My dog and I "think it's morally awful for the Eagles to sign Michael Vick," said Sara Schoenleber as she petted her pit bull, Reggie. "It could have been my dog, so that's why I'm here."
Schoenleber, 23, moved to Philadelphia from New Jersey and said she loves the city, but feels ashamed of the signing.
"All ethics aside, it's a terrible business decision, because they've lost a lot of fans already," she said.
Catherine Bordeaux, 38, of South Philadelphia, also protested. She wore an Eagles T-shirt with a red 'X' taped over the team's logo and agreed with Schoenleber that due to the new hire, she is no longer a fan.
"I've never protested anything before, and I was afraid to come today," said Bordeaux, who owns two dogs that are part pit bull. "But I would have been ashamed of myself if I didn't say anything."
Besides now-former fans like Schoenleber and Bordeaux, some die-hard fans like Cabrera showed up yesterday to pledge their loyalty to the team.
Lamont Anderson, a 6-foot teddy bear of a man, wore an airbrushed white T-shirt promoting his home team and sported a hat with a mechanical flying Eagle to show his solidarity.
"Vick's gonna fly us to Miami to win a Super Bowl," Andwerson chanted, drawing the attention of Bordeaux and other protesters.
"Why would you support Vick?" Bordeaux asked politely before bombarding Anderson with a series of questions about his position.
"I have a dog and a cat; I understand where you're coming from," Anderson said repeatedly. "I'm sorry he did that and feel sorry for any animals [hurt]."
But the bottom line, he said, is that Vick deserves a second chance.
