Vick’s message limited to few

Football: Michael Vick returned to the area that once celebrated his brilliant play on the football field, this time for the first of what he hopes will be dozens of appearances around the country to urge low-income youths to avoid the tragic trail left by dogfighting.

Few got to hear Saturday’s message, however.

Vick’s visit to a suburban Atlanta community center in Decatur, Ga., was largely off limits to the neighborhood it was supposed to be helping. In an agreement between Vick’s handlers and the Humane Society of the United States, only 55 people and one media crew were allowed inside. An Associated Press reporter, videographer and photographer were among the media banished from the property by police.

Most people who live in the largely black neighborhood southeast of Atlanta were unaware of Vick’s appearance. Several showed up after the former Falcons quarterback had already left in a black limousine.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society, said the group wants to be open and reach as many people as possible with its anti-dogfighting message. But the tightly controlled appearance comes as Vick is trying to rehabilitate his image and ease his path back to the NFL.

The quarterback is apparently planning to do his first major interview since completing a 23-month prison sentence with the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes,” which sent a three-person crew to film the event. The AP was barred from entering.

Associated Press

Hey, never mind that silly book

Soccer: Landon Donovan scored, then jumped into David Beckham’s arms, and the Los Angeles Galaxy celebrated their fifth win in six games, 2-1 over the New England Revolution at Foxborough, Mass.

The display of togetherness came barely two months after Donovan criticized Beckham’s leadership and commitment in a book about Beckham’s stint with the Galaxy.

Associated Press

RB Hasty fails to make grade

Football: Former Bellevue High star and Washington Huskies running back J.R. Hasty is no longer on the roster at Central Washington after failing to meet academic requirements.

On Friday, the Ellensburg Daily Record quoted CWU coach Blaine Bennett as saying that Hasty “didn’t pass his summer classes, so he’s not with us.”

Hasty, who was The Seattle Times State Player of the Year as a senior at Bellevue in 2004, spent three seasons at UW before being dismissed from the team in the summer of 2008.

Seattle Times