NFL Suspends Michael Vick Indefinitely

Nike Severs Ties With Star QB After He Says He Will Plead Guilty To Conspiracy In Dogfighting Operation

(CBS/AP)  The NFL indefinitely suspended Michael Vick without pay Friday just hours after he acknowledged in court papers that he did, indeed, bankroll gambling on dogfighting and helped kill some dogs not worthy of the pit.

Vick, however, insisted he placed no bets of his own nor took any winnings.

Sportswear giant Nike severed its ties with the Atlanta Falcons quarterback yesterday, issuing a statement that said "Nike has terminated our contract with Michael Vick following yesterday's release of details of his plea. As we have said in previous statements, we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane, abhorrent and unacceptable."

Nike suspended Vick's contract last month and said items bearing his name would no longer appear in company-owned stores. Nike also has decided not to release a fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer.

Terms of his deal with Nike have not been released.

In disciplining Vick, commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick's 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."

A "summary of facts" signed by Vick was filed along with his written plea agreement on a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge. He will appear before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson to formally plead guilty Monday and then await sentencing at a later date.

The court documents and a statement by Vick's legal team seek to portray him as less involved in the dogfighting ring than three co-defendants who previously pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

"While Mr. Vick is not personally charged with or responsible for committing all of the acts alleged in the indictment, as with any conspiracy charge, he is taking full responsibility for his actions and the actions of the others involved," the defense team said in a written statement after the plea agreement was filed.

"Mr. Vick apologizes for his poor judgment in associating himself with those involved in dog fighting and realizes he should never have been involved in this conduct," the statement said.

Vick signed the plea agreement late Thursday.

"Most of the Bad Newz Kennels operation and gambling monies were provided by Vick," a summary of facts in the case said, echoing language in plea agreements by three co-defendants who previously pleaded guilty.

The statement said that when the kennel's dogs won, the gambling proceeds were generally shared by Vick's three co-defendants — Tony Taylor, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips.

"Vick did not gamble by placing side bets on any of the fights. Vick did not receive any of the proceeds of the purses that were won by Bad Newz Kennels," the summary said.

According to the statement, Vick also was involved with the others in killing six to eight dogs that did not perform well in testing sessions last April. The dogs were executed by drowning or hanging.

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Plea Agreement | Summary Of The Facts

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"Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts" of Vick and two of the co-defendants, Phillips and Peace, the statement said.

Dan Dierdorf, NFL Analyst for CBS Sports, said, "I don't know there's a whole lot of difference between being the guy that actually drowned, hung or electrocuted a dog, or knowing that it was being done on your property to your dogs by your friends."

In the plea agreement, the government committed to recommending a sentence on the low end of the federal sentencing guideline range of a year to 18 months. However, the conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, and the judge is not bound by any recommendation or by the sentencing guidelines.

Hudson has a reputation for imposing stiff sentences, according to lawyers who have appeared in his court. The judge will set a sentencing date at Monday's hearing.

"Our position has been that we are going to try to help Judge Hudson understand all the facts and Michael's role," Vick's defense attorney, Billy Martin, said in telephone interview. "Michael's role was different than others associated with this incident."

Martin said Vick will "speak to the public and explain his actions." Though he declined to say when and where, the "Tom Joyner Morning Show," a syndicated program based in Dallas, said it will have a live interview with Vick on Tuesday.

It is not uncommon in plea agreements for the defendant to plead guilty to only one charge and to negotiate with prosecutors over the specific facts to which he'll be admitting, CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen said. In this case, prosecutors may not care that he's not admitting to gambling so long as he gets a significant prison sentence.

The U.S. Attorney's office, which has declined to comment on the case, said it would issue a statement after the hearing.

[catbegone]

You know everyone has an opinion about everything. Who cares where it came from. I''m white and I''ll except the hatred that is flying out of each others mouths. Vick Like anyone else that committed a crime, did just that committed a crime. He has said he needs us to forgive him, so just do that. Those animals are now dead and probably the other 53 of 55 dogs will be put to death and no matter how sad that is, it''s done. He will do his time and he will have alot of time to think. Give me a break people, Do you not have any skeleton''s in your closet. Yeah it might not be killing anything, but if anyone found out how dirty your closet is you probably would wish you were dead.

[kailumego1]

TimanTane, "bigot" interesting comment coming from you, I watched Bryant Gumbel''s HBO special on the origins of "Dog Fighting" which he proved "evidence" video documentation, and also a interview which clearly shows were this sport originated in the white rural South, I also researched on line, so if you have any data proving otherwise please feel free to disclose.

As far as South and North America, whom are you referring to Native Americans, because they were the only indigenous people before Europeans.

So, what are you saying Native Americans started this brutal sport, or are you speaking of the Mexicans, but before you go there remember the Spaniards conquered Central and South America, which they polluted and contaminated their population.

So, please discourse with facts dating pre-European invasion that clearly demonstrates that dog fighting was a part of Native American culture..

[skieffer43]

I hope that Michael Vick suffers as badly as the dogs that he killed. I think he is a monster! I will boycott anything he is involved in & hope others do the same. What on earth did he think he was doing? Anyone that can do something so bad - is capable of many more evil things.

[grammawhamma]

Looks like Vick is in deep dog do do and I hope he is barefoot and has no access to water to wash off the shiit he got himself buried in.

[timantane]

So, as some of you white folks sit in pontification and condemnation over Vick''''s reprehensible behavior, stop and look long and hard in the mirror at yourselves.
Posted by kailumego1 at 04:55 PM : Aug 26, 2007

So what are you saying? Only white folks are condemning this behavior? (Oh, I know firsthand that''s not a fact) And are responsible for "Bush sent Condolezza Rice to the Equatorial New Guinea to met with president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to extend a hand in friendship." B S!!

You think that if Peyton Manning had done this the outcry from dog lovers would have been less because he was white? B S again.

And by the way, when you spout off that %u201CDOG FIGHTING%u201D is a creation of white Southern male%u2019s sadistic perversion not %u201CBLACKS%u201D. Maybe you should "thoroughly investigate" a little better. Didn''t take much investigation to discover that "dog fighting" was created a long before whites occupied the South or even North America.

I find your bigotry enlightening though.

Interesting how it is "white Southern male%u2019s sadistic perversion" but the same so-called sport is taken up by "struggling misguided troubled black youth with nothing else positive to occupy their minds".

I guess football and $110 million wasn''t enough to occupy Mr. Vick''s mind.

OBTW, I''m not a white Southern male. I just don''t like bigot''s, white, black, brown, or yellow. But at least you''re a smart bigot, not an i d i o t like seven_pesos.

[kailumego1]

Watch the "Lord of War", with Nicholas Cage, to see the dirty business of "arms dealing", and how evil personification embodies white Americans and African rebel leaders, in the struggle for dominance and control.

The U.S. government hires underground arms dealers to supply weapons to dictators, in third-world countries knowing full well these barbarians are responsible for the genocide of hundreds-of-thousands of people.

Bush sent Condolezza Rice to the Equatorial New Guinea to met with president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to extend a hand in friendship.

Now I know many of you probably have little or no knowledge of where the Equatorial New Guinea is located let along the president''s name.

As I''m quite sure many of you probably could care less, but I''ll indulge you anyway.

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is a ruthless dictator known for his savage brutality on all those who resist or oppose his authority.

He has been known to "chop" off the hands and feet of those in opposition along with barbaric forms of torture, and still this country, our leader, supports his presidency.

So, as some of you white folks sit in pontification and condemnation over Vick''s reprehensible behavior, stop and look long and hard in the mirror at yourselves.

[kailumego1]

Watch the "Lord of War", with Nicholas Cage, to see the dirty business of "arms dealing", and how evil personification embodies white Americans and African rebel leaders, in the struggle for dominance and control.

The U.S. government hires underground arms dealers to supply weapons to dictators, in third-world countries knowing full well these barbarians are responsible for the genocide of hundreds-of-thousands of people.

Bush sent Condolezza Rice to the Equatorial New Guinea to met with president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to extend a hand in friendship.

Now I know many of you probably have little or no knowledge of where the Equatorial New Guinea is located let along the president''s name.

As I''m quite sure many of you probably could care less, but I''ll indulge you anyway.

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is a ruthless dictator known for his savage brutality on all those who resist or oppose his authority.

He has been known to "chop" off the hands and feet of those in opposition along with barbaric forms of torture, and still this country, our leader, supports his presidency.

So, as some of you white folks sit in pontification and condemnation over Vick''s reprehensible behavior, stop and look long and hard in the mirror at yourselves.

[kailumego1]

Trueprogress, I agree with your analysis that societal norms, environmental influences, and psychological maturity play a pivotal role in shaping and molding individual thought and behavior within a societal context.

[kailumego1]

Certainly from reading the statement issued by Vick%u2019s father you can see where his dysfunctional, apathetic, and self-aggrandized behavior originated.

Notwithstanding, Vick%u2019s obvious dysfunctional environmental influences you must also consider the learned societal inappropriateness from the white population idiosyncratic behaviorisms, here lies the %u201Cdouble-standard%u201D.

Nowhere in the hundreds of post condemning Vick has it mentioned where this %u201Cdog fighting%u201D venture originated, as a matter of fact, there has been a lot of posters linking this aberrant behavior to the %u201Cghettos%u201D, blacks a whole, %u201C thugs%u201D, etc.

This %u201Ccreation%u201D didn%u2019t birth itself in the black cultural, but in white Southern rural cultural, which it had firmly rooted itself until struggling misguided troubled black youth with nothing else positive to occupy their minds decided to contaminate their communities with this anti-social perversion.

%u201CDOG FIGHTING%u201D is a creation of white Southern male%u2019s sadistic perversion not %u201CBLACKS%u201D, and if those posting had thoroughly investigated there is a wealth of information pre-dating this fact.

Forgot to mention in my last part, there are anomalies, meaning individuals who defy the odds.

[kailumego1]

Bryant Gumbel is doing a documentary on HBO where %u201Cdog fighting%u201D originated and within whose [black/white] community.

Whenever a story about black males/females committing some horrible despicable crime surfaces in the media this becomes %u201Copen season%u201D for every maladaptive, pathologically perverse, misanthropic white person to wage a verbal attack, these are the majority of posters.

There are a lot of outraged whites/blacks posting here because they are animal lovers, as I, and find it disgusting, deplorable, and unforgivable for anyone to inhumanely treat a defenseless animal, however, then there are those white slime lurking around corners up under every rock, boulder, etc. for the opportunity to vomit their sadistic perversions, and likewise, there are those black co-dependent enablers, NAACP, etc. luring about corners ready to rationalize black degeneracy and self-loathingness as a white man%u2019s disease due to %u201Cracism%u201D.

While I agree with you Trueprogress that a majority culture has negatively influenced and impacted the behavior of minorities in this country, it doesn%u2019t explain why some blacks have not allowed themselves to be %u201Csuckered in%u201D or sucked into this vacuum of self-destructiveness, self-loathingness, and self-degradation.

[kailumego1]

And certainly, as individuals are products or heavily influenced by their immediate environment, there are a lot of black folks that come from severely dysfunctional homes, of which they are determined not to continue the cycle of self-destructive behavior.

These are the individuals like: Oprah Winfrey, etc. the doctors, lawyers, educators, biologist, and etc., who decide I%u2019m not going to allow my negative environment to dictate my life.

Considering you%u2019re a professor, I%u2019m quite sure in your studies somewhere you had taken some courses in psychology, of which you are aware of the nature vs. nurture argument, and that each individual has his/her own unique personality design that often supersedes environmental influences. I%u2019m referencing twin studies where one parent was diagnosed anti-social malignant narcissist personality and had an extensive criminal rap sheet.

One twin was given up for adoption while the other was raised with both parents, including the anti-social malignant narcissist, in which psychologists discovered although one twin had been raised in a totally different environment biological and genetic pre-disposition made him prone to identical behavior as his other sibling.

So, the possibility is that no matter what environment Vick had been raised in if the genetic lineage of one or both parents is inundated with anti-social and malignant narcissistic criminality then chances are he too will adhere to this type of behavior.

[ralan40]

Trueprogress, I have read your countless pseudo intellectualism garbage. Your false claims of educational credentials are obvious. Cite links to these so-called articles you have authored, so the public can gain from your ''insight''. If you are all that, your published works, themselves, should better reflect your findings rather than be used to try to validate the b-s you are saying, here.

[keithle1]

A lot of black people seem to feel that if you''re not black then you have no right to criticize or say anything bad about a black person. No matter what the black person has done. He or she could have crucified babies
& barbaqued live baby seals. Doesn''t matter.

YOU AS A WHITE PERSON MUST NOT SAY ANYTHING
ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE UNLESS IT''S SOMETHING GOOD. HOW DARE YOU SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE?! NOT LONG AGO YOU WERE PUTTING FIRE HOSES ON OUR PEOPLE. SHUT UP!!!

[formrusmcsgt]

"Vick, however, insisted he placed no bets of his own nor took any winnings."

Of course not. He was only interested in providing a fine home for these animals....

[swwils]

I hate to see that dude go,I am not a big Falcons fan but the guy has talent,and I did like watching him throw the ball.My kids have a VICK quarter back practice ball and now they won''t play with it because we have a Jack Russell and they look at him and that ball and say screw it!

[susanhelit]

How dumb is that - if your father, an intruder, whoever, forced you to do something - you''re not repsonsible for your actions. If, after that person is gone, and you are an adult, and you keep doing horrible things without being forced, that is 100% YOUR FAULT!

Vick was never enslaved. Nor was his father. Nor was his father''s father. He''s an adult. His actions are his, and his alone. No amount of victimology, excuses, nor anything else changes that. To place anything on slavery is to say you are still a child, as were your parents, and their parents, unwilling to control or be responsible for your own actions, for your own choices.

[lovepitbulls]

I''m proud that the NFL suppended Michael Vick. I own three american pit bulls and would never in my life put them in any kind of danger. I lost all respect of him as a person and a player. What message is he sending people who look up to him. That is ok to fight pit bulls. Any one in my oppinon is trash. Him and anyone else that does this is half the reson why pit bulls have such a bad name. All i know is that he is a wearthless man who should be kicked out of the NFL for good

[mitywhity]

All you atheists should just shut your mouths. I don''t care what religion someone adheres to or simply refers to, you spiritual tumbleweeds start lambasting them because they refer to a standard. This country is built on a standard - the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. MEN WROTE THEM! So why are you not slamming everyone that refers to those documents since a man wrote them? We effectively deify the writers of those works as the "Founding Fathers", yet no slur escapes your filthy lips. I would personally like to meet about four or five of you at the same time some where in the future and pound your a$$es into the ground! Trust me, you''d be proud of the new face I''d leave you to wear. If any of you liberal atheists live in North GA let me know when and where.

[bb19631]

I am glad the NFL indefinitely suspended that idiot. Good for NIKE for doing the same. Otherwise he would be using that money on his defense. He needs to feel what those dogs went thru, I hope he gets what he deserves in prision. Money and fame better not buy his way out of this mess. He is just as guilty as his buddies. He *** well knew what was going on , on his property. Do not play stupid you are not above the law. You are just ignorant,to say the least.

[obeylaw]

Let''s hope the NFL bans him for life! It is to bad someone doesn''t have the authority to ban him from all professional sports.

He is a liar, a cheat and is useless in my book. I hope the state also charges him for everything they can. 40 or 50 years in the penal system would do him good!

These people should be made accountable for all of their actions... they are not gods nor can walk on water nor are untaouchable but they think they are!

This is just another example of how money, greed, drugs, steroids, etc. are ruining our sports and the reputation of this country!