Michael Vick complains about dogfighting app for Android

Michael Vick, the NFL player who went to jail for his part in a dogfighting ring, is displeased with a new Android app that simulates dogfighting.

Vick called the Dog Wars app a “step backwards” in a joint statement made with the Humane Society of the United States:

“I’ve come to learn the hard way that dogfighting is a dead-end street,” Vick said in a statement. “Now, I am on the right side of this issue, and I think it’s important to send the smart message to kids, and not glorify this form of animal cruelty, even in an Android app.”

In Dog Wars, players can inject their virtual pitbulls with steroids and the app even has a gun for “police raids.” A rep for the app’s maker, Kage Games, spoke to the LA Times about the controversy but didn’t provide a real name. He said:

“We are in fact animal lovers ourselves,” the email said. “This is our groundbreaking way to raise money/awareness to aid REAL dogs in need, execute freedom of expression, and serve as a demonstration to the competing platform that will not allow us as developers to release software without prejudgment.”

The developer also called the app “socially conscious.”