Michael Vick suspended indefinitely by NFL

[Walter Cronkite]

The NFL has suspended Falcons quarterback Michael Vick indefinitely without pay following his admission of guilt in a dogfighting scheme.

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" 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.

The commissioner didn't speak to Vick but based his decison on the court filings. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Goodell may meet with Vick in the future, but that hasn't been determined.

"You have engaged in conduct detrimental to the welfare of the NFL and have violated the league's personal conduct policy," Goodell told Vick in a letter.

"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."

Falcons owner Arthur Blank supported Goodell's decision and said:

"We hope that Michael will use this time, not only to further address his legal matters, but to take positive steps to improve his personal life."

In disciplining Vick, Goodell said he 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."

The grisly details outlined in the indictment and other court papers prompted a public backlash against Vick, who had been one of the NFL's most popular players.

Animal-rights groups mobilized against Vick -- even protesting at NFL headquarters in New York -- and sponsors dropped him.

"It is fitting that the NFL has suspended him,'' said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "He's now a role model for something terrible, and it's not appropriate that he suit up in an NFL uniform."

Source: AP

[Gambit]

Roger Goodell = hypocrite

This is all a bunch of grandstanding by this pompous, hypocrite of a commissioner. I have yet to see any proof provided by the media or the NFL that suggests that any of these off field incidents have affected the league in a negative way. This commissioner wants the media and fans to think he cares about player conduct, the only thing that matters is dollars. He banned alcohol from team planes and locker rooms, suspended Odell Thurman for another year, all because of alcohol related incidents, yet did he drop Coors Light? You know the Official Beer of the NFL? I

f he really wanted Vick gone and to distance the NFL away from the bad press, he could have done so. Yet he hands down an indefinite suspension and tells the Falcons to try and recoup money from Vick instead of releasing him and letting this story go away when Vick does. Why is that? If his actions were so reprehensible and you wanted your league distanced from his actions, why would you want the Falcons involved in an ongoing legal battle with him that will surely be brought up every time they play or there is media around them? Would make more sense to try and let this story die, and let the focus be on the season seeing as how all this is being taken care of before the regular season starts.

But the money is more important to the League, they could care less about the negative publicity, they know their billion dollar baby can withstand the most negative of stories. It already has and will continue to do so.

[rEdRuM]

__________________

[Walter Cronkite]

Vick pleads guilty, then apologizes

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 Monday, 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 U.S. 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, who grew up in Newport News.

"I will redeem myself. I have to," he vowed.

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.

U.S. 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.

Blank and general manager Rich McKay refused to say whether Vick would ever play for the Falcons again, though their reluctance to cut ties with the quarterback is related more to complicated legal issues than any willingness to take him back. They've already sent a "demand letter" to Vick saying they will attempt to recoup the bonus money he was paid.

"We realize that this situation has tarnished our franchise," Blank said. "We've heard from fans who are embarrassed to wear the No. 7 jersey now. We cannot undo what's been done. But we can and we will recover from this."

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.

"We feel very comfortable that we have plenty of room going forward in which to field a competitive team," McKay said.

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and former Atlanta Mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, both members of the Falcons' board, attended the news conference at Blank's corporate headquarters in Atlanta.

"I've never seen someone who had so much ability and has fallen so far," Aaron said. "It's not what is going to happen as far as his football career is concerned. It's just him as a man, as a human being, being able to get his life back."

Asked if he expected Vick to return to the Falcons some day, Aaron replied, "I hope so."

Outside the courthouse, a contingent of Vick supporters sang "This Little Light of Mine" and other hymns, while holding signs that said "We Love You" and urged Vick to seek support in religion. Steven Terry, pastor of Deliverance Tabernacle Church in the Tidewater area, organized the group of at least two dozen supporters.

"The scripture is clear — he that's without sin, cast the first stone," he said.

A few dozen animal-rights protesters also stood outside the courthouse, some holding signs saying "Prosecute All Dogfighters."

In his written plea, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings, but merely associating with gambling can result in a lifetime ban under the league's personal conduct policy.

Three Vick co-defendants who previously pleaded guilty said Vick bankrolled the enterprise, and two of them said Vick participated in executing dogs that were not vicious enough in testing. The three had agreed to testify against Vick had the case gone to trial.

The case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick's cousin raided the former Virginia Tech star's rural Surry County property and seized dozens of dogs, some injured, and equipment commonly used in dogfighting.

A federal indictment issued in July charged Vick, Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Tony Taylor of Hampton with an interstate dogfighting conspiracy. Vick initially denied any involvement, and all four men pleaded innocent. Taylor was the first to change his plea to guilty; Phillips and Peace soon followed.

The gruesome details outlined in the indictment — dogs were hanged, drowned and electrocuted — fueled a public backlash against Vick and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty.

The Falcons were set to play an exhibition game at home against the Cincinnati Bengals later Monday. This will be the first chance for the team to see what effect Vick's case has on attendance at the Georgia Dome. Vick wears the biggest-selling jersey in team history and is given much credit for the team's 51 consecutive sellouts.

"We're putting the emotions, the shock, the disappointment, the anger and the once-held hope that this was not true behind us," Blank said. "I assure you we'll do all we possibly can to make this season a success."

Source: AP