NEW YORK (AP) --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 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, $30,000-$40,000, even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

When asked how he knows the former Virginia Tech star 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.

Investigator David Hunt said information from the informant has "resulted in the arrest of several individuals over the past few years, numerous search warrants, as well as convictions."

Surry County (Va.) Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter said Friday he is confident charges will be brought in the investigation of a possible dog-fighting operation at a house then owned by Vick. Dog fighting is a felony in Virginia.

Police raided the rural home April 25 as part of a drug investigation. They seized 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, and equipment that could be associated with dog fighting.

Vick has said he let a cousin, Davon Boddie, live at the house, and he didn't know a large kennel on the property could be involved in criminal activity

Federal investigators on Tuesday searched the property around a Surry County, Va., home formerly owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick after an informant told authorities seven dogs were destroyed and buried on the lot in late April.

Citing a search warrant, ABC affiliate WVEC-TV in Norfolk, Va., reported investigators were looking behind the main house on the property for the remains of pit bull dogs. The informant, according to the television station's report, also described another time when up to 30 pit bulls were buried on the property.

Police raided the Vick-owned property as part of a drug investigation on April 25 and seized 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, and equipment that could be associated with dog fighting.

The investigation is focused on dog fighting because while some equipment seized could be typical of a legitimate breeding operation, which Vick is registered to have, there also was a "pry bar" used to pry apart a dog's jaws, and bloodstained carpeting.

According to the warrant obtained by WVEC-TV, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General requested permission to enter a building on the backside of the property to pull up floor boards and wall boards looking for signs of blood. The USDA also wanted to search for items that might have been used to bury animal bodies, the station reported on its Web site.

In a weekend interview with ESPN's "Outside the Lines," a source who said he's been involved in dog fighting for more than 30 years referred to Vick as one of the "heavyweights" of the dog fighting world.

"He's a pit bull fighter," the source said of Vick. "He's one of the ones that they call 'the big boys' -- that's who bets a large dollar. And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money -- $30,000 to $40,000 -- even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

Vick, who has not been charged, has contended all along he rarely visited the home, where his cousin, Davon Boddie, lived, and has said he didn't know a large kennel on the property could be involved in criminal activity. Vick put the home up for sale shortly after the investigation began and agreed to a sale price with a buyer on the first day.

Dog fighting is considered a felony in every state except Wyoming and Idaho. Surry County Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter, the prosecutor in the investigation, said he is confident charges will be brought but can't yet say who will be charged.

"We are moving forward," Poindexter told 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.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell offering to conduct a free humane education course -- or "animal sensitivity training" -- for NFL players and staff members. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that NFL Security has offered its help to investigators.

"We are taking this issue very seriously and monitoring the Michael Vick investigation," league spokesman Greg Aiello said.

Report: Prosecutor doesn't like language of warrant, blocks search

RICHMOND, Va. -- 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.

However, ABC affiliate WVEC-TV in Virginia is reporting that Poindexter and the county sheriff "did not like the language" of the warrant approved by a state magistrate.

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 Tuesday. Poindexter also was out of the office and did not return a message left by The Associated Press seeking comment.

No charges have been filed, but Poindexter has said he is confident when sufficient evidence is gathered, it will be brought before a special grand jury.

The warrant is based on investigator W.R. Brinkman being told by an informant that seven pit bulls were destroyed on the property in Surry County and buried in shallow graves two days before a drug raid on April 25. It cites "reliable sources" as saying that as many as 30 dogs are buried in various locations on the property, much of which is surrounded by a black fence and secluded behind a massive two-story brick home.

A copy of the warrant was provided to the AP by The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk.

The document gives investigators permission to search for pit bull terrier/fighting dog carcasses on the grounds and in buildings behind the black privacy fence in the rear of the home, which Vick has claimed he rarely visited. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback put the home up for sale shortly after the dog fighting investigation began and sold it the first day, but it is unclear whether the sale has been completed.

The warrant also allows authorities to search "all outbuildings which have blood-covered wood floors or walls" for anything that could be used in the killing of animals -- including ropes, guns, rifles, spent shotgun shells, spent bullet cartridges, shovels and "any and all evidence contributing to dog fighting and animal cruelty."

Police raided the home as part of a drug investigation. They seized 66 dogs, 55 of them pit bulls, and a variety of equipment that could be associated with dog fighting.

While items such as treadmills and syringes seized could be typical of a legitimate breeding operation, which Vick is registered to have, items like a "pry bar" used to pry apart a dog's jaws, and bloodstained carpeting raised dog fighting suspicions.

A native of Newport News who starred at Virginia Tech, Vick has blamed family members at the home for taking advantage of his generosity. He claimed he didn't know a large kennel on the property could be involved in criminal activity.

News of the search warrant comes after a report by ESPN on Sunday citing a "reliable police informant" as saying Vick is "one of the heavyweights" in dog fighting circles and has been known to bet in the tens of thousands of dollars on fights.

News of the search warrant comes after a confidential source who said he's been involved in dog fighting for more than 30 years gave an interview to ESPN's "Outside the Lines," where he referred to Vick as one of the "heavyweights" of the dog fighting world.

"He's a pit bull fighter," the source said of Vick. "He's one of the ones that they call 'the big boys' -- that's who bets a large dollar. And they have the money to bet large money. As I'm talking about large money -- $30,000 to $40,000 -- even higher. He's one of the heavyweights."

Speaking to the Newport News Daily Press, Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, apologized for his role in the dog-fighting investigation. Boddie wants NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to know it was his fault, not his cousin's, for everything going on at the Surry County home.

"I want him to know that everything going on is really my fault," Boddie told the paper. "They're just making Michael look like something he's not. I want to apologize to Atlanta Falcons fans for what's going on. It's a lot of drama."