Former NFL star quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty Tuesday to a state dogfighting charge, which ironically will help him become eligible for an early release from federal prison and hasten his return to pro football.
Vick pleaded guilty to one charge and not guilty to a second that was then dropped. The former Atlanta Falcons QB was handed a three-year suspended sentence.
"I want to apologize to the court, my family, and to all the kids who looked up to me as a role model," said Vick, who arrived via police escort and in shackles.
Vick's mother Brenda Boddie, brother Marcus Vick and fiancee Kijafa Frink were all on hand. Michael is serving a 23-month sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Michael Vick is scheduled for release from federal prison on July 20, 2009.
Federal law prohibits prisoners from being released to a halfway house if there are unresolved charges against them - the primary reason for his Virginia plea.
Since the conviction, Mike Vick has filed for bankruptcy after losing nearly all of the earnings from his record-breaking $130 million contract he signed in 2004.
Vick was convicted of the federal charges in August 2007 when he admitted bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in Virginia's Surry County.
He also admitted to participating in the killing of several underperforming dogs, and it was also learned that he forced domestic animals to participate in fights.
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3 Comments
November 26th, 2008 6:02 AM
I think it is ridiculous about this black man. The only reason why this man was treated like was because he is black and was the best quater back in the NFL. You have deer hunting people go out and kill deers and hang them on their walls shouldn't that be illegal. All I have to say to Michael Vick is you should have left all of your friends or family from the block on the block. It's terrible how you can work so hard for so much and lose it in so little time. I hope that when you get out you go and show the world who Michael Vick was, and always will be the best BLACK QUATER BACK IN THE NFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
November 26th, 2008 1:38 PM
I don't think it makes a difference if he's black or not.
February 26th, 2009 9:24 PM
In award-winning tattoo artist and Pit Bull activist Brandon Bond’s new film Vicktory to the Underdog, Brandon takes the unusual and highly controversal stance that Michael Vick deserves a second chance. Vicktory to the Underdog is a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of rescued Pit Bulls, including several of the Vick dogs, and the process of socializing them after a lifetime of torture and abuse.
Rather than focusing on the dog fighting problem, the movie sheds light on solutions leading to "Vicktory" for all the characters in the movie, including heavily tattooed people, parolees, Pit Bulls and anyone who society has turned their back on through ignorance and prejudice. The film explores second chances and expresses the opinion than even Michael Vick deserves one, a highly controversial perspective within the animal rights community.
The documentary, which will debut at the Great Pit Ball, an all-day charity event on March 14 in Las Vegas to save Villalobos Animal Rescue Center, the largest rehabilitation facility for abused Pit Bulls in the world, features several notable names, including Bob Barker (“The Price is Right”), Danny Trejo (From Dusk Til Dawn, Heat) and Senator Chip Rogers, who just passed a bill in Georgia to make dogfighting a felony.
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