Michael Vick and Donte' Stallworth: Injustice Served

Less than one month after Michael Vick was released from Leavenworth, a military penitentiary, after 19 months served, Donte' Stallworth began a 30 day jail sentence. Almost a year ago I wrote an article about how Josh Hamilton and Ricky Williams were so differently characterized by the media despite their very similar pasts. The point I attempted to make was that while Williams has been rightfully vilified, and deserves no sympathy, Hamilton has been unduly celebrated. Another injustice occurred when Stallworth was sentenced, but unlike the comparison of Williams to Hamilton, the centerpiece of the injustice is not race, but species. During Vick’s legal process there was something of a racial uproar and while I feel that there was a cultural bias, I don’t think that race was the culprit. I recently visited a good friend of mine in Atlanta. He owns two pit bulls. At the end of a beverage-heavy night he, I, and a few of his friends were all talking in his back yard. I asked if ... (link)