When a superstar athlete admits to being the ringleader of a dogfighting enterprise and to killing Pit Bulls who unperformed by electrocuting them, the instinctive reaction is one of disgust and outrage. A normal person will reason: Only  a monster would participate in such a sadistic criminal activity simply for the perverse thrill.

Americans have been outraged by Michael Vick’s sadistic crimes; it’s a subject that is still hot on talks shows and cable news channels.

Only in the African American community will you find any Michael Vick apologists and enablers. Idiots like Deion Sanders, Jamie Foxx and Stephon Marbury have rushed to Vick’s defense; but it’s not only jocks and celebrities who still think Vick is a hero. A few misguided black intellectuals have also spoken out on the behalf of the beleaguered gridiron star.

The following quote from Black AmericaWeb.Com gives us an example of one black intellectual who is desperately seeking to justify Vick’s horrendous crimes:

“Noted New York Times columnist and author William Rhoden addressed the situation, likening Vick to former boxing great Jack Johnson, baseball player Barry Bonds and former cyclist Major Taylor, all black athletes who have been demonized by the media and public scrutiny.

Rhoden, whose books ‘The $40 Million Slave’ and ‘Third and a Mile,’ explore race in sports, said Vick’s choices to engage in dogfighting was like him throwing a ‘deadly interception.’

‘This is a cautionary tale to African-Americans. If you’re accomplishing a lot, never relax,’ Rhoden told Joyner in a live interview. ‘Never think that you can do what everyone else is doing. Never think that your money has put you in an untouchable position because you’re not. Never think that you are larger than anything because the rug can be pulled out from under you instantaneously.’”

Michael Vick has accomplished very little in his personal life and on the gridiron, he is one of the most overrated athletes in history. Vick has the brains of a linebacker, the legs of a running back and the hands of a kicker. The Atlanta Falcons are very fortunate that they won’t be stuck with his inflated salary and meager talent for the next few years.

Not to put to fine a point on it, but Rhoden is full of crap. “Never think that you can do what everyone else is doing.” Excuse me, but not everyone is torturing and killing innocent animals, fortunately there are very few individuals who are that sick and demented.

The rug wasn’t pulled out from under Michael Vick, he took a dive into a cesspool of sadism and brutality. Vick’s downfall can’t be blamed on “Whitey”, he has only his sick mind to blame for his troubles.

Michael Vick is a cautionary tale for athletes (black and white) who are showered with fame, wealth and adulation: Don’t be like Michael Vick.