Michael Vick Accepts Deal, Will Enter Guilty Plea on Dogfighting Charges Next Week
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With three co-defendents prepared to testify that he brutally executed dogs and bankrolled gambling, Michael Vick has accepted a plea deal on federal charges relating to allegations of his involvement in a professional dogfighting operation. Michael will now formally enter the guilty plea next Monday, August 27. The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Michael’s lawyer, Billy Martin, issued the following statement today:
“After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asked 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 apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter.”
In a response to this latest news, an NFL spokesman issued this statement:
“We are aware of Michael Vick’s decision to enter a guilty plea to the federal charges against him and accept responsibility for his conduct. We totally condemn the conduct outlined in the charges, which is inconsistent with what Michael Vick previously told both our office and the Falcons. We will conclude our own review under the league’s personal conduct policy as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have asked the Falcons to continue to refrain from taking action pending a decision by the commissioner.”
Many questions have been answered, but many more remain.
- How much jail time will Michael serve?
- Will he ever play football again?
- Did he actually participate in the killing of the animals?
Michael has already thrown away a $130 million contract and multiple lucrative endorsement deals. But the most important element of this entire situation is Michael’s recovery. He committed the crime. He’ll do the time. I just hope he’s a changed man after all of this. And it doesn’t matter what future image he reveals to the public. I mean, it does matter of he wants to get his football career back. But, will he come out of this truly a better person? He might be able to say all the right things and fake his way back into the good graces of society (although I consider even that a long shot), but will he really be sorry? And even so, if he actually killed these animals as one co-defendent claimed — forgiveness will not come easy. He could commit almost any other crime, but if he actually killed these dogs, that’s going to be a tough one for society to forget.
Tags: atlanta_falcons, dogfighting, michael_vick, NFL, plea_dealRelated Stories
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