Vilma’s Comments on Dogfighting
Jonathan Vilma appeared on Mike & the MadDog (ironic nickname for this discussion) yesterday to promote his football camp, and the topic of dogfighting came up. You can listen to the whole interview on WFAN’s site, to listen to this part on the MP3 start at the 8:41 mark. What will likely stir up some controversy in the coming days are Vilma’s words, or more accurately, how they are being reported this morning by the Daily News. Below is my best 6:45 in the morning transcription of the event. I am sure that you will find fault with my transcription, please do and I will update it. Note that I tried to leave out umms, most you knows, etc..
Seeing the headline “Dog fights equal horse races” in the Daily News seems to be a pretty binary way to describe the conversation Vilma had with Russo, but I will let you be the judges on that matter.
Russo: How about this dogfighting scenario, which turns an incredible amount of people off. I didn’t realize it was such a big underground thing with NFL Players … SI wrote about it, two weeks ago and quotes all over the place. Have you heard about this in your years in the NFL?
Vilma: Well, yes of course, everyone’s heard about dogfighting, whether you choose to participate in it or not, that’s your decision. I’m not here to condone it or accept it or anything like that. I’m just saying it’s been there. It’s been there for a while, the rules are as the rule go. [The Commonwealth of] Virginia says it’s a felony, hey it’s a felony. There’s nothing to argue there. Virginia says it’s a felony to dogfight, then it is what it is.
Russo: Alright, but do you have a problem with it yourself? Or is it not that big a deal to you?
Vilma: For me, honestly, I’ve never looked at it one way or another. It’s what people do. You can … of course dogfighting is much more extreme, but you can equate it to horseracing. You have animal activists that don’t, who [don't] condone horseracing and feel that horses are being tested brutally or whatever the situation is. So you know, for me, I’m not an animal activist and to each his own.
I have to say I’ve been a huge fan of Vilma since the day he was drafted and always thought he came across as an intelligent and well spoken person, but after yesterday’s interview I was very dissapointed in him. I heard the interview live and I couldn’t believe how ignorant Vilma came across on various topics from dog fighting to the media. The fact that he would even try to make the comparison between dog fighting and horse racing is idiotic, then he tries to blame the media for blowing things out of proportion. Jon nobody told Pac Man Jones to almost start a riot at a Las Vegas strip club, which left a man paralyzed from the waist down. Nobody told Tank Johnson to have a freakin arsenal in his house with his little children around.
I understand that there’s some kind of fraternity or us against them mentality with all of these NFL players or athletes, but I’m sorry when something is wrong it’s wrong and Vilma should have come across much better. I know it’s hard for him to call out some of his fellow players who he may be friends with, but he would have been better off just saying no comment.
I’ll be honest I own a pitbull and I’ve always been an animal lover so this is very close to my heart, but even if your not, you should have more common sense then Vilma portrayed on WFAN yesterday.
I think Jon was trying, and failing, to relate various groups being against contests using animals, and, while he might have chosen bullfighting, he chose horse racing. That was a weak reference at best. I’ve never even HEARD of protest groups against horse racing! He doesn’t seem to care about any of it, to his credit. Being so poorly informed, he just should have passed rather than take a stab at expressing an opinion.
Remember that the Professional athlete’s world is NOT our own, as unfair as that may seem. Their perspective on reality is always going to be skewed. Their own cultural backgrounds also play a huge part in this as their experience with what we believe to be morally wrong or against the social mores of the the times may not match. Not to say this as a defense or an excuse for their behavior but it is plain to see we will never understand their world.
Having said that I agree that Vilma should have just kept his mouth shut. Sometimes when our heroes speak on real matters in the real world, they usually disappoint. I am not surprised in the least at his response unfortunate as it may sound.
[...] his foot in his mouth by comparing dog fighting to horse racing and then saying according to the jetsblog.com that everyone has heard about dog fighting and whether they choose to participate is their [...]
Dog fighting and cock fighting are events in African American and Latino urban communities. When culturally you live in an area where such events are commonplace, the legality of them usually has little impact. Street drag racing or drifting is also illegal, but is very common in all communities and I believe that if Vick were being investigated for promoting street racing, nobody would think it’s a big deal, which is ironic because human beings get injured or killed in these races, not animals. I like billvv’s bullfighting analogy. When the players, like Clinton Portis or Vilma, don’t seem particularly outraged by dogfighting or think that Vick is being unfairly singled out, it’s because culturally they just don’t find dog fighting to be a big deal. And, while I think it’s barbaric, I can’t blame the African American players for wondering why everyone is so upset about it.
Although it was a dumb comparison, lets still keep things in perspective…it’s not as if he was defending his OWN actions. Vilma came across as ignorant, but that doesn’t make him the villian – mike vick, and anyone else who is actually participating in this crap are the villians. And plus, who knows if he was just trying to not to slam a fellow player. I’m almost more dissapointed in Vilma for not having been smart enough to dodge this question than for the answer he gave.
SackDance: While humans might be getting injured in street racing, they make a concious effort to participate in it, whereas in dogfighting, these animals are brutalized and forced to fight one another.
I see your point, though, and I am not going to rake vilma over the coals with this. His comments were idiotic, though. when will people learn to keep their trap shut?
It’s hard to make the analogy of street drag racing to illegal dog fighting. Bottomline is that it’s a person’s choice or free will to go out drag racing and risk killing themselves. These animals have absolutley no choice and are forced into fighting to the death in most cases. Also just because something like cock fighting or dog fighting is accepted in Latin and African American communities doesn’t make it right, if anything it sheds a negative light on them.
I grew up in the Bronx and Yonkers, where both dog and cock fighting take place, I knew it was wrong, nobody had to tell me, if your a decent human being you know it’s not right. Just because you grow up around it doesn’t make it OK. I think the whole culture excuse is lame, it’s not about culture it’s about right and wrong. I guess I just thought better of Vilma as a person.
Vilma’s recent explination:
“I’m indifferent and it’s a matter of wanting to stay away from the whole Michael Vick situation, whether he is involved or not. I’m not saying anything about dogfighting or anyone who might be involved in it.”
Vilma has forever lost my respect, as both a dog lover and racing fan. Do you realize the pro dog fighters train their animals by putting “bait” ( other small dogs and other animals with their mouths taped shut) in the ring to be torn to pieces by the fighting dogs? They sometimes dognap pets from their neighbors to be used in this manner.
Don’t care how he tries to spin it, he showed a wanton disregard for the law and welfare of the dogs involved. He acknowledged the existance of the practice and condoned it. Enough for me.
I’m not here to condone it or accept it or anything like that. I’m just saying it’s been there. It’s been there for a while, the rules are as the rule go. [The Commonwealth of] Virginia says it’s a felony, hey it’s a felony. There’s nothing to argue there.
So Crack and Heroine are againist the law, does condone that?
How can a Pro football player say he is sitting on the fence about the fact his co-players are commiting felonies? Unreal!