Vick contrite after guilty plea
RICHMOND -- 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.
"I was not honest and forthright in our discussions," the star quarterback said yesterday, somber and deliberate and not speaking from notes.
Then he apologized to "all the young kids out there for my immature acts."
"I need to grow up," he added.
And so began a public act of contrition from Vick, who pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting charge and then stood behind a podium to say his job now was "bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player."
There he was, a QB so deft and nimble he pulled off any number of amazing scrambles on the field. Now he was scrambling to save himself and his football future because of his role in a gruesome dogfighting ring.
Saying he was speaking "from the heart," Vick said he took full responsibility for his actions.
"Dogfighting is a terrible thing, and I did reject it," he said.
Acceptance of responsibility is one of the factors US District Judge Henry E. Hudson will consider in handing down Vick's sentence Dec. 10. The federal sentencing guideline range is projected at a year to 18 months, but Hudson can impose up to the five-year maximum.
Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after his written plea agreement was filed in court Friday.
"So I got a lot of down time, a lot of time to think about my actions and what I've done and how to make Michael Vick a better person," said Vick.
"I will redeem myself. I have to."
In Atlanta, the Falcons said they would not cut Vick immediately because of salary-cap issues. The team intends to pursue the $22 million in bonus money that he already received in a $130 million contract signed in 2004.
"We cannot tell you today that Michael is cut from the team," Blank said. "Cutting him today may feel better emotionally for us and many of our fans. But it's not in the long-term best interests of our franchise."
Vick, who took no questions after his first public statement about the dogfighting ring, said little in court. With family members, including his brother and mother, watching from the front row of the packed courtroom, Vick stood flanked by two of his five lawyers and softly answered "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" to Hudson's questions.
The plea was accepted by Hudson, who asked: "Are you entering the plea of guilty to a conspiracy charge because you are in fact guilty?"
Vick answered yes, and Hudson emphasized his broad latitude in sentencing.
"You're taking your chances here. You'll have to live with whatever decision I make," he said.
US Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said a first-time offender ordinarily might receive no jail time for the dogfighting conspiracy.
"We thought, however, that the conduct in this conspiracy was heinous, cruel, and inhumane," he said.
The Falcons will receive a $6 million cap credit for Vick's salary this year since he's been suspended without pay. They are still on the hook for about $22 million in prorated bonus obligations spread out over this season and the next two. Any bonus money that is returned by Vick will be credited to Atlanta's cap number.
Meanwhile, the government has asked animal-behavior experts to evaluate the pit bulls seized from Vick's property in southeast Virginia to determine whether the fighting dogs can be adopted or should be euthanized.
