President Barack Obama Applauds Eagles
The White House said that Barack Obama, the President of the United States, acclaimed the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie, for giving Michael Vick a second chance.
Bill Burton, spokesman for the President, said that he told Lurie that although he belittles the crimes that Vick committed, he believes that one who has served the time should have an opportunity to contribute to society once more.
While Vick’s cousin was being investigated for drug use, a warrant led to the discovery of evidence that supported an illegal dog fighting operation in a property owned by Vick in southeast Virginia. Federal and state investigations exposed an interstate
dog fighting ring, which also involved gambling and drugs. Horrific details were also released including the torture, abuse, and execution of those dogs that weren’t performing well.
The operation, known as “Bad Newz Kennels”, led to Vick and three other men being charged as felons in July 2007. Vick was accused and charged with handling gambling money, directly participating in executions and dog fights, as well as financing the operation.
Vick pleaded guilty to "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture."
However, all of that is old news now.
After serving 18 months in prison, the Eagles signed Vick in August of 2009. And after that, things just went up for the ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback.
He earned $1.6 million in his first season, and came back in 2010 to break records and lead Philly to the top of the NFC East. After Donovan McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins, Vick became the starter for the Eagles. It had been McNabb who convinced
Coach Andy Reid to sign Vick.
But enough about Vick. Let’s get back to the Eagles.
President Obama also praised the Eagles for their decision to turn Lincoln Financial Field into the first major eco-friendly stadium in the world.
The Eagles plan to power their home field with a combination of dual-fuel generators, solar, and wind power, all of which will be onsite. The self-generated renewable energy stadium will be the first of its kind.
Orlando, Florida’s SolarBlue will be undertaking the project. They will install 80 20-foot wind turbines on the rim of the stadium and 2,500 solar panels on the stadium’s exterior. They also plan to build a power plant that runs off of flexible fuel. The
plant will generate about 7.6 megawatts of electricity and utilize advanced switching and monitoring technology to operate all three generators.
Throughout the course of the year, SolarBlue will spend about $30 million on the system, and will hopefully complete the project by September of 2011.
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