Vick case to become dog fight among gang

ATLANTA: A co-defendant in the dog-fighting case against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has changed his plea to guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, court documents showed on Monday.

The documents were filed with the US District Court in Richmond, Virginia, where Vick is due to go on trial on November 26 on charges that he helped run an interstate dog-fighting enterprise known as "Bad Newz Kennels" from early 2001 through April 2007.

Co-defendant Tony Taylor, who with Vick and two others pleaded not guilty on Thursday to the charges against him, would likely receive a lesser sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the government.

According to a grand jury indictment, the dog-fighting enterprise was based at a property in Smithfield, Virginia, that was owned by Vick.

Prosecutors charge that dogs sometimes fought to the death on Vick's property and that some losing dogs had been shot dead, drowned, hung or electrocuted. They also accused Vick and his associates of shooting dogs that failed to pass tests of their fighting ability.

Vick, 27, one of the most famous players in the National Football League (NFL), has been heavily criticized in the media and by animal rights groups.

The NFL asked him not to attend preseason training with the Falcons while it conducts a review of the indictment, and athletic clothing makers Reebok and Nike have suspended sales of products endorsed by Vick.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights group, said on Monday that Vick, who is black, had been unfairly demonized.

"Judgment against Michael Vick has been premature (and) ... he has not been given a chance to have his day in court," NAACP Atlanta chapter president R.L. White said.

If convicted on the travel and interstate commerce portion of the charges, each defendant faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. .

Agencies

(China Daily 08/01/2007 page19)