Michael Vick: criminal or victim?

They went crazy when the heard about Michael Vick's involvement in the illegal dog fighting ring. The media said that he would never play football again, they also demonized him and called him a fascist. They author says that this is another form of gambling that "seduces millions of people." He talks about how these addicts need to be rehabilitated and not ostracized from society. The author says that the difference between black and white athletes are that black people are persecuted more than white people. When white people get caught it is in the news for only a few days then it blows over. The author brings up the hypocrisy that the police officers in New Orleans were not persecuted for slaughtered dogs and cats, but Vick was because he is black. The author talks about how Bush and Cheney were not persecuted for causing the death of the people involved in the war. I disagree with this statement, and think that he is a criminal because he did commit the crimes that he was accused of.