Michael Vick will not be appearing at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in York, Pa. He'd been scheduled to sign autographs there, for $75 each -- photos would be another $75 -- on Oct. 31.
But earlier this week, word got out in the animal advocacy community about the NFL player and convicted dogfighter's event, which led to a lot of angry messages directed at Buffalo Wild Wings. (Here's a sample post on Facebook: "You suck. Your food sucks. Anyone who eats there sucks. And whoever thought liking/ supporting Michale Vick should burn in hell.")
Friday, the restaurant confirmed that Vick was out.
"The event was arranged through a third party and did not follow the proper process or go through appropriate approvals," David Hakensen, a Buffalo Wild Wings spokesperson, said in an email to HuffPost. Hakensen declined to say if the protests influenced the decision, saying that "I believe the statement speaks for itself."
And Gordon Shell, a mostly-retired mixed martial arts fighter from Detroit who now spends his time raising money and otherwise championing dogs (and selling anti-microbial countertops), couldn't be happier.
Or he could, but only if Michael Vick would finally agree to meet him in a cage.
Shell, who just turned 44, quit MMA last year with more than 20 years of competing under his belt, after being diagnosed with a serious heart condition. Plus, he says, "I just didn't like getting punched in the face anymore."
He's willing to get punched one more time, though, if Vick says yes to what Shell hopes will be a match shown on Pay Per View, that would raise money for animal rescue groups and would also satisfy those who believe the now-Philadelphia Eagles quarterback's jail sentence and fines haven't been punishment enough.
"If you truly want redemption, if you truly want to be free, people want to see you bleed," says Shell. "At the end of the fight, I'm going to grab the microphone, and just announce to all the animal advocates, OK, this man has actually stepped up. We're both bleeding. He's bleeding. He's felt like what it's like to be a dog. Except he's still alive, we haven't electrocuted him. But he's stepped up. Now we have to let him finally be free."
Shell says he understands that this fight is unlikely to happen, while Vick is still employed as a football player (Vick's publicist said a year ago he wanted "no part of it," Shell told one blogger; we've reached out to Vick and haven't yet heard back). But this is not the first time that activists have shut down a Vick appearance. And Shell's hoping that the protests will make enough of an impact on Vick's image and his earnings that once his career is is over as a professional athlete, they'll step in the ring.
"We're America. We don't do an eye for an eye," says Shell. "But we can put him in a cage, regulated. And put on a nice show. We can generate so much money that can help out the abused animals."
Meantime, among his other activities, Shell's selling t-shirts that say "Fight Me Mike Vick":
@Bigdog327 "Fight Me, Mike Vick" pic.twitter.com/lY8DNL0j
— Jaime Daughtridge (@banksruption) December 10, 2012
And while Buffalo Wild Wings is now being barraged with thank you notes for canceling the Vick appearance, the Minnesota-based chain hasn't seen the end of its protestors: Second Amendment enthusiasts still have unhappy words,
and Facebook pages, about the
restaurant's preference toward customers not carrying guns.
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