Michael Vick Pleads Guilty

"First, I want to apologize for all the things that I have done and I have allowed to happen. I want to personally apologize to Commissioner Goodell, Arthur Blank, Coach Bobby Petrino, and my Atlanta Falcons teammates, for I was not honest and forthright in our discussions."

"I was shamed and totally disappointed in myself, to say the least. I want to apologize to all the young kids out there for my immature acts. What I did was very immature, so that means I need to grow up."
- Michael Vick's comments in Richmond, Virginia after he entered a guilty plea to the federal indictment for dogfighting and gambling charges

Read Michael Vick's 22 page plea agreement and statement of facts here.

Vick will be sentenced on December 10, 2007.

plez sez: i've written about this whole Vick Affair ad nauseum: here and here. i've been holding out hope that he was set up and his friends had gotten him caught up in some foolishness. well, i'm pretty sure that this is the final chapter of this sad and tragic affair.

apologies aside... this is probably the biggest downfall of an athlete of this stature since mike tyson went to jail for rape. granted, mike tyson was head-and-shoulders above michael vick in his chosen vocation, but vick enjoyed unprecedented popularity as the face of the atlanta falcons and an nfl icon. it appears that the falcons are going to ask for a substantial portion (more than $20 million) of the signing bonus that vick received in 2004. and there's no telling when he'll be able to suit up again and earn a living as a professional football player.

because of his immature acts, vick says that he "needs to grow up." immature acts are licking your finger and sticking it in your sister's ear, farting in someone's face, burping without covering your mouth! running an interstate dogfighting ring and funding a gambling operation is not immature... it's illegal!

personally, i don't think vick gets it... he's been pilloried in the press for the past 3 months about these dogfighting allegations, he has never stood up and defended himself in the court of public opinion, he denied all involvement, and then pleads guilty to being the ringleader of the operation, all of his "friends" turned on him... and when it's all said and done, he (who by his own admission is not a good public speaker) decides to address THE WORLD without any notes or prepared statement so that he can show some contrition (seems to be a bit late for that!).

he is not getting very good legal advice nor public relations advice. at this point, i feel a little sorry for the guy, because although he was blessed with myth-like athletic ability, he obviously isn't very smart, he doesn't have any credible support network, the falcons are preparing to take every dime he has left (before they cut him), and he is quickly turning into the biggest "has been" in sports history.

this brother needs a mulligan like nobody's business!

The Falcons, Michael Vick, and Dogfighting

Statement from the Atlanta Falcons

“This situation has been troubling to many people, including our fans, during the last few months. With today's news, our club and team will continue to be tested as Michael [Vick] works through the legal process toward a conclusion. We are disappointed that one of our players -- and therefore the Falcons -- is being presented to the public in a negative way, and we apologize to our fans and the community for that. Obviously, we are disturbed by today's news from Virginia. However, we are prepared to deal with it, and we will do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out. We have a season to prepare for and training camp opens next week. Our plan is to continue to do everything we can to support our players and coaches.”

In case you haven't heard, every news outlet (here, here, and here) is reporting that Michael Vick (quarterback and fading wunderkind of the NFL Atlanta Falcons) and 3 others were indicted by the federal government for running an illegal dogfighting operation, raising dogs for the purpose of dogfighting, and executing those dogs that did not perform while dogfighting. Read the entire damning indictment 18 page indictment at The Smoking Gun).

plez sez: in an earlier post, i implored Michael Vick to change his ways... my pleas were obviously a bit late! now, i'm not going to take the easy route and call him a thug and a hoodlum (if the shoe fits...), but i am going to say that this is putting the home team (Falcons) in a rough spot this coming season. we were dreaming about returning to the playoffs, it appears that we'll be LUCKY to win 2 games!

Vick hasn't played very well the last two seasons; there is NO WAY that he is going to excel in a new offensive scheme with a new head coach while having the spectre of a prison sentence hanging over his head! and to add insult to injury, the Falcons traded away his backup QB (Matt Shaub) and picked up a pedestrian (at best) Joey Harrington from the Dolphins (and he couldn't take the QB job away from a Dante Culpepper on a bad wheel!).

the Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank is very image conscious; i can see him looking at ways to unload Vick before the season starts!

i know that he's innocent until proven guilty, but Federal indictments are no laughing matter and they are rarely executed without lots of corroborating evidence and cooperating witnesses. i just don't see Vick weaseling out of this one (as i said before, he has been walking a tightrope of trouble since he showed up... i think the rope just broke).

and lastly, i have such fond memories of growing up with my family dog; Ace was a black Labrador retriever. long walks in the woods, him retrieving tennis balls out of the Hudson River, romping in the snow, wrestling in the yard, or accompanying me on my paper route... my dog was a fixture and a gratifying experience of my youth. i cannot imagine the ANIMAL who would raise a dog to be mauled and maimed and killed while fighting for sport... the barbarous nature of such an existence escapes me. if he was as involved as the indictment reads, i hope Michael Vick burns in HELL!