From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jeremy Redmon :
Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in his federal dogfighting case and will enter his guilty plea during a court hearing next Monday, his attorney said today.
“After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asked that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him,” Billy Martin, Vick’s attorney, said in a statement issued this afternoon.
“Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to these charges and to accept full responsibility for those actions and for the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize to everyone who has been hurt by this matter. The legal team and Mr. Vick will appear in Court in Richmond on Aug. 27.”
Falcons owner Arthur Blank left Falcons headquarters in Flowery Branch without commenting today. The NFL is expected to make an announcement momentarily, stating it is still too early for the League to make a decision. Vick has been suspended by the NFL pending a league investigation of the case.
Federal prosecutors had warned Vick that he must agree to a plea deal last Friday or face more serious charges ”- including at least one racketeering charge ”- as part of a superseding indictment this week, people with knowledge of the negotiations said.
At the risk of echoing Colin Cowherd, it’s pretty hard to imagine Michael Vick taking another snap in the NFL. The WWL’s legal guy says the sentencing will probably happen in November, at which time we can crank up the speculation regarding future CFL tryouts. In the meantime, whether or not you consider Vick guilty of barbarism or merely incredibly poor judgment, this was one of the more precipitous falls from grace any public figure has suffered.
(UPDATE : Why wait until November? On ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” prior to tonight’s Super Bowl rematch, the panel of Chris Berman, Keyshawn Johnson, Bill Parcells and Emmitt Smith wasted little time in pondering the date and nature of Vick’s possible return. For Smith, who previously caught flack for taking a somewhat moderate tone regarding Vick, his MNC debut presented a chance to bust out the Salisburian rhetoric. Punch line : Smith suggested Vick’s comeback will be at a position other than QB.