Michael Vick turned himself in to authorities on Monday to get a head start on serving his sentence for running a dogfighting ring, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
As a sports culture we like to throw our arms around the pursuit of history. Record chases bind us to an athletic heritage that lives on in yellowed paper volumes (along with Google searches and, blessedly, the occasional YouTube video) and connects to greatness in a language that we can understand and speak at picnics. How about those Celtics? And such. Whatever the milestone, we usually want to see it, touch it, remember it, celebrate it.
Disgraced former NFL star Michael Vick declared that "I am not the bad person or the beast I've been made out to be" in a letter to a judge asking for leniency.
Think back to August, to the day Michael Vick went before the cameras after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors on charges that he financed and participated in a dogfighting operation. He expressed remorse for what he had done and the many fans he had disappointed. Afterward, pundits remarked how Vick had been "forthcoming" and "honest" and "contrite." His supporters said he was accepting responsibility for his mistakes, the first step in rebuilding his image and life.
As we have been virtually from Day 1 of the long Michael Vick saga, we're once again in uncharted territory. The length of Vick's prison sentence has finally been determined, but it's still hard to know how much time, if any, will be left in his NFL playing career when he's done paying for his involvement in that sordid dog-fighting ring.
On Monday, Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Michael Vick to 23 months in prison -- exceeding the 12-18 months that prosecutors recommended. SI.com caught up with legal expert Michael McCann to answer some important questions about the ruling.
Michael Vick, once one of the highest paid players in the National Football League, was sentenced to 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and helping to kill pit bulls that did not fight aggressively.
Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls
Michael Vick and his legal team received potentially discouraging news this morning, when U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced two of Vick's co-defendants, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, to longer prison sentences than federal prosecutors had recommended. Peace will serve 18 months, while Phillips will serve 21 months. In exchange for the defendants' cooperation, prosecutors had recommended that each receive a sentence consistent with the lower end of the federal sentencing guidelines (12 to 18 months for Peace; 16 to 24 months for Phillips). Just as he has with Vick, however, Judge Hudson had the discretion to issue sentences in excess of the guidelines and to discount -- or altogether ignore -- the prosecutors' recommendation.
Michael Vick turned himself in to authorities on Monday to get a head start on serving his sentence for running a dogfighting ring, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
As a sports culture we like to throw our arms around the pursuit of history. Record chases bind us to an athletic heritage that lives on in yellowed paper volumes (along with Google searches and, blessedly, the occasional YouTube video) and connects to greatness in a language that we can understand and speak at picnics. How about those Celtics? And such. Whatever the milestone, we usually want to see it, touch it, remember it, celebrate it.
Disgraced former NFL star Michael Vick declared that "I am not the bad person or the beast I've been made out to be" in a letter to a judge asking for leniency.
Think back to August, to the day Michael Vick went before the cameras after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors on charges that he financed and participated in a dogfighting operation. He expressed remorse for what he had done and the many fans he had disappointed. Afterward, pundits remarked how Vick had been "forthcoming" and "honest" and "contrite." His supporters said he was accepting responsibility for his mistakes, the first step in rebuilding his image and life.
As we have been virtually from Day 1 of the long Michael Vick saga, we're once again in uncharted territory. The length of Vick's prison sentence has finally been determined, but it's still hard to know how much time, if any, will be left in his NFL playing career when he's done paying for his involvement in that sordid dog-fighting ring.
On Monday, Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Michael Vick to 23 months in prison -- exceeding the 12-18 months that prosecutors recommended. SI.com caught up with legal expert Michael McCann to answer some important questions about the ruling.
Michael Vick, once one of the highest paid players in the National Football League, was sentenced to 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and helping to kill pit bulls that did not fight aggressively.
Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls
Michael Vick and his legal team received potentially discouraging news this morning, when U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced two of Vick's co-defendants, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, to longer prison sentences than federal prosecutors had recommended. Peace will serve 18 months, while Phillips will serve 21 months. In exchange for the defendants' cooperation, prosecutors had recommended that each receive a sentence consistent with the lower end of the federal sentencing guidelines (12 to 18 months for Peace; 16 to 24 months for Phillips). Just as he has with Vick, however, Judge Hudson had the discretion to issue sentences in excess of the guidelines and to discount -- or altogether ignore -- the prosecutors' recommendation.
The judge who will decide how long Michael Vick stays in prison sentenced two of the fallen NFL star's dogfighting partners to prison on Friday.
The government asked a federal court Tuesday to order former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to keep on hand assets valued at more than $900,000 -- the amount earmarked for the care of 54 pit bulls.
Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick has agreed to pay nearly $1 million for the care of about 54 pit bulls found on his property during a dogfighting raid.
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 3. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer. For more essays, click here.
Want to know how un-obsessed Atlantans are with the Michael Vick story now? Witness the local ESPN radio affiliate in the hours leading up to Monday night's game between the Falcons and the Giants. The hosts spent a 10-minute segment making fun of the male producer, who had spent part of his weekend getting a manicure, pedicure and his eyebrows waxed. "Nothing wrong with taking care of yourself," the producer argued. "It's time we put the 'man' back in manicure."
All but one of the dogs seized in the Michael Vick dog fighting case will be placed with families or put in a "sanctuary," where they will interact with people to overcome their fear and lack of socialization, according to court order filed Monday.
How does the failed drug test affect Vick's case?
Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick must adhere to tightened restrictions after he tested positive for marijuana use, a federal judge said Wednesday.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Michael Vick is now likely one misstep from jail.
A Virginia grand jury has indicted suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three co-defendants on state charges of running a dogfighting ring at Vick's Virginia home, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Michael Vick, already looking at a federal prison term for bankrolling a dogfighting operation in rural Virginia, now faces two state charges that could get him more prison time if he's convicted.
A Canadian bank has sued suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for more than $2.3 million, arguing that his guilty plea to federal dogfighting charges -- and the resulting impact on his career -- have prevented him from repaying a loan.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The prosecutor in the county where Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has admitted to bankrolling a dogfighting operation plans to present evidence to the grand jury, Tuesday, that could possibly lead to an indictment.
A television writer and producer paid $10,200 for what an animal rights group said are notes from football star Michael Vick's speech apologizing for a dogfighting scandal.
When federal prosecutors in Virginia released details of the dogfighting charges against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, all hell broke loose.
When young Tyler Reab got his autographed Michael Vick football for Christmas in 2005, he was shaking with excitement. Who knew it would end like this: his pet dog, Otis, munching on the once-cherished ball until it popped, its slobbery remnants hawked on eBay.
The woman who paid $7,400 on eBay for 22 Michael Vick football cards, chewed up and slobbered on by two Missouri dogs, acknowledges she hadn't heard of the star football player before he was indicted for dogfighting.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The eBay auction for 22 Michael Vick football cards, chewed up and slobbered on by two Missouri dogs, ended Wednesday as the winning bidder dished out $7,400 -- with the money expected to be donated to the Humane Society.
The government has asked animal-behavior experts to evaluate the pit bulls seized from Michael Vick's property in southeast Virginia to determine whether the fighting dogs can be adopted or should be euthanized.
Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick will find out in December what prison sentence -- if any -- he will face after a judge accepted his plea agreement Monday to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge.
There were plenty of Falcons fans wearing No. 7 jerseys at the Georgia Dome. They got a chance to cheer for Michael Vick's replacement.
First, Michael Vick apologized to all the people he lied to. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Coach Bobby Petrino. His teammates.
Like most decent Americans, I have been sickened by the Michael Vick dogfighting debacle. There can be no excuse for torturing and abusing man's best friend -- forcing dogs to fight to the death, under penalty of death. That a high-profile athlete like Vick carried this out in the name of "sport" makes it all the more disgusting.
Michael Vick backed out of a scheduled appearance on a nationally syndicated radio show Tuesday morning, a day after pleading guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge.
A judge accepted Michael Vick's guilty plea Monday to a federal dogfighting charge and scheduled a Dec. 10 sentencing date that could send the fallen NFL superstar to prison
By pleading guilty, Michael Vick admits to committing the criminal charges alleged by the government, that he raises no defenses, and that he is prepared for his punishment.
Michael Vick's statement following his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., to a dogfighting conspiracy charge:
Here I am with one of the richest men I've ever met, and I almost feel sorry for Arthur Blank. Almost. Not quite, but almost.
ATLANTA (AP) -- This is one of those landmark days, a dividing line that will forever define the history of the Atlanta Falcons.
Michael Vick's guilty plea to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge will cap one of the most rapid and startling falls from stardom in U.S. sports history.
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Falcons apparently are not through with Michael Vick yet -- not when the team still hopes to recover millions of dollars it already paid the quarterback.
No matter how nuanced his confession for involvement in dogfighting, Michael Vick got no leniency Friday from the NFL.
Michael Vick filed a plea agreement in federal court Friday admitting to a dogfighting charge and agreed the enterprise included killing fighting dogs and gambling
Earlier today, Michael Vick's attorneys filed a plea agreement confirming that their client will plead guilty to one count of "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture." Less technically, Vick has admitted to conducting business outside the state of Virginia, namely in the form of buying dogs from out-of-state owners, for the purpose of sponsoring dog fights in Virginia.
Read enough legal documents -- indictments, subpoenas, lawsuits -- and you begin to think of some lawyers as artists. They can write a sentence that appears simple, its point obvious, but if you read it again and again the meaning changes. It becomes more like poetry than legalese, everything subject to your own interpretation.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Michael Vick's father said he asked his son to give up dogfighting, or to at least put property used in the venture in the names of others to avoid being implicated, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The value of chewed-up and slobbered-on Michael Vick football cards seem to be going up.
More than 50 pit bulls seized from Michael Vick's property face a Thursday deadline to be claimed. If no one comes forward, the dogs could be euthanized.
The head of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP said Wednesday that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has made mistakes but that they should not cost him his football career with the NFL.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is waiting to hear if he'll ever play professional football again after agreeing to plead guilty and face prison in his federal dogfighting case.
Michael Vick should be allowed to return to the NFL, preferably the Atlanta Falcons, after serving his sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is expected to plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges involving an illegal dogfighting operation, according to one of his attorneys.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- More than football, Michael Vick's freedom is the question now.
NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL commissioner Roger Goddell is not rushing to judgment on disciplinary action against Michael Vick.
St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little killed a woman whose car he hit while driving drunk in 1998, and then six years later -- showing how he'd learned his lesson -- Little was stopped for drunk driving again.
I woke up this morning, having had my fill yesterday of seven hours of the Michael Vick coverage, and I thought: How strange is this fall going to be without Vick?
Now that Michael Vick has agreed to plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, animal advocates are hoping the NFL and others take action to continue working against dog violence.
Sports Illustrated investigative reporter George Dohrmann has been following the Michael Vick case for several months. His first story on the investigation appeared in the June 4 issue. SI.com caught up with Dohrmann after Vick agreed to plead guilty to federal dogfighting charges.
Thoughts on the news of Michael Vick's long-awaited plea agreement ....
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- While the Atlanta Falcons certainly knew this day was coming, it still hurt to get the news officially:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A grand jury is scheduled to convene Monday in the federal court where Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three co-defendants were indicted on dogfighting charges last month.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- It's up to Michael Vick now.
Two co-defendants of Michael Vick say the NFL star helped execute dogs that didn't fight well, according to federal court documents.
So much for clearing his good name.
Michael Vick is considering joining two co-defendants who will ask a judge Friday to sign off on their plea agreements in a federal dogfighting case, according to a spokesman and published reports.
• United States of America v. PURNELL A . PEACE , also known as "P-Funk" and "Funk," QUANIS L. PHILLIPS , also known as "Q," TONY TAYLOR , also known as "T," and MICHAEL VICK , also known as "Ookie," Defendants.
Michael Vick has not made a decision concerning a possible plea bargain in his federal dogfighting case, a spokesman for the NFL star said Wednesday.
Two men who initially pleaded not guilty to running an illegal dog fighting ring with NFL quarterback Michael Vick are set to appear in court later this week for new plea hearings, a sign they may be changing their plea.
A man wearing a white �number 7 �Michael Vick �replica jersey stood �defiantly in the gallery of a federal courtroom in Richmond last Thursday, as the �Atlanta Falcons' star quarterback pleaded not guilty to charges related to �dogfighting. �Whatever you think about the spectator, Shawn �Dodson of Lynchburg, Va., the man has a thick skin. As he left the courtroom following the hearing, the 33-year-old Dodson was jeered by pet owners and animal-rights activists and other wide swaths of the citizenry. "This is crazy," he said.
A co-defendant in the federal dogfighting case against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty Monday morning.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded not guilty Thursday to dogfighting charges, and a trial date was set for November after his defense attorney asked a judge for a delay, citing the complexity of the case.
In the wake of the NFL putting Michael Vick on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the NFL has to seriously investigate how many players might be involved in dogfighting. And they have no idea what they might find.
By now, unless you've spent the past week in Antarctica -- or perhaps had your head buried in that 8,000-page Harry Potter book everyone's so ga-ga about -- you've probably heard a little bit about Michael Vick. Mainly, that he's a very bad guy who, according to a federal indictment, did some very bad things to dogs.
The Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday said they did not anticipate star quarterback Michael Vick's indictment on charges related to dogfighting.
You could argue that the NFL took a half measure Monday night when commissioner Roger Goodell ordered Michael Vick to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons' soon-to-be-opened training camp. But in this case, it was merely a first disciplinary step that will likely give way to stricter punishment to come.
Summing up what I know and what I think is likely to happen in the Michael Vick dogfighting case this week:
Fallout intensified Friday from NFL star Michael Vick's indictment on charges linked to dogfighting, a practice that a longtime lawmaker denounced as "barbaric" on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
There is no denying the athletic abilities of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.
On July 17 Michael Vick was indicted on charges related to his alleged involvement with a dogfighting operation based at a property he owns in Virginia. Please take the time to share your opinion on the possible ramifications of the case.
So let me get this straight. People who think Michael Vick is "innocent'' of any involvement with dogfighting believe that Vick could have visited the Smithfield, Va., house he owned at any time over the past six-plus years and never noticed anything slightly suspicious about the activities going on there.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick faces criminal charges and a possible prison sentence for allegedly participating in an enterprise that trained pit bulls for death matches in which spectators bet on the outcome, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will go before a federal court in Richmond, Virginia, next week on charges that he participated in a dogfighting ring spanning at least nine states, the court said Wednesday.
The indictment handed down Tuesday against Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three others describes in detail how they procured a property in Virginia for the purpose of staging dogfights, bought dogs and then fought them there, and in several other states, over a 6-year period. With at least three cooperating witnesses providing the details, federal authorities compiled a detailed case that traces the birth and rise of Bad Newz Kennels.
A few observations on the Michael Vick saga a day after he was indicted on dog-fighting charges by a federal grand jury...
The most telling 23 words regarding Michael Vick's immediate future as a football player came late in the NFL's statement about the alleged heinous, dastardly and despicable acts that led to charges being filed against the former savior of the Atlanta Falcons.
Challenge No. 1: Develop Michael Vick into a polished pocket passer.
At the start of his investigation into alleged dogfighting on the Virginia property owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter said, "I don't try cases in the press." That is a common refrain for a prosecutor in a high-profile investigation, and it usually means there won't be updates on evidence until the probe is complete.
Humpty Dumpty: When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.
Ten last thoughts from around the NFL before I disappear on vacation for a while:
Falcons QB Michael Vick who increasingly seems as problematic off the field as he is on it seems to have found trouble once again. This time Vick is dogged by allegations that he was part of a dog-fighting ring operating out of a home he owned in Virginia. (We must say "owned" because once the dog-fighting rumors surfaced, Vick quickly sold the house for less than half of its assessed value. OK, so he's no Donald Trump.)
So now it's dog fighting. For at least the fourth time in a span of about five months, Michael Vick's name has once again surfaced in connection with a story that threatens to further tarnish his reputation, leading to a growing debate about the viability of his future as the face of the Atlanta Falcons franchise.
Random thoughts, musings, and the occasional insight as the pick-fest known as the NFL Draft looms less than 24 hours nigh ...
1. More airport trouble: Though we "reported" in Tuesday's 10 Spot that Michael Vick would address Congress that day to lobby for more funding for after-school programs, Vick was actually a no-show. The Falcons quarterback was traveling to D.C. from Tampa, where he had played in teammate Warrick Dunn's charity golf tournament. Vick was scheduled to change planes in Atlanta, but his AirTran flight from Tampa was delayed and he missed his connection. The Tampa-Atlanta flight must have been really late, moreover, since we all know that Vick can run; he probably would have made O.J. look like a sluggard as he busted through the terminal to catch his flight. But here's a valid question raised by reader Chris Adams of Charlotte: Can't Vick spring for a direct flight from Tampa to D.C.? Didn' t he sign a 10-year contract extension a while back worth an estimated $130 million? AirTran is an airline for, well, poor people like me.
Musings, observations, and the occasional insight in the wake of this week's rather uneventful NFL annual meeting in Arizona ...
This sweet spot in time before the Super Bowl is supposed to be a feel-good moment for pro football, and to a large extent it is. Two African-American coaches, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, are taking their teams to Miami and reminding NFL owners that their executive ranks are still weirdly monochrome; an impeccable, Canton-bound quarterback, Peyton Manning, led the greatest comeback in conference title game history on Sunday; and New Orleans made it into the penultimate round. The only way life could be better for the NFL is if Michael Vick stayed out of the news.
Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick was sentenced to 30 days in jail after being convicted last week on charges related to a party with underage girls.
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
Video
Photos
