Mike Vick Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mike Vick - Research Paper Example At the same time, Mike was accused of financing the operation. According to the investigations done by the US Agricultural Department (USAD), Mike and his cohorts directly participated in the killing of at least seven dogs. The investigations also revealed that Mike bet dog fights and was accused of handling out thousands of dollars in person in related gambling activities. Mike was also found guilt of paying somebody $100 to dig graves for burying dogs killed during the dog fighting (Judd 11). Apart from involvement in dogfighting, Mike failed a drug test which was done in September, 2007. During a random drug test, Mike tested positive for marijuana and was confined to his home in Virginia between 10 pm to 6 am under electronic monitoring until December, the time for his court hearing. Despite accepting responsibility, Mike had failed to cooperate with the federal officials and on top of that, he had failed a polygraph test done shortly after his home was raided. Coupling these wit h the failed drug test, the federal officials assigned Mike to Leavenworth’s US penitentiary, a federal prison facility to serve his term (Mihoces 35). Background information Mike was born on 26th June, 1980 in Newport News, Virginia to Michael Boddie and Brenda Vick. His family lived in Ridley Circles Homes, located at the East End of the port city. Mike’s skill in football was nurtured by his father from when he was only three years old and was nicknamed bullet due to his blinding speed when playing. Mike spent time with his cousin Brook at their home Boys and Girls club were he got a special watch from his coaches and parents. In high school and in college, Mike often led his team to win in their matches. Mike’s employment has always been based in sports. In 2001, Mike was selected by the Atlanta Falcons where he played for six seasons in the NFL before his imprisonment. After his release from prison in 2009, Mike signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia eagles after being mentored by Tony Dungy, a former Colts coach. The contract was renewed again in 2010 following Mike’s good progress and performance in the team and since then, he has remained as the team’s quarterback. Previous criminal history Though Mike was arrested in 2005 for dog fighting, his father, Michael Boddie, revealed that Mike started the habit as early as 2001. According to him, Mike began staging dogfights in their family’s home garage as well as in the family backyard around 2001. The dogs he used included those that Mr. Boodie had nursed after being injured from to the dogfighting staged by Mike. However, his mother, Brenda Vick, denied the occurrence of dog fighting in their home or the presence of any cages (Judd 11). Early 2004, Mike was linked to illegal drug trafficking. This came after two men who were using a truck registered to Mike were arrested for distributing marijuana. In 2005, a civil law suit was filed by Sonya Elliot accusing Mike of infecting her with genital herpes in the autumn of 2002. Sonya claims that Mike knew of his condition yet he failed to inform her and as a proof to this, Sonya said that Mike sought treatment from clinics for the disease. On 26th November 2006, Mike was accused of making obscene gestures at fans as a reaction to booing by fans for loosing a match to New Orleans. Mike held up two of his middle fingers and was fined $10, 000 by