One thing is for sure... it is a bad year for any player to test the mercies of the NFL for criminal activity. Even if they do not ban him for life we should see a significant punishment.
Don't other players gamble? Why is the NFL different? He didnt bet on football games or anything 'major'.....i dont get it...
Vick to plead guilty Offense is punishable by up to five years in prison Posted: Monday August 20, 2007 2:42PM; Updated: Monday August 20, 2007 3:38PM Michael Vick is charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. AP Michael Vick Case • Vick's co-defendants reach plea agreement • BANKS: NFL personnel gurus on Vick's future • DOHRMANN: Vick's fate may be in public hands • REACT: Share your thoughts on the Vick case • Athletes prosecuted by federal government • Goodell: Vick not overshadowing season RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Michael Vick's lawyer said Monday the NFL star will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, putting the Atlanta Falcons quarterback's career in jeopardy and leaving him subject to a possible prison term. The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, although federal sentencing guidelines most likely would call for less. Vick's plea hearing is Aug. 27. "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," lead defense attorney Billy Martin said in a statement. "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." NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has barred Vick from the Falcons' training camp but has withheld further action while the league conducts its own investigation. Vick is charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. He had pleaded not guilty last month and vowed to clear his name at a November trial. Martin's announcement came as a grand jury that could add new charges met in private. Prosecutors had said that a superseding indictment was in the works, but Vick's plea most likely means he will not face additional charges. Three of Vick's original co-defendants already have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against him if the case went to trial. Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach signed statements saying the 27-year-old quarterback participated in executing at least eight underperforming dogs by various means, including drowning and hanging. Phillips, Peace and Tony Taylor, who pleaded guilty last month, also said Vick provided virtually all of the gambling and operating funds for his "Bad Newz Kennels" operation in rural Virginia, not far from Vick's hometown of Newport News. The gambling allegations alone could trigger a lifetime ban under the NFL's personal conduct policy. The case began April 25 when investigators conducting a drug search at a massive home Vick built in Surry County found 66 dogs, some of them injured, and items typically used in dogfighting. They included a "rape stand" that holds aggressive dogs in place for mating and a "breakstick" used to pry open a dog's mouth. Vick contended he knew nothing about a dogfighting operation at the home, where one of his cousins lived, and said he rarely visited. The former Virginia Tech star also blamed friends and family members for taking advantage of his generosity and pledged to be more scrupulous. The July 17 indictment said dogs that lost fights or fared poorly in test fights were sometimes executed by hanging, electrocution or other brutal means. The grisly details fueled public protests against Vick and cost him some of his lucrative endorsement deals. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/08/20/vick.plea.ap/index.html
exactly right. What becomes interesting at that point is what teams are desperate enough to sign him then. Figure if JaMarcus Russell busts(which I think is likely if he even plays for them) the Raiders would be the most likely destination.
I hope this will be a lesson to the NFL clubs... You can no longer draft thugs and hope for the best... Bye bye Ron Mexico
i look at it like this: the falcons suck. they haven't been anything special in two seasons and they need this, even though its a huge pr hit at first. they'll be in the top 5, arguable the top 3 of the draft because of these distractions and a lack of weapons on offense and they'll use next year's draft to get brohm and then they'll dominate. on a vick note: if he plays by 2010 he's lucky. goodell just turned down odell thurman's request to be reinstated for a dwi and he already sat a year. vick slaughtered dogs and raised them to be monsters, AND HE LIED ABOUT IT. I'd say 2010 is optimistic... more like 2011 season. oh wait, he'll be 32. ok, i renege - his career is over.
PETA reacts to Vick plea, wants further action http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=txvickreaction&prov=st&type=lgns August 20, 2007 By Ian Parker Special to PA SportsTicker NORFOLK, Virginia (Ticker) - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called on the NFL to take strong action on illegal dogfighting after reports that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will enter a plea agreement on charges relating to the "Bad Newz Kennels" operation. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper first reported on Monday afternoon that Vick had agreed to enter into a plea with federal prosecutors as he faced charges of funding and helping to operate a dogfighting ring across state lines. PETA is now calling for the NFL to strengthen its personal conduct policy to include protection for animals. "This is the latest in a long line of animal abuse cases involving NFL players," the organization said via its website. "While the speed and efficiency with which prosecutors handled this case is a victory for animals and a sign that the crime of dogfighting is being treated with the gravity that it deserves, the NFL needs to follow suit. "PETA is again calling on the NFL to add cruelty to animals - in all its forms - to its personal conduct policy. This case has clearly shown that NFL fans are just as outraged by cruelty to animals as they are by any of the other antisocial behaviors outlined in the policy." Updated on Monday, Aug 20, 2007 3:33 pm, EDT
Is anyone reporting that he's expected to do serious time? I think if he cops his plea, pays his fine and makes the obligatory self serving apologies he'll be back sooner.
I remember read it recently that the gambling was the easy way for the NFL to get at Vick. I can't find a link to the article. The gambling Vick was involved in was illegal. Not at a casino or other area where it is allowed. I still think the NFL may feel he's too much trouble to bring back. Maybe a year or to off will heal that.
Good call. Check this out: Vick's career over? By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports August 20, 2007 While many people in and around the NFL are wondering if Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick ever will play in the league again, former Green Bay general manager Ron Wolf is wondering why not. "If he pays his debt to society, why shouldn't he get another chance?" asked Wolf, who was the engineer of Green Bay's Super Bowl championship team in the 1996 season. "Maybe I don't understand something in all of this, but you're supposed to get a second chance in this country." However, according to interviews with several NFL executives, Wolf is in the minority. Four other general managers and/or other personnel executives said they thought a return by Vick would be problematic. "Yeah, that's true, but it's a different time, a different place, a different set of circumstances," said a general manager who asked not to be identified. On Monday, Vick's attorney Billy Martin announced that the quarterback will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges. Conditions of the terms are unknown, but Vick faces up to five years in prison. The most damning evidence made public against Vick came Friday when co-defendants Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips also pleaded guilty. In their plea, Peace and Phillips admitted to killing eight dogs in April at Vick's property in Virginia and said that Vick participated in the death of the animals. The animals were destroyed because they failed to perform well enough in testing to see if they were "game" enough to be good fighters. "Every time you read about this story, it makes you want to take a shower," another unnamed general manager said. The Vick issue is layered with questions, such as how long he might serve in prison, how long the NFL will suspend him once he officially enters his plea Aug. 27 and whether the Falcons will go after approximately $28 million the team paid him in bonus money. Still, the bottom line comes down to whether he'll get another chance. Adding to the complexity of the situation, said one general manager, is that Vick plays quarterback. Will some NFL team ever want a convicted animal killer and liar to be the face of a franchise? "You're not talking about just anybody on your football team," the GM said. "You're talking about the leader of your team, the most recognizable player on your team, the guy who you normally market the team around and try to get the fans excited about. "Do you really think you're ever going to be able to get people to put their arms around that guy again? Maybe, but I don't think I'd be able to pull it off. We're not talking about just football here. We're talking about marketing, profile, what your sponsors think." At the same time, Wolf contended that crime is crime and that other players have been found guilty of activities seemingly just as serious. "We've had a lot of people in this league do a lot of bad things, and they still got a chance," Wolf said. "Leonard Little killed someone (while drunk driving). Jamal Lewis went to prison (in connection to) selling drugs. Are you telling me that killing eight dogs is worse than killing a human being? ? Yes, this is bad, but are you really telling me that he doesn't deserve a chance to play again when other people have committed crimes and come back?" Then again, Wolf is an example of someone who might have the power to make it happen. "It's going to take an owner who has big ones or a GM who has some (trophies) on his (side) to make that work," another general manager said. Since Vick still is under contract with the Falcons, executives from other teams are not allowed to talk about him from an employment standpoint. Oakland managing general partner Al Davis and Dallas owner Jerry Jones were among those mentioned as owners who might take a chance on Vick if and when Atlanta lets him go. "Yeah, it would have to be someone like one of those guys," a team executive said. "Just ask yourself, 'How are you going to sell that one as a GM to your owner and his wife?' " The additional issue with Vick is that well before he got in trouble, there were concerns about whether he could become a polished quarterback. Atlanta hired coach Bobby Petrino this offseason with the goal of concluding if Vick ever would harness his impressive talent. "The fact that he's only 27 and he's still going to be a great athlete in a year or two is going to help him, but now he's behind for two years," the GM said. "I wasn't sure how good a quarterback he was before. What's he going to be in two years?" Updated on Monday, Aug 20, 2007 3:35 pm, EDT http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...?slug=jc-vickfuture082007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Vick should explain to us how he plans on "clearing his good name" by pleading guilty, and respond to why he told Goodell he was not responsible for the situation and blamed it on his family. He threw his whole family under the bus and in the meantime he accepts the guilty plea...not that I'm surprised.
You're right...i didnt think of that....wasnt the poker spot's A-rod was goin to considered "illegal" under NY law? Just a question....
Since the guys who turned states evidence on him got 16 months he would have to get more than they did since he's the focus of the investigation... I'd say at least 2 years
One key difference. That was with the old Sheriff, before Pacman, before Chris Henry, before 8 bengals and so on. Personally, I don't think the NFL lets him come back. While someone like the Raiders may take a flyer on him; i think the NFL's legal team will step in and block it.
Once the man does his time he should be able to be reinstated to play. If you're willing to cop to the crime and do the time why keep him from being productive? If he comes out and keeps clean that's the whole point.
I don't think he should be banned from the NFL but I have a hard time believing anyone is going to want him on their roster. I mean it always about the hype/merchandising/people wanting to see him play with Vick, not the talent. All of that is going to be gone.
i dont think they should ban him but they should make him eat dog food while he spends his days in jail.
That I'm not sure of. I belive there are legal poker rooms in NY. I remember read about Vilma going to one. I'll see if I can dig up the thread. Edit:Found it http://forums.theganggreen.com/showthread.php?t=22165&highlight= The search function on this site is sweet.
