Dogfighting a ‘Terrible Thing,’ Vick Says After Pleading Guilty
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
RICHMOND, Va. — 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.”
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 December 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.
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.
