Prince Shembo should have never been drafted by any NFL team. You knew who he is and what he was during his college football days at Notre Dame. Even before he got to South Bend, the warning signs were there with Prince Shembo. The Atlanta Falcons selected him anyway and now they’re paying the price for it. It remains to be seen if anyone else will take on Shembo at this point.
Hopefully, no one does. What makes this sad, tragic situation even worse is that it’s the Atlanta Falcons involved. Out of all 32 NFL teams, they know most of all about employing a dog killing player.
Michael Vick has kept himself clean these past few years, but let’s not forget what he did.
I was on Maximus and the Bartender this week to discuss the Prince Shembo situation, so have a listen at this link. The two hosts also discuss the horrifying circumstances at the open of the show.
This morning, PETA sent a letter to Atlanta Falcons Owner and Chair Arthur Blank thanking him for the team’s swift decision to dismiss linebacker Prince Shembo—who was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly kicking and killing his ex-girlfriend’s dog, whose injuries included bone fractures, head trauma, and internal hemorrhaging—and calling on Blank to head off future abuse by mandating teamwide empathy training for all players
“Professional athletes are set up to be role models, so it’s critical for NFL teams to give its players the clear message that bullying and abusing anyone is unacceptable,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch.
“We are pleased that strong action has been taken in the Shembo case, and now, PETA is renewing its call to provide all players with empathy training in the hope of preventing further violent attacks like this one.”
PETA emailed me a copy of their letter to the Atlanta Falcons regarding Prince Shembo. It is copied below:
June 4, 2015
Arthur Blank
Owner and Chair
Atlanta Falcons
Dear Mr. Blank:
On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters, many of whom are NFL fans, we thank you for your decision to release Prince Shembo after he was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly killing a dog in the care of his ex-girlfriend.
Over the past year, NFL fans have made it abundantly clear that they will not support players who abuse others and that they want their teams to take decisive action in order to keep violent athletes off the football field. Cruelty to animals not only is a violent crime but also has long been recognized as a predictor of violence to humans. In fact, the National District Attorneys Association states that taking “animal abuse as seriously as crimes against humans is important” and that when “any form of violence is present in a home, others may be at risk.” According to the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, 76 percent of people who abuse animals also abuse a family member, and the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders.
Professional athletes are role models in our society, so it’s critical for NFL teams to send their players the message that bullying and abusing anyone is unacceptable. We would again suggest, as we have in the past, that requiring all athletes to receive empathy training would give them more self-respect and positive guidelines for how to behave toward others. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick completed our eight-hour basic class in empathy and animal protection at PETA’s headquarters following his arrest for dogfighting crimes. Perhaps if he had taken such a course earlier, he might never have caused such suffering and brought disrepute to his team and the league. One always hopes.
Thank you for your consideration and for your right action.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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