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Vick to plead guilty.
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| RJT |
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/08/20/vick/index.html
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(CNN) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has accepted a plea deal that could send him to prison, ending a federal dogfighting prosecution that jeopardizes his pro football career, his lawyers said.
Vick will plead guilty to felony conspiracy next Monday, defense attorney Lawrence Woodward told the Virginian-Pilot, of Norfolk, Virginia.
A status conference on the case is set for 3 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia.
"After consulting with his family over the weekend," Michael Vick asks 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 action and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter," Martin's statement said.
Vick's attorneys have been negotiating with federal prosecutors over terms of the deal, which must be approved by the judge. While prosecutors can recommend a sentence, the decision ultimately rests with the judge.
The plea would help Vick avoid additional federal charges.
Federal prosecutors had offered a deal recommending an 18- to 36-month prison sentence. Vick's attorneys were trying to reduce that to less than a year, two sources told CNN earlier on Monday.
It was not immediately clear whether Vick's attorneys have heard back Monday from National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell's office. They wanted to clarify Vick's career options before entering into any deal with federal prosecutors, the sources said.
Vick's three codefendants in the dogfighting case have accepted agreements to plead guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.
If Vick backs out of the deal, he could face additional charges in the case when the grand jury convenes in Richmond. See a timeline of the case against Vick »
The NFL is considering what, if any, sanctions they should impose on the 27-year-old suspended Atlanta Falcons player.
Court documents released last week showed that two of Vick's alleged partners said he helped kill dogs that didn't fight well, and that all three men "executed approximately eight dogs" in ways that included hanging and drowning.
The dogs were killed because they fared poorly in "testing" sessions in April at Vick's property in Virginia where the dogfighting venture was based, according to documents released following plea agreement hearings Friday for Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta. See what Vick's former co-defendants admitted »
A third man, Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia, already had his plea deal approved.
In the court documents, Peace and Phillips said that the money behind the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting operation came "almost exclusively" from Vick, and they told prosecutors that other accusations in the 18-page indictment are true. |
It will be interesting to see whether or not he'll serve any prison time - lord knows he won't get the castration he obviously deserves.
I just hope Goodell lays down the b4n - that would make it all worthwhile to me. |
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| inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by RJT
It will be interesting to see whether or not he'll serve any prison time |
I'm guessing 15 months. |
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| RJT |
| quote: | Originally posted by inconspicuous
I'm guessing 15 months. |
So out in 7 then?
ing pathetic.
:( |
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| inconspicuous |
nah, he'll have to serve most of it, if not all
whatever he gets, it'll be closer to justice than Ray Lewis ever got. |
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| Xevious |
| that ing idiot deserves to sit in jail because of this too bad it's not for the rest of his football career. I hope the NFL renigs their decision to let him play when he gets out or doesn't let him play. |
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| Omega_Blue |
just saw them cover this on CNN. the lady said 18-36 for felony conspiracy charges but the attorney is trying to get that lowered to less than a year.
on a sidenote, the newscaster said "dick veal" instead of "vick deal". i lol'd. |
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| inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by Xevious
that ing idiot deserves to sit in jail because of this too bad it's not for the rest of his football career. I hope the NFL renigs their decision to let him play when he gets out or doesn't let him play. |
most teams won't want him anyway. all he's got going for him is marketability (albeit the best in the game), and that'll be gone. He's an average quarterback with a toxic PR background. Nobody's gonna start the guy. |
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| inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
just saw them cover this on CNN. the lady said 18-36 for felony conspiracy charges but the attorney is trying to get that lowered to less than a year.
on a sidenote, the newscaster said "dick veal" instead of "vick deal". i lol'd. |
yeah, they want it less than a year so he can play next year, but it's not gonna happen, especially since the judge has a reputation for not letting anybody off easy. |
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| Ted Promo |
Does this mean I can breathe now?
Man do I ever want a Vick jersey now. |
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| inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by Ted Promo
Man do I ever want a Vick jersey now. |
they stopped making them weeks ago. |
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| LeopoldStotch |
it's about time. now we let this whole story blow by all of us, and we can start talking about some real football.
huzah! in other football news, 6 players (4 Giants, 2 Ravens) went down to injuries in last night's game. i blame vick for this charade of injuries. |
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| LeopoldStotch |
| quote: | Originally posted by inconspicuous
they stopped making them weeks ago. |
i am sure someone can pick up a nice michael vick at the dollar general store for about $2 now. :o :D |
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