Empty the Bench

This shocking development just in: Michael Vick not only enjoys partaking in the casual dog fight from time to time, but according to one source he also chargrills the losing dog (favorite marinade: zesty Italian?) and serves its crispy-baked carcass with a side of asparagus!

At this point in the ongoing dog-fighting scandal irrevocably tied to the Falcons QB’s good name (his real one, not his porn one), would it really surprise you if that was the next indictment to make headlines? First, it was Vick owned land where dog fights were reportedly taking place, but it was land lived on by his cousin that he “hardly ever visited.” (For the record, police nabbed 66 dogs during their raid. 66!) Then it came out that Vick actually *did* know what was going down there in Surry County.

Anyway, every network and sports blog out there has this story covered, so we’ll skip on to today’s latest development: a source told ESPN that Michael Vick has been attending dog fights at least as far back as 2000, and that it when it comes to placing wagers, Vick is a world-class heavyweight:

“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.

We’re never sure what to make of unnamed “informants” in cases like this. Obviously, identity protection for police collaborators is important, but there’s always people out there looking to capitalize on famous rich people’s misfortune, so this could turn out false. For the record, however, we appreciate the “informant’s” gusto in not only fingering Vick as a “heavyweight gambler” in the dog-fighting world, but also adding insult to injury by slipping in the fact that his dog beat Vick’s dog. Ouch.

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