Michael Vick: First Support, then More Bad News [J. Mark English]

Its ridiculous just what things can be turned into a racial issue. Some have come out and said that the reason why fans are infuriated with Barry Bonds is not over steroids, but over race. Alright, well I'll leave that one alone for now. Because now the NAACP, the organization that claims to champion civil rights for African Americans, have come out supporting Michael Vick.

Errin Haines of the USA Today writes:

NAACP leaders urged public restraint Monday in judging Michael Vick before he has his day in court.

R.L. White, president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the Atlanta Falcons quarterback has been vilified by animal rights groups, talk radio and the news media and prematurely punished by his team and corporate sponsors.

"If Mr. Vick is guilty, he should pay for his crime, but to treat him as he is being treated now is also a crime," White said at a news conference. "Be restrained in your premature judgment until the legal process is completed."

Vick has pleaded not guilty to charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation.

While Vick has pleaded not guilty, a co-defendant moved to change his plea to guilty. This could wind up being a serious blow to any claim of innocence that Vick had.

Here is more from CBS News:

One of Michael Vick's co-defendants pleaded guilty Monday to federal dog-fighting conspiracy charges in a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Tony Taylor, 34, who will be sentenced Dec. 14, said he was not promised any specific sentence in return for his cooperation with the government.

Taylor, of Hampton, Va., entered his plea in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities, and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.