Nov 21, 2008

  • Kelly Naqi

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      Kelly Naqi joined ESPN in September 1987, and is currently one of ii full-fourth dimension reporters assigned to the Emmy award-winning series Outside the Lines. Kelly likewise contributes to ESPNEWS and other ESPN news-gathering programs, including SportsCenter, NFL This night and Baseball Tonight. She is a native of Rumford, R.I., and graduated from Boston College with a available of arts in philosophy.

Suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick placed family pet dogs into a band and his trained pit bulls "acquired major injuries" to the pets at Bad Newz Kennels, co-ordinate to a U.S. Section of Agriculture report released on Friday.

The 17-page study, prepared by the USDA's inspector general-investigations division, provided some new details on Vick's participation in Bad Newz Kennels, the dogfighting operation financed by Vick and formed forth with his friends Tony Taylor, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips.

The written report, dated Aug. 28, 2008, says, "Vick, Peace and Phillips thought it was funny to watch the pit bull dogs belonging to Bad Newz Kennels hurt or kill the other dogs." The study has names and phrases redacted in social club to protect the anonymity of certain individuals who cooperated with investigators.

The report also states in mid-Apr of 2007, Vick, Peace and Phillips hung approximately three dogs who did not perform well in a "rolling session," which indicates the readiness of a domestic dog to fight. According to the study, the 3 men hung the dogs "by placing a nylon cord over a two X 4 that was nailed to two trees located next to the big shed. They likewise drowned approximately three dogs by putting the dogs' heads in a five gallon saucepan of h2o."

Vick initially told government "while he assisted Phillips and Peace in the killing of the dogs, he did non actually kill the dogs," simply "helped Phillips toss several dogs to the side," according to the report.

All the same, the report says Vick took back that argument when he failed a polygraph test. "Vick failed the examination as information technology related to the killing of the dogs in April 2007. Ultimately, Vick recanted his previous statement wherein he said he was not actually involved in the killing of six to eight dogs. ... Vick admitted taking part in the bodily hanging of the dogs."

Vick, the report says, paid someone whose name was redacted $100 to dig two graves for the domestic dog carcasses. "Based on by circumstances," the report says, "Phillips and Peace did not similar [Vick] to do any blazon of work that could injure him and jeopardize his NFL contract." When the person who dug the graves refused to coffin the animals, the report says, Vick, Peace and Phillips buried the dogs themselves.

Vick is serving a 23-month sentence in a minimum-security federal prison army camp in Leavenworth, Kan., on a conspiracy charge relating to the interstate dogfighting operation he helped run on a property he owned in Surry County, Va. Vick is scheduled to be released on July 20, 2009.

Vick is currently beingness held in protective custody at Riverside Regional Jail in Hopewell, Va., until his hearing on Tuesday in Surry County Circuit Court to plead guilty to two country charges related to dogfighting.

The land charges -- i count of torturing and killing dogs and one count of promoting dogfighting -- each carry a maximum prison term of five years. Just under the terms of his plea understanding, Vick is expected to receive a three-twelvemonth suspended prison house term and a $two,500 fine (which would exist suspended if he pays court costs and maintains practiced behavior for four years).

By resolving the pending state charges, Vick would qualify to participate in the Federal Bureau of Prisons re-entry plan, which could enable him to serve part of the remainder of his federal judgement in a halfway firm.

Co-ordinate to the Bureau of Prisons, in 2007, for inmates who qualified, the average length of their fourth dimension served at a halfway business firm was three months.

Vick, who was once the NFL'south highest-paid player, has been washing pots and pans for 12 cents an hour, according to Falcons possessor Arthur Bare, who has said he'south kept in affect with Vick through written correspondence.

Blank said Vick also told him he's passing the time and staying in shape past playing quarterback for both sides during prison football game games. Vick, 28, is still under contract with the Falcons.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely without pay on Aug. 24, 2007, and has said he will review the status of Vick's pause following the decision of Vick's legal proceedings.

Vick'due south lawyers, the NFL and the Falcons were non immediately available for comment.

Kelly Naqi is a reporter for ESPN'due south Enterprise Unit and a correspondent for "Outside the Lines."