[noodles]

Dogfighting co-defendant flips; Vick speaks - CNN.com

One of the co-defendants in the Michael Vick federal dogfighting case pleaded guilty on Monday and pledged to fully cooperate with prosecutors.

Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia, entered the guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Richmond. He will be sentenced December 14.

Taylor, along with Vick and two other co-defendants, had pleaded not guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

In changing his plea to guilty, Taylor waived his right to appeal. He told the judge that he understands he is now a convicted felon.

Taylor said he was not promised any specific sentence in return for his cooperation.

"You're pleading guilty and taking your chances, right?" Hudson asked. Taylor responded, "Yes."

Hudson then asked, "You have agreed to cooperate fully with the United States, is that right?" Taylor again said yes.

It is widely believed that Taylor's plea, which had been expected, and his future cooperation could hurt Vick and help the government prove its case against the Atlanta Falcons' star quarterback.

I find it a bit odd that he is pleading guilty on good faith, instead of plea bargaining. Either way, this is going to make things much, much worse for Michael Vick.

The president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP criticized the prosecution of Vick at a news conference Monday morning. Dr. R.L. White, Jr., accused the government of "piling on."

"There's a penalty in football for piling on," White told reporters. "After a player has been tackled and somebody piles on, they're penalized for unnecessary roughness. Today, the NAACP blows the whistle and warns the powers that be that you are piling on."

Why does someone always have to play the race card in these cases? If he broke the law, he deserves the punishment he gets. It has nothing to do with him being black and everything to do with him being a sick, animal-abusing fuck. They were "piling on" the charges because they kept finding more evidence of criminal activity. How the NAACP can defend a demented bastard like this, let alone liken their position to a referee policing the justice system, is completely beyond me.

[ohio_eric]

If this was Tom Brady instead of Michael Vick the media would be no less enamored and the government would be no less aggressive.

[Lee]

Saw this this morning. I hope this helps stick it to Vick even further

[Lee]

Originally Posted by ohio_eric

If this was Tom Brady instead of Michael Vick the media would be no less enamored.

I disagree. In fact, they may be even more enamored due to the fact that Brady is arguably the best QB in the NFL, and on top of that, he's the "golden boy" of the NFL.

[Drew]

Originally Posted by noodles

Why does someone always have to play the race card in these cases? If he broke the law, he deserves the punishment he gets. It has nothing to do with him being black and everything to do with him being a sick, animal-abusing fuck. They were "piling on" the charges because they kept finding more evidence of criminal activity. How the NAACP can defend a demented bastard like this, let alone liken their position to a referee policing the justice system, is completely beyond me.

Vick's black?

I had no idea. I still think he's an asshole, regadless of what his racial background is.

[Regor]

Piling on my ASS! He SHOULD be piled on until dead! Just like the dogs he killed!

[Blexican]

Originally Posted by Lee

I disagree. In fact, they may be even more enamored due to the fact that Brady is arguably the best QB in the NFL, and on top of that, he's the "golden boy" of the NFL.

But it's that very notion that will keep him from doing hard time. I'm with Eric on this one, unfortunately. Also, it looks pretty bad when one of your close guys pleads guilty and leaves you hangin'. I wouldn't wanna be Michael Vick right now.