Michael Vick goes bye bye
August 25, 2007 by James Edwards
Filed under Sports
NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
Michael Vick is off to court
The wheeling, the dealing, the backroom negotiations all came to a head on Friday as Michael Vick was very careful not to cop a plea for gambling.
Oh, Michael admitted to conspiracy to kill the dogs that were not up to snuff and Michael agreed that he bankrolled the operation for the Bad Newz Kennels to run the dog fighting operation, but he did not admit to gambling.
You should not be surprised that for the price of his very high priced lawyers, Michael was trading some time in jail for the possibility to once again play in the NFL.
The statement said that when the kennel’s dogs won, the gambling proceeds were generally shared by Vick’s three co-defendants — Tony Taylor, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips.
“Vick did not gamble by placing side bets on any of the fights. Vick did not receive any of the proceeds of the purses that were won by Bad Newz Kennels,” the summary said. source
Goodell drops the hammer
While this may be an important tactic that Vick’s lawyers were using, it did not appear to impress Commissioner Roger Goodell at all. It took Goodell about 2 seconds to reach a decision on Michael Vick.
In disciplining Vick, commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick’s admitted conduct was “not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible” and regardless whether he personally placed bets, “your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player.”
Goodell freed the Falcons to “assert any claims or remedies” to recover $22 million of Vick’s signing bonus from the 10-year, $130 million contract he signed in 2004. source
While this is good to see and well overdue, at least the NFL and Goodell stepped up and have remained consistently tough on any troublemakers in the NFL.
More Troubles for Michael
As if this was bad enough, the Judge in the case still has a lot to say about this episode as well. Michael’s troubles may be far from over.
In the plea agreement, the government committed to recommending a sentence on the low end of the federal sentencing guideline range of a year to 18 months. However, the conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, and the judge is not bound by any recommendation or by the guidelines.
Hudson has a reputation for imposing stiff sentences, according to lawyers who have appeared in his court. The judge will set a sentencing date at Monday’s hearing.
Michael Vick rundown
So we have Michael submitting a plea (plea agreement.pdf).
Michael denying he gambled.
Michael admitting conspiracy.
Michaeal suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
Michael going to jail for 1 year to 18 months for the dog fighting and maybe much longer for the conspiracy.
It is very hard to see Michael Vick ever again playing in the NFL!
NFL Football Fan Question Did this go down the way you thought?
As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.
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BYE BYE MICHAEL…SEE YOU IN A FEW…YEARS THAT IS. I DON’T EVER WANT TO SEE HIS FACE AGAIN IN A UNIFORM. HE DOESN’T DESERVE IT ONE BIT. I JUST READ SOMEWHERE THAT HE FOUGHT DOGS IN THE BACKYARD OF HIS FATHER’S HOUSE AND HIS DAD SAID ‘THAT’S HIS THING’ BUT THE DAD NURSED THE DOGS BACK TO HEALTH. THIS IDIOT’S BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME, FIGHTING DOGS, BUT HIS HAND GOT TOO HEAVY THIS TIME. SINCE THESE POOR, DEFENSELESS LITTLE DOGS DIDN’T PERFORM, HE KILLED THEM. IT MAKES ME WONDER. IF HIS FAMILY OR KIDS DIDN’T PERFORM, WOULD HE KILL THEM TOO?