NFL commissioner disappointed, embarrassed by Portis
Portis Weighs In On Dogfighting
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday he was "extremely disappointed and embarrassed" by comments made by Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis about dogfighting, The Washington Post reported.
On Monday, Portis, asked about the investigation into an alleged dogfighting ring at a home then owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, ridiculed authorities for pursuing possible charges. Tuesday, both Portis and Redskins offensive tackle Chris Samuels apologized for their comments, and the Redskins also apologized as an organization.
Goodell, in a written statement, criticized Portis' statements.
"I'm extremely disappointed and embarrassed for Clinton Portis," he said, according to the Post. "This does not reflect the sentiments of the Redskins, the NFL or NFL players."
Agent Drew Rosenhaus said he talked to Portis about his client's comments.
"I've had dogs my entire life and I personally find dog fighting cruel, vicious and evil," Rosenhaus said Wednesday.
Rosenhaus said Portis told him he wasn't condoning dogfighting.
"He said, 'Drew, I didn't mean for the way that came out. All I was saying, I wasn't condoning dog fighting. I wasn't condoning Michael Vick's conduct. All I was saying is that people should give him the benefit of the doubt until he's been charged or found guilty," Rosenhaus said.
During the interview on WAVY-TV in Norfolk, Va., Portis and Samuels giggled and laughed frequently as they defended Vick, who has been under investigation since a police raid at one of his houses discovered dozens of dogs and items associated with dog fighting. No charges have been filed.
"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not," Portis said in the interview. "But it's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it."
Portis, a native of Laurel, Miss., added: "I know a lot of back roads that got a dog fight if you want to go see it. But they're not bothering those people because those people are not big names. I'm sure there's some police got some dogs that are fighting them, some judges got dogs and everything else."
In the segment, Portis said that Vick would be put "behind bars for no reason" if the Atlanta Falcons quarterback were charged and convicted for dog fighting. Samuels laughed during much of the interview.
"The Washington Redskins, as an organization, obviously would never condone anything related to animal cruelty," the team's statement said Tuesday. "The team takes the recent comments of Clinton Portis very seriously and apologizes to everyone that was offended."
It was the second statement in two days from the Redskins over the dog fighting flap. Late Monday, the team released a statement on behalf of Portis in which the running back said: "I want to make it clear I do not take part in dog fighting or condone dog fighting in any manner."
Sixty-six dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, were seized April 25 when police conducting a drug investigation raided the house, which Vick owned but said he rarely visited.
Police also found items associated with dog fighting, including treadmills, syringes and a "pry bar" used to pry apart a dog's jaws, as well as a bloodstained carpet. Prosecutor Gerald Poindexter said they also found blood on a floor in the home.
Several of the dogs had old scars that could be associated with dogfighting injuries, but authorities have said the dogs largely appeared to be healthy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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