Vick goes to court today....

[Kiwon]

NFL suspends Vick indefinitely after plea agreement made


By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY

In an agreement on a guilty plea filed Friday in federal court in Richmond, Va., Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick acknowledged participation in a dogfighting ring that matched pit bulls in combat — and sometimes executed those that didn't measure up.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reacted swiftly to the news of Vick's plea, suspending the Atlanta Falcons quarterback indefinitely late Friday afternoon. On July 23 Goodell had ordered Vick not to attend Falcons training camp.

[Rastak]

ESPN:

NEW YORK -- The NFL has suspended Michael Vick indefinitely.


On Friday, Vick filed his plea agreement in federal court admitting to conspiracy in a dogfighting ring and agreeing that the enterprise included killing pit bulls and gambling. He denied making side bets on the fights, but admitted to bankrolling them.

Friday afternoon, a letter to Vick from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said, in part:

"Your admitted conduct was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible. Your team, the NFL, and NFL fans have all been hurt by your actions."

"Your plea agreement and the plea agreements of your co-defendants also demonstrate your significant involvement in illegal gambling. Even if you personally did not place bets, as you contend, 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."

"You have engaged in conduct detrimental to the welfare of the NFL and have violated the league's Personal Conduct Policy."

"I will review the status of your suspension following the conclusion of the legal proceedings. As part of that review, I will take into account a number of factors, including the resolution of any other charges that may be brought against you, whether in Surry County, Virginia, or other jurisdictions, your conduct going forward, the specifics of the sentence imposed by Judge Hudson and any related findings he might make, and the extent to which you are truthful and cooperative with law enforcement and league staff who are investigating these matters."

"I have advised the Falcons that, with my decision today, they are no longer prohibited from acting and are now free to assert any claims or remedies available to them under the Collective Bargaining Agreement or your NFL Player Contract."

[Scott Campbell]

It sure looks like he admits to killing those dogs, which is what the State of VA is talking about charging him with.

[Jimx29]

*waits for the riots and jackson with sharpton to yell foul

[Guiness]

Sweet Jebus, Atlanta must be thinking 'why, why, WHY' about the Schwabb trade.

[Rastak]

Interesting read from ESPN

The plea agreement is 11 pages long, the summary of the facts another 10. But the endgame for Michael Vick can be reduced to one simple goal: Stay out of prison, no matter what the cost.


According to federal documents, Vick will cooperate in full with federal prosecutors to tell them everything he knows. To save his hide, he becomes an informant.

He is, in short, a snitch.

For a moment late Thursday night, when the crawl line across the television screen announced the breaking news that Vick would not admit to killing dogs or gambling on dogfights, it appeared the government's case had fallen apart, that somehow Vick was prepared to stand defiant in defense of his past actions and future.

But that was merely an exercise in language massage. The truth is different, hard and justly unsympathetic.

Vick's admissions in the summary of the facts are purposely murky. Perhaps they are worded to persuade an angry commissioner about to drop the hammer of a major suspension that Vick isn't quite as guilty as he once appeared. (Didn't work, apparently. Roger Goodell suspended him indefinitely later on Friday.) Maybe they are intended to create an additional shade of doubt in those die-hard fans who don't want to believe Vick is the sort of man capable of electrocuting, drowning and shooting another living creature. Or maybe the words are difficult to understand simply because they were written by lawyers. But do not be fooled: Vick is guilty. He admits to gambling and to being an active participant in the torture and killing of dogs, and no massaging of the words will change that.

Read both documents and the conclusion is obvious: His motivation right now is not to express his innocence of the charges, but to cooperate enough to land on probation, or on house arrest or some lesser form of punishment that will keep him away from a federal penitentiary. Vick likely faces 12-18 months in prison, but ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack believes it's possible Vick could provide enough information to federal investigators about the illegal, underground world of dogfighting and the people who finance it that he might not go jail at all.

Muddying the truth is a dangerous but effective way of confusing the public; and these days, it is an art form. Barry Bonds saying he did not "knowingly" take steroids has somehow morphed into "it has never been proven that Bonds used steroids."

Vick's legal team attempted to mitigate his involvement in gambling by including in the plea agreement the statement that he didn't make side bets. Yet in Paragraph 4 found on the third page of the summary of the facts, the government states, "Vick agrees that the 'Bad Newz Kennels' business enterprise involved gambling activities in violation of the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as set forth in the indictment."

The document goes on to read, "For a particular dog fight, the opponents would establish a purse or wager for the winning side, ranging from the 100's up to the 1,000's of dollars. The purse was contingent and dependent on the uncertain outcome of the dog fight, with the winner taking all of the purse at the conclusion of the fight."

Vick's legal team attempted to use language in the documents that might lessen the impact of his involvement in the killing or torture of the dogs. Page 5 of the summary of the facts offers details of the summer of 2002, when "[Purnell] Peace, [Quanis] Phillips, [Tony] Taylor and Vick 'rolled' or 'tested' additional 'Bad Newz Kennels' dogs by putting the dogs through fighting sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road … Vick was aware that Phillips, Peace, and Taylor killed a number of dogs that did not perform well in testing sessions around this same time period. Vick did not kill any dogs at this time."

And on Page 9, the summary reads, "Peace, Phillips and Vick agreed to the killing of approximately 6-8 dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions at 1915 Moonlight Road and all of those dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning. Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick."

You be the judge.

Vick's signature appears formidably in ink on both official documents.

Anyone still unclear that Vick is desperate to save his skin and not attempting to appeal to his fans that he did not do what he's been accused of should read Page 4, Paragraph 10 (and its subparagraphs) of the plea agreement, the section titled "Defendant's Cooperation":

"The defendant agrees to cooperate fully and truthfully with the United States, and provide all information known to the defendant regarding any criminal activity as requested by the government. In that regard:

"a. The defendant agrees to testify truthfully and completely at any grand juries, trials or other proceedings."

That means Vick will take the witness stand and tell the government about anything it wants to know about what went on at his dogfighting matches, or any other dogfighting matches he attended or even knows about. It means informing on friends, on possible friends, on relatives if they're involved. And if the NFL is really in trouble, it maybe even means informing on other football players.

"b. The defendant agrees to be reasonably available for debriefing and pre-trial conferences as the United States may require.

"c. The defendant agrees to provide all documents, records, writings, or materials of any kind in the defendant's possession or under the defendant's care, custody, or control relating directly or indirectly to all areas of inquiry and investigation."

Which is government-speak for saying that Vick must give up whatever paper trail -- records, e-mails, letters, text messages, the works -- that might lead to his friends.

"d. The defendant agrees that, upon request by the United States, the defendant will voluntarily submit to polygraph examinations to be conducted by a polygraph examiner of the United States' choice."

That's a lie detector, folks.

"e. The defendant agrees that the Statement of Facts is limited to information to support the plea. The defendant will provide more detailed facts relating to this case during ensuing debriefings."

That means prosecutors believe there is more information out there, and Vick is the one who is going to provide it.

"f. The defendant is hereby on notice that the defendant may not violate any federal, state, or local criminal law while cooperating with the government, and that the government will, in its discretion, consider any such violation in evaluating whether to file a motion for a downward departure or reduction of sentence."

Which means he'd better be on his best behavior. No nightclub fights, no DUIs, no anything.

"g. Nothing in this agreement places any obligation on the government to seek the defendant's cooperation or assistance."

That last clause means Vick must volunteer everything he knows.

Later in the agreement, in Paragraph 14 starting on Page 6, the government stipulates that any violation by Vick of any portion of his plea agreement could result in the government placing the full weight of the law on him.

Still, for all the emotion and anger, for all of the societal hot buttons this case has pressed at once -- race, class, privilege, the debate about cruelty to animals versus the value of human life -- this conclusion feels unsatisfying. Here is the saga of a man who financed and oversaw an inhumane operation, who was party to all of its graphic brutality and who to date has not shown an ounce of remorse. The fact that he still has a chance to avoid jail seems incongruous, even unfair, especially in a world where it appears that hard time seems to exist only for the guilty poor, the average or the unconnected.

But the government's case isn't about vengeance. It's about justice and investigating illegal activity. Should the government decide that Vick is of best use if he testifies against other dogfighters and explains the depths of a deadly business enterprise that should not exist -- instead of being behind bars himself -- that, and not the satisfaction that the guilty serve time, will have to be enough.

[RashanGary]

I just heard on Fox 11 that the Goodell has given the Falcons the OK to start the process of recuperating Vicks signing bonus. They obviousy don't have to pay him further, but taking back what Vick has already gotten is a big punch in Vicks sack.

I can't believe how bad it got for Vick. Depending on how much they get back, Vick could go from SUPER rich, SUPER star to imprisoned and broke if he spent a lot of it and they take a big portion back.

[MJZiggy]

*waits for the riots and jackson with sharpton to yell foul

Jackson may try that, but Sharpton's already publicly condemned him. It would take some serious backpedaling to try and switch loyalties now. Evidently Al's an animal lover...

[GrnBay007]

I just heard on Fox 11 that the Goodell has given the Falcons the OK to start the process of recuperating Vicks signing bonus. They obviousy don't have to pay him further, but taking back what Vick has already gotten is a big punch in Vicks sack.

I can't believe how bad it got for Vick. Depending on how much they get back, Vick could go from SUPER rich, SUPER star to imprisoned and broke if he spent a lot of it and they take a big portion back.

Goes to show you how 1 bad decision can change your life....forever.

We need to move on........concern ourselves with our beloved Packers rather than this sleeze.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I can't believe how bad it got for Vick. Depending on how much they get back, Vick could go from SUPER rich, SUPER star to imprisoned and broke if he spent a lot of it and they take a big portion back.

things will look different when he gets out of prison.

He'll get another chance, even if everybody isn't ready to give it to him. That's when you'll hear from black leaders.

[RashanGary]

He'll be a 29 year old RB who was out of the NFL for two years. I can't see him being a dominate player. He might play again, but he'll never be the star he was or make the money he was making.

He was so filled with power at one point. His whole personality was larger than life and dominate. When you saw the powerfull Vick of a couple months ago and then saw the scared, sick looking Vick that was attending court you can just see in his body language how far he's fallen. His life is completely out of his control right now and he knows it.

Vicks life got worse than I ever imagined it. The NFL is doing everything they can to take Michael Vick down. He has nobody in his corner except whatever his remaining money can afford. It's over for him HH. He might have a few dollars to live on, but the powerfull icon is gone forever IMO.

[Harlan Huckleby]

He has nobody in his corner except whatever his remaining money can afford. It's over for him HH. He might have a few dollars to live on, but the powerfull icon is gone forever IMO.

Oh hell. Listen, Sonny, "over" is brain cancer.

When Vick gets out of prison, there will be a large community of people wanting to embrace him and wish him well. People love a good comeback of a fallen soul. He is gonna suffer in many ways, and one hopes it changes him.

It was "over" for Dick Nixon back in '64, too.

Or as John Belushi once said, " Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell No!"

[GrnBay007]

When you saw the powerfull Vick of a couple months ago and then saw the scared, sick looking Vick that was attending court you can just see in his body language how far he's fallen.

I haven't seen any difference in his appearance/demeanor. He's putting on a good face for his homies. He'll find a way to make his way in the YAP (Years after prison)..I'm sure he has plenty of "contacts" that didn't go down. May not be football, but he will survive.

[RashanGary]

Yeah, he can come out and have a happy life but the superstar, super wealthy, powerfull Vick is gone. I'll be happy for him if he as some success and get's it together. I might even pull for him but the reality is, he pissed away a gift and now he'll have to find happiness in "security wealth mixed with joy" instead of in the "power wealth mixed with joy"

For some reason I dont' think prison is going to do Vick any good but I hope it does.

[GrnBay007]

When Vick gets out of prison, there will be a large community of people wanting to embrace him and wish him well. People love a good comeback of a fallen soul.

Have you started the petition?