PSA on pet photographer Grace Chon’s lovely blog.
Pop dog artist Ron Burns lends his talent and his name to the Humane Society’s campaign to stop dog fighting. All proceeds from the sale of his t-shirts and other products go towards the HSUS Animal Fighting Campaign. Get a great look for a great cause and order yours today.
Watch Ron Burns discuss looking beyond the Michael Vick outrage to focus on the animals themselves (includes some graphic images):
Love this cartoon too…
By Mike Luckovich
And of course a Snoopy cartoon is always a crowd pleaser…
By Walt Handelsman.
Click here to see more anti-Vick cartoons on Daryl Cagle’s MSNBC’s Professional Cartonists Index.
Gary Varvel’s The Jury was chosen cartoon of the month by Editor and Publisher Magazine. I love it!
Back Row from the left: Scooby Doo, Goofy, Underdog, Astro (from the Jetsons). Front Row from the left: Snoopy, Droopy, Grimmy (from Mother Goose and Grim comic strip) and Ren (from Ren and Stimpy animated TV show).
You know me. I love a clean, simple design like this anti-Michael Vick T-shirt — Piss on Vick from Dizzy Design. Available in lots of great fall colors and long sleeved too. Perfect for sentancing day or perp-walk anti-dog fighting protest. Click here for more anti-Vick T-shirts.
I’ve avoided posting about the indictment of Michael Vick for operating a gruesome dog-fighting ring. I’m sickened by the story, and what image would I possibly include? Then, I remembered the creative t-shirt designers at CafePress. They have more than a few choice words and images (i.e. lots of T-shirts) to share with this barbaric thug who had the nerve to invoke his poor mother at his hearing today where he pled not guilty. Obscene.
The Anti-Michael Vick No. 7 T-shirt (above) and the Sack Vick one (below) are two of tamest of the the bunch.
My cousin, Ellen Clair “Answer Girl” Lamb, has some choice words to say about Vick at her blog too.
7.27.07 Update: Reebok drops Michael Vick jerseys. Stating, “While we respect the legal process we find the allegations against Mr. Vick
too disturbing to ignore.”
7.27.07 Update: The NFLShop.com has pulled all Michael Vick apparel and merchandise from its stores and website. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy explained, “We have suspended sales of Vick-related merchandise on our official league e-commerce site, NFLShop.com. This includes Vick jerseys and collectible items such as autographed balls and other memorabilia.” McCarthy said the decision was made because it was “not appropriate under the circumstances.” The suspension will take place for the immediate future.
8.14.2009 Update: More anti-Michael Vick T-shirts since the news of the Eagles signing him…
