Informants have come forward saying they can link Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to dog fighting, the prosecutor in the case said Thursday, and he has turned their accounts and contact information over to investigators. Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter said he has heard from about a half-dozen people claiming to have information about Vick's involvement in dog fighting, but he does not know if their claims have proven to be reliable. In a letter, an inmate in a South Carolina prison claimed that he attended dog fights where Vick also was in attendance and saw Vick bet large amounts of money. Another informant provided street names of dog fighters from elsewhere in Virginia.

Two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation have told ESPN.com they believe there is sufficient evidence to indict Michael Vick in connection with a suspected dogfighting ring that was run on property the Falcons quarterback owned in Virginia. The sources, however, cautioned this week that, based on the current evidence, it might be difficult to successfully prosecute Vick, who has denied knowledge of dogfighting at the property in Surry County.

Authorities have a search warrant to look for as many as 30 dog carcasses on property owned by Michael Vick that is at the center of a dog fighting investigation. But the warrant has not been executed. In a news release, Sheriff Harold D. Brown said the warrant issued May 23 has not been executed at the request of Brown and Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter. The release did not say why the two officials leading the investigation into possible dog fighting on the 15-acre property made the request. Brown was not in the office and is the only member of the sheriff's department who can comment on the case, a dispatcher said. Poindexter also was out of the office and did not return a message left by The Associated Press seeking comment.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was at a dog fight in 2000 and is "one of the heavyweights" in the sport, ESPN reported. The network cited a police informant whom a dog-fighting investigator called "extremely reliable." "That's who bets a large dollar," the informant said on the show Outside the Lines. "And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money, 30 to 40 thousand, even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was at a dog fight in 2000 and is "one of the heavyweights" in the sport, ESPN reported. The network Sunday cited a police informant whom a dog-fighting investigator called "extremely reliable." "That's who bets a large dollar," the informant said on the show "Outside the Lines." "And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money, 30 to 40 thousand, even higher. He's one of the heavyweights." When asked how he knows Vick bets that amount, the informant said, "because I've seen it." The informant said his dog beat Vick's dog in 2000, the year before Vick was chosen by the Falcons with the first overall pick in the NFL draft.

The prosecutor in the investigation of a possible dog fighting operation at a house owned by Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is confident charges will be brought. He can't yet say who will be charged. "We are moving forward," Surry County Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Friday. He declined to set a timetable for when evidence in the case would be ready to present to a grand jury.

Dozens of dogs seized in an investigation into possible dogfighting on land owned by Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick likely would be euthanized if investigators determine they are fighting dogs, the Humane Society said. "Almost 100 percent" of animals seized in dogfighting investigations are euthanized because they have a level of aggression that makes them dangerous pets and neighbors, said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States. "It's simply not fair to someone who has a black lab or a Yorkie to have a fighting dog next door because if that dog gets loose, he's going to ... kill that person's pet," Goodwin said, making it clear he was speaking in generic terms only.

The Redskins apologized Tuesday for comments Clinton Portis made during a television interview ridiculing authorities for pursuing possible dog fighting charges against Michael Vick. Also, Chris Samuels said he was wrong for joking about dog fighting during the interview he and Portis did Monday with WAVY-TV in Norfolk. In the segment, Portis said that Vick would be put "behind bars for no reason" if the Falcons quarterback were charged and convicted for dog fighting. Samuels laughed during much of the interview.

While prosecutors and the league try to find out if Michael Vick was involved in a dog fighting ring at a Virginia house that he owned, one NFL player says it doesn't matter if he did take part. "I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it's his property, it's his dog," Redskins running back Clinton Portis told WAVY-TV in Virginia. "If that's what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business." When told that dog fighting is a felony, Portis replied, "It can't be too bad of a crime."

A California congressman has joined the cause against Michael Vick, firing off a letter Friday that urged commissioner Roger Goodell to "act swiftly and forcefully" if the Falcons quarterback was involved in dog fighting on his former property. U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) pointed out that he's a senior member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which two years ago held highly publicized hearings on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. Lantos raised the prospect of government intervention if the NFL fails to discipline Vick.