ATLANTA (May 3, 2007) -- More than a week after an alleged dog-fighting ring was uncovered on property owned by Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons still have little to say about their quarterback's potential legal problems.
General manager Rich McKay vowed to take a closer look after wrapping up last weekend's NFL draft, but he has declined to speak further on the case.
Through spokesman Reggie Roberts, McKay and the Falcons declined comment.
Police conducting a drug investigation raided a Vick-owned house in Smithfield, Va., and reported finding dozens of dogs, some injured and emaciated.
Investigators also discovered items associated with dog fighting, including veterinary supplies, blood-soaked carpeting, treadmills used for training and tools used to pry apart a dog's jaws.
Vick said he's never been to the home, even though he owns it and was letting a cousin live there. He blamed relatives for taking advantage of his generosity and vowed to keep closer tabs on his inner circle.
While Vick said he's not involved in dog fighting, a website shed light on his apparent interest in breeding through a business known as "Mike Vick K-9 Kennels."
The site, www.vicksk9kennels.com, said Vick specializes in breeding registered puppies ranging from rare pit bull terriers to "the highly intelligent and powerful Presa Canario." It also contains a disclaimer that any of its dogs were used for fighting.
"We breed specifically for ourselves first and foremost, and when/if we do sell puppies to the public, all prospective buyers are carefully screened," the website says. "We do not promote, support, or raise dogs for fighting and will not knowingly sell, give, or trade any dog that may be used for fighting.
"Our dogs are all family pets," the site adds, "and our puppies are all socialized and home raised."
The address for Vick's K-9 Kennel was listed as Moonlight Road in Suffolk, Va. The home that was raided last week is on Moonlight Road in nearby Smithfield. The listed phone number wasn't working.
For now, the Falcons seem willing to take Vick at his word. In the team's only public comments on the incident, McKay and coach Bobby Petrino both commended the quarterback for working hard in the offseason program.
"There's a lot of people around Michael, and things happen," McKay said last weekend during the draft. "We've got to get it to the point where those things are not happening."
The Falcons apparently want authorities to reveal more details on the investigation before they comment on Vick's possible involvement in the sordid case. Dog fighting in a felony in Virginia and 47 other states, according to The Humane Society of the United States.
Commonwealth's attorney Gerald Poindexter did not return two messages seeking comment. Surry County Sheriff Harold Brown was out of the office and a dispatcher said there was no one else who could talk about the case.
The NFL, which has cracked down on wayward players since Roger Goodell took over as commissioner, also was investigating the dog-fighting case. In fact, Vick was summoned to a meeting with Goodell last Saturday while in New York for the draft.
Vick has been involved in several embarrassing episodes in recent months.
He was fined for flashing an obscene gesture to heckling Atlanta fans after a game, was stopped by airport security officers in Miami carrying a suspicious water bottle and failed to show for a scheduled appearance on Capital Hill to lobby for more after-school funding.
