HBO is rushing to finish a story it has been work ing on for six months about the “horrific” culture of dog fighting.
Federal charges filed last week against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has pushed the story into the spotlight and HBO’s monthly series, “Real Sports,” has slated its investigation – reported by Bernard Goldberg – for Aug. 14, officials say.
“It’s not for the faint of heart,” HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said. “It’s brutal, it’s horrific, but people need to understand . . . this disgusting sport.”
The “heavy investigative piece” has been in HBO’s works since February, Greenburg said. Scheduling it just as Vick’s case hit the headlines is “kind of coincidental,” he added.
Goldberg follows cops as they break up several dog fighting rings.
“The intent of the piece is not an investigation into what went on at Michael Vick’s house in Virginia,” Greenburg said. “We will take people inside this world – not just Michael Vick’s world – to let them see how horrific it is.”
Vick is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in Virginia on charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation. He has been told by the NFL to avoid Falcons training camp, which begins tomorrow, while the league reviews his involvement.
HBO’s investigation uncovered “graphic footage,” according to Greenburg, but the network will not exploit what it found.
“We will try to be sensitive to people,” Greenburg said. “We are animal lovers here.”