Prosecutor Still Lacks Evidence Linking Vick to Dogfighting

The prosecutor investigating whether property owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was part of a dogfighting operation said that he still doesn't have solid evidence linking Vick to dogfighting.

Gerald Poindexter said there are no eyewitnesses who have said they saw dogfighting at the Virginia home where 66 dogs were seized along with equipment that could be associated with dogfighting. The discoveries were made during a drug raid at the home on April 25.

The dogs are being held in kennels in four counties, according to the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, and Poindexter said they will be held until the investigation has been completed.

What happens to them after that isn't up to Poindexter, he said.

Historically, dogs seized and found to have been part of a dogfighting operation are euthanized because their level of aggression makes them unfit pets and neighbors, according to John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States.

"It's simply not fair to someone who has a black lab or a Yorkie to have a fighting dog next door because if that dog gets loose, he's going to . . . kill that person's pet," Goodwin said, making it clear he was speaking in generic terms only.

He did not have specific information about the dogs taken from Vick's home.

Police also found items associated with dogfighting, including treadmills and a "pry bar" used to pry apart a dog's jaws. Poindexter has said they also found a bloodied carpet and blood splatters on the floor in a room over the garage.

Meantime, Clinton Portis's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said he talked to his client about his comments that seemed to support dog fighting.

"He said: 'Drew, I didn't mean for the way that came out. All I was saying, I wasn't condoning dog fighting. I wasn't condoning Michael Vick's conduct. All I was saying is that people should give him the benefit of the doubt until he's been charged or found guilty,' " Rosenhaus said.

The agent then immediately began a public relations campaign to clear Portis's name.

"I like the fact that Clinton stood up for another athlete, but I want to clarify that he in no way, shape or form condones dogfighting or any type of illegal activity," Rosenhaus said. "I spent the last day or so with Clinton trying to get that message out."

Asked last week about the investigation into Vick, Portis said: "It's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it."

The comments led to outrage. In the TV interview, the Laurel, Miss., native added: "I know a lot of back roads that got a dogfight if you want to go see it."

Portis has apologized and the Washington Redskins have distanced themselves from the comments.

"It was awkward for me, because it was one of my clients and I'm a real dog lover," Rosenhaus said.

-- From News Services