Breaking: Vick to plead guilty

All his friends were turning against him, so it looks like he realizes he’s run out of options:

The lead attorney for pro football star Michael Vick said Monday that the Atlanta Falcons quarterback will plead guilty to dogfighting and related charges and will “accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made.”

Billy Martin, heading up Vick’s legal team, issued the following statement:

“After consulting with his family over the weekend. Michael Vick ask that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with Federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him. Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of Guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologizes again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter. The legal team and Mr. Vick will appear in court in Richmond on August 27th.”

The statement apparently took federal officials by surprise.

Jim Rybicki, a spokesman for U.S. States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg, said he had not heard of an agreement in the Vick case, and that he was trying to reach prosecutors.

Vick’s attorneys hope to hear back from National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office sometime Monday about Vick’s career options, sources said.

“Career options”? There shouldn’t be any, other than “you’re outta here.”

Dan says:

August 20, 2007 at 5:08 pm

This is the only thing Vick could do to have any hope of ever playing pro football again – though I doubt he ever will. Some people will be able to forgive him – some people don’t care. But a large proportion of the population will only ever think of him as Michael Vick: Dog Killer – these people will hate his guts forever. I really believe he would have engendered less enmity had he committed murder.

I was discussing with an officemate (who recently moved her from Atlanta) Vick’s prospects of playing again. I said I didn’t think The Falcons would want to touch him. My officemate said “I don’t know. They really love him down there.” I said “Yeah, but I bet they love their dogs more.”

What football fan will want to sit in front of the TV with their beloved pet and their feet and watch that man play football? What team will want to take the chance of finding out?

August 20, 2007 at 5:10 pm

I don’t know where that smilie face above came from – it was supposed to say “Michael Vick[colon}Dog Killer”

Sister Toldjah says:

August 20, 2007 at 6:07 pm

Fixed it Dan – it was a smiley glitch

Ryan says:

August 20, 2007 at 7:27 pm

Vick will play pro football again – the only question is when. Despite the fact that his reputation is ruined and most teams likely won’t touch him, there’s always going to be someone out there willing to pay him. And someone will be able to get him cheap as his market value has severely decline.

August 20, 2007 at 7:28 pm

Actually, there is another question.. Where

Leslie says:

August 20, 2007 at 8:10 pm

There was an interesting discussion on New York radio station WFAN, AM 660. It’s a sports talk station. On Saturday morning one of the hosts interviewed a criminal attorney, who pointed out that the Federal courts have different rules for plea bargains.

A Federal judge does not have to accept the plea bargain, and he is in charge of sentencing. All the federal prosecutors can do is say to Vick that under sentencing guidelines, the sentence can be between X and Y. It’s not like in state court, where the sentence is part of the plea bargain.

Also: in Federal court an inmate has to serve 85% of his sentence before he can be paroled.

Had the case gone to trial, the max. sentence under the guidelines for this offense would have been five years. He won’t get that, of course, because he did plea bargain, but if I remember correctly (and it was Saturday morning and I hadn’t been up long when the lawyer was interviewed), he thought the probable sentence would be 18 months.

tommy in nyc says:

August 21, 2007 at 9:16 am

Well what Michael Vick did to those dogs was inexecusable. If you consider the price he has gotta to pay just financally alone is severe. Add a couple of years in prison and IMHO that’s a just and approiate sentance. He probably play football again. Hopefully the Carolina Panthers.