NotebookAre Richard Hunter and Michael Vick's Haters Treating Him Any Better Than He Treated His Dogs?
Richard Hunter—stage/radio name “Big Dick”—continues to harass Michael Vick. Or, more accurately, he continues to scream for attention in wake of his Michael Vick video ambush from last week.
He’s not unique for hating Vick. Lots of people do. Some have even said he should get the death penalty.
Whatever the haters are saying, the truth behind it is tragic: they are treating a human worse than they treat animals.
I’ve loved dogs ever since my parents brought home a golden retriever puppy when I was around eight years old. Katie and I have two dogs today, a Jack Russell Terrier named Cooper and a half Jack Russell, half pit bull puppy named Jack.
A year and a half ago, Cooper got acute pancreatitis. It nearly killed him. With Katie out of town, I spent a week and a half and lots of money nursing him back to health. I’ve never seen a dog more scared, more in pain. We sat in a chair together and I held him and tried not to cry.
The other day, walking Jack (“our” dog, but one I picked), I was teaching him to heel. He kept choking himself, and the sounds got so sad I just let him go.
If you have or have had dogs, you’ve probably had something like that happen. We know what it is to love dogs. And so, if you hate Vick, I don’t judge you. I mean it. The man did some awful things. He’s easy to hate. The way much of the public has done a 180 since he became a superstar again can only make it all the more sickening. I get all that. I don’t agree, but I get it.
I prefer to believe for the best, because I believe we are all amazingly imperfect. It’s not naivete; it’s just that this world can be depressing as hell, so I believe in and seek hope. Sometimes people actually find redemption and actually can turn around.
I don’t judge or hate Hunter. He’s just gone overboard. He’s grabbing at anything he can think of to raise himself up by bringing Vick down. He’s publicly accused him of child abuse, called him a sociopath, and called him a coward in USA Today.
Crazy enough, he also said something I (sort of) agree with: That Vick is broken inside.
Hunter and many like him want to make their disdain about love. When asked on Twitter why he was going after Vick so relentlessly, Hunter replied, "I do it Bcuz I love my dog-Vick hurt him-now he wants another-I have2speak against it-If my dog could talk he could do interviews." (Spelling and grammar errors his, not mine.)
I’m all for love. But this seems like it’s about something else.
What Vick did was awful. But he’s been through the justice system. He’s served his time. It would be irrational for me to want him dead, for me to want his career and his life ruined now.
That said, Vick could be broken inside. We can’t know yet how real his recovery is. We can’t know if he’s going to relapse. We can’t know if, some horrible day in the future, we’ll get online or click on the television or pick up a newspaper and see splayed across the headline “VICK KILLS DOGS AGAIN.”
But there’s nothing substantial to suggest that day is coming, and we can't eviscerate someone for something he might do.
I'm concerned that these attacks on Vick are borderline abusive. When one is abused, they cower. They run from the thing hurting them. Even if they have an appearance scheduled on Oprah, if they think their attackers will be there, they’ll stay away. [Report: Owner’s of Vick’s dogs were ‘flooding’ Oprah show]
They hide.
Indignation is fine, but perspective is better: Let's not sacrifice a human for animals. Let's not treat Vick like he once treated his dogs.
P.S. (Added after post's initial publication): I need you to understand how hard it is for me to write some of these things. I'm sitting here, watching Dances With Wolves, and I'm getting a lump in my throat watching the soldiers shoot this guy's horse and wolf. Any kind of cruelty rips my heart in half. But that's also why it's hard for me to watch people treat Vick the way they are.
Reader Comments (7)
On my Facebook wall, someone said, "I just see those poor dogs with ears torn off, blood running from from and I really do not think he or anyone who participates in that kind of activity needs to be out to hurt again. I also have seen the ones they didn't have to put down and they have become loving pets. If a person multilates a child, do we let them raom at large. Well, yes sometimes they do, but I don't have to like it."
They later added, "So he misses an appearance on maybe Oprah, so? Those dogs didn't get the chance to decide to stay away from their attackers. He forced them to fight each other as though we were back in Roman Gladiator days. I don't hate him, I just don't think he's paid for what he's done - justice system and all. I think we buy MOST of our justice in U.S. or we pay with our time for lack of money. That last sentence may be more against our system than Michael Vick. If we don't protect animals, who will? I don't think Richard Hunter "Big Dick" is an especially pleasant person either. I just do not know of any animal murder that he has committed. Mental Health professionals will tell you that what people will do to animals, many times they do the same or at least it's in their nature to want to do it to people."
My reply:
It wasn't about him missing an appearance on Oprah.
Also, how has he not paid for what he's done?
He pled guilty. He lost hundreds of millions of dollars. He served 19 months in prison and is serving a 3-year probation. There have been people who do far worse who get much lighter sentences.
In addition: He publicly apologized. He repeatedly speaks to schools and teenagers and anyone else who will listen, talking about his mistakes and how others can and should avoid them. If he says he's wrong, and he's taking action to redeem his mistakes, then who is anybody to say he's not sincere?
I'm wary of him. I don't know what the next few years are going to do for him. But it's not right for people to be treating him the way they are. Like I said in the post, I know they will. I understand why. I just think it's wrong.
And as far as the mental health professionals ... I'm sure they're right. They're the pros, not me. But Vick's never been accused of anything against another person, so it's not really fair to draw that connection.
Thanks for the comments ... Always appreciated.
ok so here it is...
He is famous thats why everyone has the right to love or hate him for either positive or negative actions. He is a public figure and when he became famous he new what that entailed. If he was another joe walking around no one would care about the dogs.
He is an amazing QB and if he was not talented he would just be another athlete doing a dirty deed, so his talent is a blessing and a curse. There are other pro athletes that have done way worst shit (drugs killing people due to drunk driving etc) but he abuses an animal or two (if you think a few cut ears and some blood is bad, watch any youtube video on the way our meat is processed in the US and you will think twice about your local farmers sweet smile) and now everyone wants to pretend that they are shocked that a southern black man fights pits. I call shenanigans.
Onto the next point, GET OVER YOURSELVES...my Mexican employees talk about cock fights they have been to or are going to. Yes first i was shocked and appalled, but then "well, jefe, roosters dont lay eggs and most of the chicken we eat now is all genetically alter or inseminated anyway, so what does it matter for a few roosters to die for entertainment have you ever seen a bullfight in Spain? they bleed the animal to death slowly and it is considered art, every culture is different jefe" WOW and there it is people....every culture is different, everyone is different. what is ok to me is illegal to some, what is blasphemy to me is entertainment to others and so on and so on, with that being said where do we draw the line? bull fighting is an art, we clip our dogs ears so they can fight, we chop off the foreskin of our babies so they wont be made fun of when they grow up (medically it does not matter if you are circum or not just for the record) so what is cruelty? what is art? what is sport? what is entertainment?
Last point and then i am done I swear, HE HAS APOLOGIZED AND OPENLY ADMITTED WRONG DOING!!!!!!!
Forgive and let it go...those dogs have...hell they cant remember what they had for breakfast. and if the victim is over it then so should the advocate for the victim.
Clinton lied to us all...to our faces...on TV....and then turned around and said yeah just kidding she did go down on me. and he is still (according to history) one of the best presidents we have had...Vic is a sick ass QB not the president and yet we give a football player more slack than a Fing president? come on, what is really important here? Vic is an entertainer and an athlete (who cares what he does) and the Clinton is a leader of the free world (kind of a big deal) and yet the hammer that came down on Vic is still crushing him where as the hammer that came down on Clinton cant find its mark with out busting into laughter bc lets be honest that guy is charming...haha
so in closing, until someone else famous does something epic and stupid he will be crushed. and haters will always hate.
Freaking well said, Cody. Thanks man. Of course, I think you meant that Vick gets more flack, not slack, but other than that, some very good thoughts. It's not the deed that's appalling; it's how much we know about it and the person who committed it.
Surely there is someone more deserving of your advocacy. I really don't have a problem with Micheal Vick, but could care less about him having to endure some verbal abuse. In fact, I highly doubt he cares.
ps. I don't even know who Richard Hunter is. Just saw you post this blog several times, so thought i should read it and say hello. Hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather :)
Thanks Anna.
Of course Vick doesn't care. He's got way bigger things to deal with than immature radio hosts. This wasn't about advocating for Vick.
And I don't think anybody "deserves" my advocacy. I'm nobody. Just a guy with a computer who likes to tell stories. But sometimes things move me, and so I write. In this case, as in the case of others, I am moved by the depressing lack of respect people are showing for a fellow person. This guy's been demonized, and that's wrong.
The point of the post isn't to advocate for Vick or against Hunter, or for or against anyone. The Vick story is just one that opens a door for something bigger to be explored. This is what many of my posts are like: Written about one thing, but really about something bigger, something deeper.
I wrote this because I care about all of us, and goofy as it sounds, I hate it when one of us makes another hurt. My hope was simple, to remind us that we're all people, and that sometimes we forget to act like that.
I have mixed feelings on all of this. I'm not sure whether I like him or not, and to be honest, I don't really think I’ll waste time thinking about that, because I don’t care either way. The guy is an incredible athlete, and no side of me has any desire for him to fail.
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I think what he did was ridiculous. I believe life is about choices and their consequences. I know he served time and he's APOLOGIZED and all that. But I believe there is a fine line with "paying dues".
Who decides when it's been enough and when to forgive and move on? I personally don't believe it’s us, and people like Richard Hunter. But I mean... once you make a huge mistake like this, I mean... it's a huge one. He had what, 60 dogs?
He has to be expecting to face the consequences of what he did the rest of his life. I'm sure he has faced and dealt with that fact. This (dealing with people like Richard Hunter) is all part of the result of what he did. I don't think people should rip him so bad, and I personally have no issue with him, I mean I wouldn't let him babysit my dogs or anything... but still, I agree people shouldn't rip into him, what good is that doing?
But I certainly don't feel bad for him and I certainly don't think he expects for all to be forgiven. The guy got his football career back, he gets to spend the rest of his life doing what he loves and in what, like 2 years, he'll be filthy rich again. The fact that he still gets all this back after the stupid things he has done, is awesome. And whether or not people he's never met nor even cares about, hate him, frankly I'm sure he doesn't give a shit.
I think you pretty much nailed it, Anonymous. Life is about consequences, without a doubt. That's why my mom always told us, growing up, "Make good choices!"
I admire how Vick has owned his mistakes. Of course, it'll be awhile before he's filthy rich again. He's millions upon millions of dollars in debt. And he might have another five or six good years left in the NFL, no more. He's already 31. That's getting old, for a quarterback.
But it's like my wife says—it's stupid to waste your time hating someone. It just hurts yourself.
Thanks for the comment. It was a good one.