

Response to the Atlanta Falcons Press Conference

Written by PETA | July 24, 2007

Falcons Owner Arthur Blank gave a press conference this afternoon to present the Falcons’ official position on the Vick case. Here’s what PETA told the media about our reaction:

PETA commends Arthur Blank and the Falcons for not being satisfied with a voluntary leave of absence for Michael Vick. Regardless of the outcome of the trial, truckloads of illegal dogfighting equipment and 66 dogs—many of whom had injuries associated with dogfighting—were seized from Vick’s property. Based on those facts alone, a voluntary leave of absence would clearly not be satisfactory.

PETA also commends the Falcons for drafting the paperwork for a four-week suspension, mentioned by Blank as a “first step” in disciplining Vick. We continue to call on the NFL to suspend Vick immediately and to permanently bar him from the league if convicted of the charges detailed in the indictment.

PETA appreciates Arthur Blank’s statement, “How anyone could participate in dogfighting is incomprehensible to me,” which echoed the feelings of many millions of Americans and football fans.

Because of the Falcons’ willingness to suspend Vick, PETA is canceling plans to protest outside the Falcons’ training camp on Thursday. Instead, PETA will demonstrate outside NikeTown stores nationwide, demanding that Nike—which has stated that it will continue to sell Michael Vick merchandise—drop its corporate partnership with Vick.

Related Posts



Post a Comment



  • XanderGT says:

    You know…you PETA folks have been waiting for somethin like this to happen. High profile football star in a dogfighting case…I bet you guys are loving this exposure. Vick has not been convicted of anything and you people are going to his endorsers and putting pressure on all his affiliates before his trial. You have your cause and I support it…but if this was just some guy out there it wouldnt be nearly as big as this in terms of media coverage. Micheal Vick has already lost everything…its his fault. But let him be until trial. You guys are out for his blood.

  • Michele says:

    Patricia PETA was not in existence in the 60s!! Check your facts before you come out sounding so ignorant.

  • Patricia says:

    Dog fighting didn’t begin with Blacks. I grew up in a small town in South Carolina and often seen my fellow white high school students promote and have dog fights every weekend with their pit bulls. I would like to know where was PETA or the Humane Society in the 60′s in Mississippi when Bull Connally unleashed his dogs on humans? I didn’t hear of any protest back then. Blacks in American will never get a fair trail because we have 2 justice systems which is broken down between racial barriers. Although Mike Vick has the money to fight this case. He is still black and white people love their animals over humans. Except when it comes to shooting ducks hunting deers they call this a sport. After all VicePresident Dick Chenney got away with shooting his friend. The Feds concluded that this was an accident. Double standards!

  • SoxSweepAgain says:

    I eat meat and don’t worry about buying leather but MAN does this one get me. I’m on your side for this one. And if it had been some white redneck linebacker doing this I’d be JUST as angry for you idiots who say this is a racial thing. It’s NOT. It’s a DOG thing for a lot of us. Going to hug my four Labradors now.

  • Vickisdvictimhere! says:

    you people suck and make me sick to my stomach! you convict with no jury and your trying to destroy someones life not a animals! What about the hungry people what about iraq what about hurricane katrina! i love animals and had many of them but at the end of the day thats whats they are animals! so its my turn to convict you cat hoarders and dog kissers! let the court and the jury take care of this issue you just hate to see someone young and rich with money! why dont you all go kiss your pets in the mouth and mike vicks ass!!!!!!!!7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7!

  • bertino andre says:

    to kathy garrey unfortunately also hunting makes animals suffer a lot and it’s not just a shot in the head and it’s all over! sometimes the animal lives on for days until it dies or it’s wounded on many parts of the body and then it’s brutally killed with the knife or dog’s teeth! so me i’m against every kind of sport involving animal killing hunting bullfight dogfight cockfight and also horse races because nobody asked the horse before if it wants to run but it is hidden and forced and often also dies! the human being has to learn through history that using animals is bad and ruthless and humans should just entertain themselves without finding pleasure in stressing abusing or killing innocent animals because it’s against human dignity and time shall give the animal protectors right there’s no other issue for the future sooner or later!

  • bernardo san felice says:

    warren i’m just happy that you are not president! here we got anotherone who does not read. peta never said that animals are equal to humans but different and they have a right to be different! you antibloggers are all idiots with paranoia read first and reflect use your brains! go to digg in the peta files and then come to discuss! it’s this thing which brings me almost to resignation. a bad person is able to learn and become a better being but an idiot is dangerous because he shall always tell us that red is green and when the snow falls that the sun is shining! you never can admit your ignorance because you think hell is heaven and shit is honey and you are ready to prove it!!!

  • ann says:

    mr backwoodz r u sure ur name is’t ” backward”? lol

  • ann says:

    congrats to whoever hired a helicopter flying over falcons’s training camp yesterday with a banner says ” new team name? the dog killer team?” lol wonderful idea hope i can hire helicopter fly over their trainning camp everyday.

  • Cara says:

    Though many times I have been dissapointed in the Justice System in this beautiful country of oursGod Bless Americaand the the brave who protect it. This is a huge issue and if he is guilty as I personally believe in my animal loving heart and soul then he will be dealt with accordingly not only by the law but also by the highest law. I have never been the church going bible reading type but I was raised to know right from wrong and I do believe in the Almighty and there is one thing I know “GOD LOVES ALL ANIMALS” look it up!! I have dogs cats horses and try to help in anyway I can concerning an animal. Pets enrich your lives they love you unconditionally they are apart of my famiy. These poor dogs that were so horribly raised and abused could have been someone’s beloved pet but instead tortured practically from the time they were born. Unfortunately most of these dogs will probably have to be humanely uthinized. PETA like them or not don’t really care you are entitled to your own opinions. I say more power to them at least there is an organization out there with there hearts in the right place. As human beings we should have a mix of intellect common sense compassion to name a few. I see none of those things in a person such as this. To all of you who stand up and speak for the animals keep up the good work and for the rest of you who don’t have a clue. Your Pathetic!!!!

  • Anonymous says:

    what was vick doing with a “dog breeding license” which the judge made him surrender if he had no knowledge od what was going on at that “relatives house he bought and paid for?

  • l. simmons says:

    hey i don’t see you peta people on the news talking about this thing they call hoggdogging…..where they put hoggs in a pit with dogs and let the dogs fight the hogs100 of the time killing the hoggs ….and there reason is it’s suppose to traing the dogs to hunt with them… but since only rednecks do this…it’s ok…have never seen this on the news…i have never seen peta protesting this “sport”..where are all you hipocrits….i want to see you try to get old jethrow to be fired from his job…i want you to try to get old billybob’s farm taken from him…come on peta..let’s see some action

  • ann says:

    VVICOUS IINHUMAN CCRUEL KKILLER yes i am talking about michael vick he should change his last name to sick! the dog killer the lier the coward the thug. he should get the same kind punishment he and his sick ” bro” gave to the dogs starvingbody slame to the wallelectrcutiondrawning and gun shot. i wish him ROT IN HELL. “bad newz kennel” my ass everyone can see he is doing monkey business on his property.

  • rob x says:

    The things I am going to say will upset everybody and that is fine. PETA are the biggest hipocrits out there. Vick sould not be suspended from the racist NFL. Matter of fact kudos to Vick. Dog fighting has been going on for decades in the southern states and there was never a problem. Now because VIck does it it is wrong? PETA I have a question for you How come you do not go after the people that race dogs? What do you think happens to the dogs when they no longer perform? Oh yeah Bart Simpson takes them in like he did SAnta’s little helper oh my fault they kill the dogs. That is cruel to kill a dog because they can no longer perform but it happens and the funny thing is that dog racing is legal. Greyhounds are bred to run which is cruel Pitbulls are naturally violent dogs. A long time freind of mine sister in law was attacked by a pitbull about three months ago. The dogs are violent so why not fight them? Oh yeah how do you feel about deer hunting? That is cruel but since that is something that is done by WHITE people it is no probles just like dog racing and cock fighting. Also the Humane Society kills harmless pets every week. Admit you are going after Vick because he is Black no other reason. IF race was not an issue then you would not hear people say that dog fighting happens among the hip hop crowd gang bangers dope dealers and innercity people all are associated with Black. Do you protest poverty the fact that there are more Blacks in prision than in college? What about racism? is that prostested? I don’t think so. You people should be ashamed of yourselves because when I see little white kids holding up pictures of Vick with his name or face with a red slash going through it it reminds me of when the whites would lynch Blacks with kids standing by. It is really messed up to teach little white kids to be racist and hate Vick because he is Black. Unless I see PETA protest deer hunting dog racing cock fighting all which are done mostly by whites you are racist!!!

  • Ginny Philips says:

    Yes dog fighting is a horrendous crime but PETA speaks from both sides of it’s mouth. According to Ingrid pit bulls should be extinct but then you protest Vick. Make up your mind.

  • R.B. says:

    I cant believe that people actually believe that he had no idea what was going on on his own property? Yeah right.. this is just sick and sad that people actually find enjoyment in abusingneglecting torturing these dogs THEN letting them fight until their deaths. I just dont get it? Theres definitely something wrong emotionally and mentally with these people. I have had pitbulls as pets all my life and they are loving and faithful companions. Its these horrific stories that give the breed such a bad name…

  • Warren says:

    Actually Cheryl is you are gonna call people ignorant then look in the mirror you stupid bitch. A blue collar worker would not be suspended without pay until the accusations have been proven true because that would be against the law. Michael Vick is getting no special treatment in this case so stop pretending that nothing has been done. You cant kick somebody out of the league or suspend them without pay because they have been accused of something. The NCAA kicked the Duke lacrosse team out of the NCAA and look what happened. They were proven innocent so why dont you just STFU and let the legal system take care of it. Thats the law and if you dont like it then how about you leave. Also by asking Big Herm if he would like to be starved raped and forced to fight that shows that you think dogs are equal to humans. But heres a newsflash to all you Peta terrorists they arent. Animals are not equal to us if animals are equal to humans and should have the same rights then why dont we just elect a dog president. Forget Obama elect a dog since they are our equals. If you guys are so unhappy about the way Roger Goddell is running the NFL then why dont you go start a protest to make a dog the NFL commissioner since they are equal to us.

  • Ivana says:

    I dont know if you all noticed but my comments appear under other people’s name. I am Ivana not “Just shut up”. My comment is under this person’s name. I want to make sure that all of you who agree that this evil person should be in jail and punished for what he did know I am with you. Hope he he burns in hell for what he did.

  • helpanimals says:

    You guys are all over the map here. The issue here is the brutality of dogfighting and that a wellknown by some people sports figure has been indicted for it. This is not about trying to bash PETA race Bush or anything else you care to throw into the mix. Innocent until proven guilty and due process are LEGAL NOT MORAL standards. PETA supportors and those of you who want to help protect animals…don’t waste your time responding to posts who are obviously trying to distract you from the real issues.

  • SuzyQ says:


  • Vick supporter says:

    First of all animals are not people. animals are animals. And PEOPLE are being forced to fight in wars eveyday and these people are losing mothers fathers and children. So lets just keep this in perspective this was a bad decision if he did do it at all but there are much worse things going on in the world.

  • Anonymous says:

    What makes dog fighting so different from humans stepping into a ring is this Humans make a choice for whatever reason that may be to step into a boxing ring or the UFC. They know that in that ring or cage they may get knocked out they may get a bloody nose…Humans get a choice as to what they want to do in their lives… puppies are not ask when they are born and raised if they would like to fight or not…they do not have the voice to say no…I am not as sure about boxing but I do know in the UFC that there are very strict rules as to where a person can strike someone and there are also ref’s that call it when enough is enough….where as in dog fighting there is no one to call it when things get dangerous…only the play of the dogs tail calls the fight off… organized legal human fights they are not allowed to fight until the death!!!! The point is and will always remain that dog fighting is illegal. No matter how you VICK fans try to sugar coat this it is WRONG…and I am not really sure why on earth people would try to defend dog fighting for this man unless they to are involved in illegal dog fighting.

  • tomjomes says:

    The funny thing is they have more dog and cat shelters in the US than homeless shelters for humans. How come we never here peta doing anything about the human lives being killed in the streets everyday. I mean its just like anything else black man gets in trouble and he is guilty untill proven in innocent. If he did it cool but he has not even stepped foot in a court room. And people are calling for his head. And who is to say his so called friends are not turning on him to avoid jail time.

  • Warren Dailis says:

    You guys are fucking idiots… Vick is ok hes not getting time.. wake up. Its his property but he wasnt involved.

  • Cheryl says:

    Hey Big Herm First of all get spell check on your pc. That spelling alone makes you look ignorant. Second get off the race card issue. Why is it that every single time there is a crime committed by a person NOT caucasian it has to go right into the race card issue? Get off it! If you don’t like the laws of the land…LEAVE! Let me ask you this how about I starve you make you fight and if you don’t “perform” well I electrocute you for a bad fight. Or better yet to put it in simpler terms because that’s probably all you can understand you are tied to a fence your leg chopped off and you bleed a slow painful death with nobody to help you. That would be mighty horrible wouldn’t it? Well my simple minded friend animals feel pain too. And with no voice who can help them? Humans must help them from scum like Michael Vick. He has been taught no respect by his care givers when is was growing up or he would not have done such a disgusting crime. Vick is a sick man! He needs to be punished for his horrible crime. And what better way to punish him but in the wallet. Nike should dump him completely! Why should he be earning a salary? Any blue collar worker would be suspended without pay. What makes him so special? The NFL? I think NOT! If you feel your words justify his disgusting actions then you are a bigger looser then he is. You and Vick should suffer like those dogs did!!

  • Mike Jones says:

    The guy has not even been convicted yet. People will say and do alot of things to avoid jail time. So you never know but if he did the crime he should do the time. But he is an american just like everyone else so let the legal prosses happen.

  • Tclower says:

    Hey Backwoodsz appropriate name for you it is apparent that you are both illiterate and ignorant by your comment about people supporting PETA being “fags.” It also sounds like you’re a little insecure and unsure of your own sexual orientation which explains your kneejerk comment. Vick is a worthless piece of st and anyone paying attention knows it. You may try to become literate and know the facts of the situation before shooting off your stupid mouth. It’s people like you and anyone else that doesn’t see the need to immediately remedy this situation that REALLY SCARE ME!

  • Anonymous says:


  • Russell says:

    To those of you who say that Vick should not be held responsible for the terrible things that occured on his property…I have a question REALLLLYYYYY?????? IT IS HIS PROPERTY!!! If you fall down the stairs in someones home by your own neglect the owner of that property can be legally obligated to pay your medical expenses!! It’s the law. So…as we wait for trial the facts are there that Vick was host to Dog fighting bc it was on his property. Whether or not he was present at any given time which i’m certain he was bc he probably had a lot to gain financially from it makes no difference. It was on his property and he should be held directly responsible. I can’t even believe that there is a possibility that he will be acquitted. There is no question that there was dog fighting on his property…..HE’S GUILTY! And to that girl that said we’re tree huggers…ummmm this is PETA not greenpeace ok? check you’re URL Animals are people too

  • Debra says:

    I try hard to avoid details of animal abuse because it breaks my heart. Today I cried when I heard a portion of the charges against Michael Vick. As an avid NFL fan who has enjoyed the play of Michael Vick I will never be able to watch him play without the unspeakable acts of cruelty coming to mind. Bravo to PETA for their presence at the courthouse today. Rarely do I go online and comment but this topic is to unbearable to keep silent. Ban Vick for life from sports.

  • A says:

    Hey this is for just up. Umm PETA is an animal organization. So do a search for Nonprofit organizations helping in Iraq and men and women returning from Iraq. There are plenty. Was Rodney King beaten up by Animals???? I was younger but did I miss something there? Not sure who your master is sounds kinda like W LOL. You can pray all day long to your “master” but until you get off your ass and do something nothing will change. What does the “master” recommend we do about Iraqthe environment and people dieing in Africa over diamonds and oil? We are on PETAan animal website so don’t answer those

  • CL says:

    Innocent til proven guilty if you want to prosecute somebody prosecute BUSH AND HIS STUPID ASS ADMINISTRATION

  • Dana Ponder says:

    Ok this has gotten way out of control…You have got so many people ready to pull a race card when there is no need for one. I think whites blacks Italians and so on and so forth can all agree that dog fighting is WRONG! Furthermore the law backs up that it is wrong by making it illegal!!!! You do not have to be an extreme animal lover to realize that this is barbaric and sick…and it takes a person with very little regard for any life to participate and make money off of it. As for the comments of us all needing to get a life or job I have both…But this whole situation makes my blood boil over…And I will take a stand against people like Vick because the animals do not have the voice to!! If this makes me a tree hugger than so be it..if concern for a living animal that no matter what people may think shows emotions and feels pain then so be it..I am proud to be a tree hugger!!!!!!!!! I would much rather have a heart than just a black whole where a heart should be!!!! Ignorance is found in all races.. I would not care if Michael Vick were White Pink or purple my views of his actions would still be the same!!!!!!!! This is not about the color of someones skin..this is all about the morals and character of a person that is in the spot light and small children look up to… this not only about cruelty to animals.. this is about teaching small children that dog fighting and drugs are illegal!!!!

  • LB says:

    THe NFL is overrated anyways. All professional athletes should PAY for ANY wrong doing. Americans should NOT stand for this kind of behavior out of them. Heck they have multi million dollar contracts then brake the law?? I guess money equals power.

  • Patrick Kelly says:

    After reading all the the comments on these pages. I have come to one glaring conclusion… We are not a very literate country. That being said. Unfortunately this issue like many before will break down along racial lines. I am not a PETA fan never have been never will. I think they go over the line for their own publicity. I don’t feel that way about most of the members of PETA. I truly think the members are doing what they believe to be the best thing but the organization is run improperly as a whole. Two final points. A previous “poster” left a message saying if it was Tom Brady or Peyton Manning there wouldn’t be this uproar. That’s False it would be as big or bigger. Second and final point is this. For everyone that says lets wait until it goes through the due process system. Of course I agree with that sentiment. I fear that wont make a difference no matter the outcome. The people that support him will continue to support him and say it was racially motivated or just because of who he is and an innocent man is in jail. And the people that prematurely convicted without trial will say “Told you he was guilty” We are different we all grew up differently and for those who say we can build a racial bridge to understand one another better. I sadly report to you that this will never happen. The gap continues to widen. Most African Americans think most things bad that happen to them are racially motivated. Most Whites think here we go again with the above mentioned. Is it right No but it is fact. Yes. Or at least fact the way I see it. Thanks for reading my thoughts.

  • audrey says:

    prominent african american figure? ha…you’re crazy. what makes him prominent? his ability to cheat through school w the help of his coaches family for a multi million $$$ contract w NFL? that makes him prominent? other than that… he hasn’t done shit.there are real celebrities out there that really know how do make a difference to people communiities animals. including true prominent african americans that don’t bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on entertainment from animal brutality. that is clearly what this debate is about. animals. defensless animals from mankind. this is what PETA is about the people that stand by the organization. this isn’t about the war in iraq or rodney king. get a clue just shut up.