Michael Vick Sentenced to 23 Months, Deception Added to the Punishment

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Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison today. That’s longer than two co-defendants because he lied about his involvement when he was supposed to be coming clean to the judge who would decide his fate. He received a harsher sentence than the others in the federal conspiracy case because of “less than truthful” statements about killing pit bulls. Michael said he accepted responsibility for his actions, but U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson said he wasn’t so sure. I’m not so sure, either. Despite his early surrender, a public apology and participation in an animal sensitivity training course, Michael was denied an “acceptance of responsibility” credit that would have reduced his sentence. Judge Hudson said evidence, including statements by the co-defendants, showed Michael was more directly involved than he admitted. Judge Hudson also mentioned that Michael had been deceptive on a polygraph test. Though that evidence was not admissible in court, the results were discussed.

I think Michael’s been trying to find the easiest way out of this mess since he got himself into it. I’m sure he felt he was the invincible Michael Vick, a sort of superman who could get away with whatever he wanted to, but obviously, life doesn’t work that way. Now, I don’t blame him for doing what he could to get the sentence reduced, but Judge Hudson wasn’t buying into it.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, whose team is playing on MNF against the New Orleans Saints tonight, said:

“This is a difficult day for Michael’s family and for a lot of us, including many of our players and fans who have been emotionally invested in Michael over the years. We sincerely hope that Michael will use this time to continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life, and we wish him well in that regard.”

Michael has thrown his financially comfortable life away. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution estimated that he has financial losses of $142 million, including $71 million in Falcons salary, $50 million in endorsement income and nearly $20 million in previously paid bonuses. Funny as I’m reading those outlandish numbers, I actually thought it was more than that.

This whole situation is a very sad disaster for all involved. Michael is obviously paying for his mistakes and as I’ve said before, I hope the nearly two-year jail sentence will find him a better man when he regains his freedom. According to defense attorney Lawrence Woodward, Michael is already on the road to recovery:

“He just wants a chance to prove himself when all this is over. But the other thing he said to me, which I also think is important for everyone to know, is that he understood that some of the things he was doing in life and off the field were dangerous, and he told me he feels lucky that he’s alive and not hurt and now it’s all about the future.”

I guess you can’t ask for much more than that from the guy. He made a terrible mistake. He admitted his mistake. He’ll do the time for that mistake and lose everything he had in terms of his career and money. He’s been pretty much stripped down to nothing. Does he deserve another chance when he is released from jail? Of course he does. Will anyone give him one? That’s yet to be seen.