Tech bans T-shirts featuring Vick, A&M’s dog mascot

[westtxfballfan]

Tech bans T-shirts featuring Vick, A&M’s dog mascot


LUBBOCK (AP) — Texas Tech has banned the sale of a T-shirt bearing the likeness of Michael Vick hanging the dog mascot of rival Texas A&M.
The red and black shirts, with text that says “VICK ’EM” on the front in an apparent reference to the Aggies’ slogan “Gig ’em,” was created by a Tech student who was trying to sell them before Saturday’s game in Lubbock.
The back of the shirt shows a football player wearing the No. 7 Vick jersey holding a rope with an image of the mascot Reveille at the end of a noose. Vick, who faces up to five years in prison after pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges, is suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
Tech school and athletic officials met Tuesday morning to discuss other possible action but did not immediately announce additional measures to be taken. A&M officials, in a statement, thanked Tech administrators for “their response and action regarding this matter.”
The creator of the shirt, Geoffrey Candia, declined to comment in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday. He said he may make a statement after meeting with the dean of students Tuesday.
He told The Battalion, A&M’s newspaper, for Tuesday’s editions that the university prohibited sale of the shirts on campus through his fraternity. He said he originally had wanted to give 50 percent of the proceeds to an animal defense league in Lubbock “because we knew there would be a controversy about the shirts, you know, animal rights, stuff like that.”
Candia told the newspaper about 300 had been sold. He had hoped 500 would be sold before Saturday’s game.
The controversy comes about 2 1/2 months after Gerald Myers, Tech’s athletic director, announced a campaign to promote good sportsmanship across the campus and at athletic events. The words used in the effort are honor, respect, pride and tradition.
Myers did not immediately return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
“You can’t make light of a situation like that,” Tech media relations spokesman Chris Cook said. “That is in poor taste and poor judgment.”
Robyn Katz, president of Tech’s chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, said her organization “wouldn’t take a dime” from Candia.
“If he really wanted to help promote anti-animal cruelty then he would donate time” at a no-kill shelter,” she said. “He’s really doing the Tech community a disservice. There’s plenty of other ways to promote a rivalry.”

[JasperDog94]

That's a pretty classless shirt....along the lines of the Rice shirts that say Tuck Fexas.:dispntd:

[Emerson1]

Originally posted by JasperDog94
along the lines of the Rice shirts that say Tuck Fexas.:dispntd:
waaaaaaaahhhhh

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by Emerson1
waaaaaaaahhhhh Say what you want but I still say that's pretty classless.

[BobcatBenny]

Well, the Aggies can dish it out with their frog gig'in thumb symbol and Gig 'em T-shirts but when it comes to images of their mascot gettin put down, it's classless. :rolleyes:

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by BobcatBenny
Well, the Aggies can dish it out with their frog gig'in thumb symbol and Gig 'em T-shirts but when it comes to images of their mascot gettin put down, it's classless. :rolleyes: To me it has more to do with the Vick situation.

[AggiesAreWe]

It's my understanding that Tech administration shut this down without the request of A&M officials. There was no crying from the Aggies, just on institution calling down it's own for a tastless act.

Kind of a no brainer on both parts.

[rundoe]

Originally posted by BobcatBenny
Well, the Aggies can dish it out with their frog gig'in thumb symbol and Gig 'em T-shirts but when it comes to images of their mascot gettin put down, it's classless. :rolleyes:

I think this is on a different level of class (lots lower ) than the sawed off horns or OU putting the UT symbol upside down.

[buff4life]

Originally posted by rundoe
I think this is on a different level of class (lots lower ) than the sawed off horns or OU putting the UT symbol upside down.

on that note, atleast OU can used (or they're smart enough) the correct abbreviation for TEXAS or just say TEXAS

[b_smith07]

see, did I not tell you guys this wasnt sponsored by the university? and lets do some basic math here: about 250 shirts were sold from the weymouth dorm building which houses about 350 guys...notoriously known for housing the hardcore partiers. Mostly all freshmen if that tells you anything. Anyways 250/about 20,000 students equals about 1.25%. WOW, so much unclassiness running around TECH. EVERYONE and their dog who goes to or supports A&M wears the Saw em' Off stuff. And you know theres at least 250 out of the 45,000 or so who go to A&M that are so anti-texas/tech that they do very very unclassy stuff like throwing cinderblocks through car windsheilds (it was A&m game day at Texas and the cinderblock had a&m written on it thrown into a car with a longhorn decal on the back). Let's just face it: every school has it's unclassy students and every school has an image: it just usually gets ruined by a few unrully students who end up failing out the next semester anyways. sorry for the rambling I just wanted to bring some sense to these arguments that get very old very fast..........

[Bull Butter]

Originally posted by b_smith07
see, did I not tell you guys this wasnt sponsored by the university? and lets do some basic math here: about 250 shirts were sold from the weymouth dorm building which houses about 350 guys...notoriously known for housing the hardcore partiers. Mostly all freshmen if that tells you anything. Anyways 250/about 20,000 students equals about 1.25%. WOW, so much unclassiness running around TECH. EVERYONE and their dog who goes to or supports A&M wears the Saw em' Off stuff. And you know theres at least 250 out of the 45,000 or so who go to A&M that are so anti-texas/tech that they do very very unclassy stuff like throwing cinderblocks through car windsheilds (it was A&m game day at Texas and the cinderblock had a&m written on it thrown into a car with a longhorn decal on the back). Let's just face it: every school has it's unclassy students and every school has an image: it just usually gets ruined by a few unrully students who end up failing out the next semester anyways. sorry for the rambling I just wanted to bring some sense to these arguments that get very old very fast..........

And who was it on this very board that referred to Texas A&M with a homosexual epithet just a few days ago before it was quickly removed??????????????



Welcome to the 1.25 %

[JJ7997]

This kind of crap really ticks me off.

Why cant fans just heckle each other a little and leave it at that?

Why does anyone take it to those kinds of extremes ?

Why is it, that there is all kinds of backlash and such when anyone besides A&M is disrespected,but when the Aggies and their fans are it becomes a bashing bandwagon and everybody wants to jump on ?

What the hell did Texas A&M University, its students, alumni, and fans do that makes so many hate us ?

I may call the other schools out there creative names at times, but it never contains anything vulgar and is not meant to be malicious.

I wish a few on here would just show a little respect. Even though it may be subtle at times, most can pick up on it. If you have such a seething hatred for something, keep it to yourself.

Sorry, I'll step down now. :mad:

[BobcatBenny]

Originally posted by rundoe
I think this is on a different level of class (lots lower ) than the sawed off horns or OU putting the UT symbol upside down.
Not to bust on you too much, but here it is from the Aggies Tradition website.


At a yell practice before the 1930 TCU game, A&M board of regent Pinky Downs '06 shouted, "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?" His muse did not fail him as he improvised, borrowing a term from frog hunting. "Gig 'em, Aggies!" he said as he made a fist with his thumb extended straight up. And with that the first hand sign in the Southwest Conference came into being.

Now the Vick 'em thing might be tasteless from the Vick situation, but really Vick pled guilty, so to assign his name forever to animal abuse is not surprising to me. It is Vick that has to live with his involvement of animals.

However, the Aggies tasteless animal killing statement from which Vick 'em was derived was not started by some enterprising young student. It was started by a member of the A&M board of regents. The Vick 'em thing has a tasteless life span of a few years where as Gig 'em Aggies has continued for 77 years.

So, if anyone wants to criticize some kid for symbolically killing a mascot, then they can start by criticizing Pinky Downs of the A&M board of regents.

If anything the Aggies should be applauding this kid and electing him to the A&M board of regents. :clap: :thinking: :D

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by b_smith07
see, did I not tell you guys this wasnt sponsored by the university? and lets do some basic math here: about 250 shirts were sold from the weymouth dorm building which houses about 350 guys...notoriously known for housing the hardcore partiers. Mostly all freshmen if that tells you anything. Anyways 250/about 20,000 students equals about 1.25%. WOW, so much unclassiness running around TECH. EVERYONE and their dog who goes to or supports A&M wears the Saw em' Off stuff. And you know theres at least 250 out of the 45,000 or so who go to A&M that are so anti-texas/tech that they do very very unclassy stuff like throwing cinderblocks through car windsheilds (it was A&m game day at Texas and the cinderblock had a&m written on it thrown into a car with a longhorn decal on the back). Let's just face it: every school has it's unclassy students and every school has an image: it just usually gets ruined by a few unrully students who end up failing out the next semester anyways. sorry for the rambling I just wanted to bring some sense to these arguments that get very old very fast..........

I can agree with what you're saying, but weren't you condoning the t-shirts just last night? Saw 'Em Off has nothing compared to cruelty to animals when it comes to being classless. I don't think that Saw 'Em Off is classless personally, I have a sticker on my truck and as long as it is humanly possible to have one, I will. You don't see me getting on here Longhorn bashing, or talking trash about Tech and other schools, so I think I'm doing alright as far as that goes.

[neck_06]

i actually thought the shirt was pretty funny.....but it is also inappropriate.

[Bulldog_12]

Originally posted by BobcatBenny


However, the Aggies tasteless animal killing statement from which Vick 'em was derived was not started by some enterprising young student. It was started by a member of the A&M board of regents. The Vick 'em thing has a tasteless life span of a few years where as Gig 'em Aggies has continued for 77 years.

So, if anyone wants to criticize some kid for symbolically killing a mascot, then they can start by criticizing Pinky Downs

Really? Are you really relating Frog Gigging to Hanging Dogs? Please tell me this is a joke and my sarcasm monitor is not turned on.

[Bulldog_12]

Originally posted by b_smith07
see, did I not tell you guys this wasnt sponsored by the university? and lets do some basic math here: about 250 shirts were sold from the weymouth dorm building which houses about 350 guys...notoriously known for housing the hardcore partiers. Mostly all freshmen if that tells you anything. Anyways 250/about 20,000 students equals about 1.25%. WOW, so much unclassiness running around TECH. EVERYONE and their dog who goes to or supports A&M wears the Saw em' Off stuff. And you know theres at least 250 out of the 45,000 or so who go to A&M that are so anti-texas/tech that they do very very unclassy stuff like throwing cinderblocks through car windsheilds (it was A&m game day at Texas and the cinderblock had a&m written on it thrown into a car with a longhorn decal on the back). Let's just face it: every school has it's unclassy students and every school has an image: it just usually gets ruined by a few unrully students who end up failing out the next semester anyways. sorry for the rambling I just wanted to bring some sense to these arguments that get very old very fast..........



Actually, dehorning cattle is a very common practice as referenced in this article.
Dehorning cattle (http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2003/August/CT285.shtml)

I feel like hanging dogs is not common practice.

Thats where tasteless comes into play.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Originally posted by Bulldog_12
Actually, dehorning cattle is a very common practice as referenced in this article.
Dehorning cattle (http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2003/August/CT285.shtml)

I feel like hanging dogs is not common practice.

Thats where tasteless comes into play.

This is true, I've dehorned a lot of cows and they've never died.

[Old Tiger]

Originally posted by Bulldog_12
Actually, dehorning cattle is a very common practice as referenced in this article.
Dehorning cattle (http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2003/August/CT285.shtml)

I feel like hanging dogs is not common practice.

Thats where tasteless comes into play. He didn't hang all of them geez! Give the guy a break. He drowned them too!

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END
This is true, I've dehorned a lot of cows and they've never died. I've been present....and also for de-something else.

[Old Tiger]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
and also for de-something else. IMO that is worse than killing somthing.

[Bulldog_12]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
I've been present....and also for de-something else. :speech:

[BobcatBenny]

To all Aggies, but I bet you say Gig 'em regularly. It is that from which Vick 'em was derived. Not Saw ‘em off.

Classless yields classless I suppose.

But the truth is it isn't classless at all. It is just rivalry.

I'm pretty sure that there is not an Aggie on the planet that would call this classless. They can't because it is their own tradition bent around and stuck in a not so pleasant an orifice. Better that than one of Tech's goal posts I suppose?

[Bulldog_12]

Originally posted by BobcatBenny
To all Aggies, but I bet you say Gig 'em regularly. It is that from which Vick 'em was derived. Not Saw ‘em off.

Classless yields classless I suppose.

But the truth is it isn't classless at all. It is just rivalry.

I'm pretty sure that there is not an Aggie on the planet that would call this classless. They can't because it is their own tradition bent around and stuck in a not so pleasant an orifice. Better that than one of Tech's goal posts I suppose?

So you are really comparing frog gigging to Michael Vick's dog hanging.
http://www.utexasclan.com/images/wow.gif

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by Bulldog_12
:speech:
It made me want to cry. :(

[Old Tiger]

http://deadspin.com/assets/resources/2007/10/vickemdog.jpg
lol hilarious to me

[burnet44]

Originally posted by AggiesAreWe
It's my understanding that Tech administration shut this down without the request of A&M officials. There was no crying from the Aggies, just on institution calling down it's own for a tastless act.

Kind of a no brainer on both parts.

instutional control huh?
dont see that very often

[BobcatBenny]

Originally posted by Bulldog_12
So you are really comparing frog gigging to Michael Vick's dog hanging.
http://www.utexasclan.com/images/wow.gif
Absolutely. Are you trying to say there is really a difference?

[b_smith07]

Originally posted by Bull Butter
And who was it on this very board that referred to Texas A&M with a homosexual epithet just a few days ago before it was quickly removed??????????????



Welcome to the 1.25 %

ask anyone from the state of texas if they heard that "homosexual epithet" and chances are they have heard or said it. get over it. your a grown man who im assuming is secure with his sexuality being offended by something said out of anger. as for saw em off not being unclassy b/c ppl do it regularly and it doesnt harm animals - who gives a damn its still derogatory towards the University of Texas. Vick Em or Saw em Off, same damn thing...........it doesnt really matter.

[Bulldog_12]

Originally posted by BobcatBenny
Absolutely. Are you trying to say there is really a difference?

Yeah, I am. One is acceptable by law and is defined as a sport. I hate to bring yet another article to show that something is common, but: Common (http://69.57.157.207/issues/11.12.01/gigging.html)

also common (http://www.floridasportsman.com/regions/ne/r_0005/index1.html)

You are saying that hunting frogs is the same as killing dogs as inhumanely as possible. If you wanna go and say that going to Africa and killing wild dogs in the plains is the same as frog gigging, I will agree. To say that frog gigging and hanging domesticated dogs is the same is laughable.

[JJ7997]

Hurry up and lock this one down because thats where its headed and frankly I'm tired of this crap. :mad:

[Bulldog_12]

Originally posted by b_smith07
Vick Em or Saw em Off, same damn thing...........it doesnt really matter.

Really? cuz Vick killed the animals. Saw em off saves the rest of the herd from injury. Nobody cares if it is slightly derogatory towards a&m, its about being tasteless and making light of one of the most heinous acts of animal cruelty to come up in the last few years.

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by Bulldog_12
Nobody cares if it is slightly derogatory towards a&m, its about being tasteless and making light of one of the most heinous acts of animal cruelty to come up in the last few years.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


I'm proud that Tech took a positive stand on this. Hopefully the doofus will get a clue what a D/A idea it was.