Famous Last Words

It never ceases to amaze me what people are willing to say, presumably without really even thinking about it. "Celebrities", whoever they may be (athlete, movie start, etc.), at times almost seem compelled to say things that they couldn't possibly mean, couldn't possibly believe. Of course, the best excuse is always that comments are taken 'out of context', and really sound worse than they are. I know I believe that every time I hear it.

Case in point: I'm sure that even for people who are not sports fans (you know who you are), you have heard something about the recent dog-fighting enterprise scandal involving NFL quarterback Michael Vick. Early this week, Vick finally agreed to plead guilty to "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture." Basically that he knew about and financially aided a dog-fighting ring. Now, Vick has subsequently stated that he will not admit to killing dogs that were not good fighters, apparently done via drowning or hanging, or to gambling on dog-fights. Way to go Mike, cling to that last shred of dignity like grim death.

Let us say, for the sake of argument, that in fact Vick was not actively involved in the day-to-day running of the dog-fighting ring (I don't even want to know what 'day-to-day running of a dog-fighting ring' means), and that in fact he was only aware of and financially supportive of said dog-fighting ring. OK, so Vick new that pit bulls, rottweilers, and who knows what other breeds of dog were tearing each other to pieces, literally to pieces, in an outbuilding on his property, that when dogs fought poorly and lost they were killed, and that huge sums of money were being won and lost on the outcomes of these fights. I think we can all agree that even the mere knowledge that those things were going on is outrageously unsupportable. So let's leave it at that.

Enter Stephon Marbury. Never shy about speaking his 'mind', as it were, our good friend 'Starbury' made the following comments regarding the Vick situation:

"I think it's tough,'' Marbury said, according to Albany TV station Capital News 9. "I think, you know, we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals. You know, from what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors.''

Read that again. I'll give you time.

OK. So dog-fighting is a sport, and goes on behind closed doors, so really, it's all good. This is the kind of statement that I am talking about. Let's say Marbury, in his own mind, actually believes that dog-fighting is a sport like any other and doesn't see anything really wrong with it. WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT IN AN INTERVIEW? That's just stupid! Are you kidding me? You know the interview will be made public, it's why you are doing the interview. And you still feel like you have to speak your 'mind' about this subject matter? Guess what, if you support dog-fighting, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! Why? Well, for starters, the guy you are talking about may GO TO JAIL for supporting dog-fighting. Idiot!

But Marbury wasn't finished, not by a long shot.

"I think it's tough that we build Michael Vick up and then we break him down,'' Marbury said. "I think he's one of the superb athletes, and he's a good human being. I just think that he fell into a bad situation.''

Fell into a bad situation? Yeah, he got caught with a dog-fighting ring on his property. Let's be honest here folks, nobody just falls into a massive dog-fighting enterprise by accident, because they 'hung around in the wrong crowd'. Vick is an adult making millions of dollars playing football, with millions of fans looking up to him. When you are Michael Vick, you don't fall into dog-fighting. You organize, fund and support dog-fighting. Period.

So, presumably Marbury's agent told him that such statements were outrageous and needed to be qualified. So that's what he did. He qualified those statements:

"What Michael Vick did was wrong, and he has admitted his guilt,'' Marbury said in a statement released by the Knicks to New York newspapers. "He should be punished. However, he should be given a second chance, as others have received for more serious crimes.''

This I get. Fair enough, he admitted his guilt, everyone deserves a second chance, OK, got it. But that wasn't enough. Marbury had to compound his folly even further:

"There is no list for which animals should be killed and which shouldn't. I love animals and none of them should be harmed However, we don't react the same when other animals are being killed for sport or the sake of human pleasure.''

OK... wait... what? You love animals and none should be harmed, but earlier you said that dog-fighting is a sport, basically implying that the injuries and deaths of dogs in said fights are like sprained knees and plantar faciitis in the NBA, it just goes with the territory. You couldn't love animals that much if you aren't horrified by the concept of dog-fighting. And what's all this about reactions to the killing of other animals? Well, specify. Do you mean hunting deer as you stated earlier? You think that shooting a deer is the same as forcing two vicious, trained dogs to kill each other, and then drowning or hanging the losing dog? Many people don't support the idea of hunting socially (as opposed to hunting for food), but the reaction to it is clearly going to be different. A bullet into the brain vs. being torn to pieces, literally pieces. No difference, Stephon? For that matter, what about fishing? Stephon, are you implying that fishing is just as awful and cruel to animals as dog-fighting? Surely not.

Look, everyone says stupid things from time to time. Everyone. It's unavoidable. But not everyone says stupid things during a widely publicized interview. There's a massive difference, not only in the context in which things may be said (just keep certain things to yourself, Albany TV station Capital News 9 is not your therapist), but in the fallout as well (Sports Illustrated doesn't give a flying shit what I say, good or bad). That's what sticks in my craw like half-gnawed turkey leg.

I guess certain people are just too stupid for their own good, just like the dogs who try out for the sport of dog-fighting.