Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was at a dog fight in 2000 and is "one of the heavyweights" in the sport, ESPN reported. The network Sunday cited a police informant whom a dog-fighting investigator called "extremely reliable."
"That's who bets a large dollar," the informant said on the show "Outside the Lines." "And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money, 30 to 40 thousand, even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."
When asked how he knows Vick bets that amount, the informant said, "because I've seen it."
The informant said his dog beat Vick's dog in 2000, the year before Vick was chosen by the Falcons with the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
Investigator David Hunt said information from the informant has "resulted in the arrest of several individuals over the past few years, numerous search warrants, as well as convictions."
Surry County (Va.) Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter said Friday he is confident charges will be brought in the investigation of a possible dog-fighting operation at a house then owned by Vick. Dog fighting is a felony in Virginia.
Police raided the rural home April 25 as part of a drug investigation. They seized 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, and equipment that could be associated with dog fighting.
Vick has said he let a cousin, Davon Boddie, live at the house, and he didn't know a large kennel on the property could be involved in criminal activity.
Poster Comment:
Oh, mighty Virginia Tech, has fallen....