Vick accepts plea deal [merged]

[Flying Fungi]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

Are you sure the agreed-upon plea deal includes the killing/gambling? I'm wondering if it's possible that the feds are allowing him to plead guilty to just the interstate trafficking/conspiracy as part of the deal.

If gambling is taken off the table, this could complicate things for Goodell.

from my understanding, and discussing with my wife (an attorney), Vick submitted a plea before there was a finalized offer by the Feds--which may pre-empt additional charges being filed, but which likely does not protect him from the severity of punishment from existing charges

 

[Tunescribe]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

from my understanding, and discussing with my wife (an attorney), Vick submitted a plea before there was a finalized offer by the Feds--which may pre-empt additional charges being filed, but which likely does not protect him from the severity of punishment from existing charges

This is getting confusing. How many charges are there? If he goes in Monday and pleads guilty to only one or two of the charges, what happens? We need to know specifically what the feds and Vick's lawyers agreed to, but I suppose that won't be revealed 'til Monday.

 

[scout]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

I don't see the logic in Vick's statement (tho, I'm still on my first coffee). He didn't gamble on the dogs because; (a) it was criminal behavior (b.) against NFL rules (c.) immoral. Yet, he bankrolled an illegal activity which source of revenue is gambling. I'm not buying and I doubt the judge will either. Vick blew it when he lied to the commissioner concerning his involvement and seems that he hasn't learned his lesson. Me thinks, if he does not come clean, he will never play professional football again.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

from my understanding, and discussing with my wife (an attorney), Vick submitted a plea before there was a finalized offer by the Feds--which may pre-empt additional charges being filed, but which likely does not protect him from the severity of punishment from existing charges

I think that is partly right. I think he announced he would plead guilty on Monday to stop the Grand Jury proceedings, which it did when Hudson put them on hold, and his team is now trying to re-negotiate terms that were non-negotiable last week. One of three things will happen on Monday: either Vick will plead guilty to a lesser charge, which makes no sense from a prosecution standpoint since that was never an offer prior to his public announcement, or Vick will plead guilty as charged, and his supporters will spin it as he had to plead to things he didn't do because the government made him and the alternative was worse, or the plea agreement will fall apart and the Grand Jury will be re-convened.

Last man in with no one to implicate doesn't get the best deal. Particularly when he was the ringleader...

The ESPN article, which Mike Florio notes is attributed to no ESPN reporter, smacks of the Vick will not be indicted articles of last month. Someone on team Vick, perhaps his agent whispering in Pastabelli's ear, is trying to re-set the spin cycle. It has now even been updated to say not that a deal has been agreed upon but that Vick's attorney's BELIEVED on Thursday that they had an agreement in place. There is no comment from the Feds because as Hudson stipulated on Monday there would be no release of the terms until the plea is actually entered. There are however sources in the prosecutors office still saying the recommendation will be 12-18 months - which of course Hudson is under no obligation to adhere to.

I think the prosecutor was pissed on Monday when Vick's supposed "plea" was announced to the public and not the prosecutors office or the court first. They had already convened the Grand Jury, so obviously there was no agreement on Friday even though team Vick has since insisted that was when the decision to plead out was made. What happens amongst Vick and his defense team is not the same as what happens between them and the prosecution.

I sincerely hope that the desire to wrap this up quickly doesn't inexplicably result in the Federal prosecutor agreeing to anything short of a guilty as charged on all counts in the indictment plea. I for one am perfectly willing to see them spend a few more of my tax dollars to get this thing done right, even if that means a full blown trial including additional RICO charges.

This is, however, proof positive that nothing has changed with Ookie. He remains among other things a pathological liar (and they can be absolute charmers in the process) who will never take full responsibility for his actions and whose only true remorse is in being caught in the act and cornered. And that is why he should never participate in another down in the NFL.

 

[PatsFan-NH]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

I blame the NFL for this latest development. They have done NOTHING and are simply going through the motions to look good in the media and fool people.

Their first response was wait and see, and the public outrage forced the training camp ban. Now they are telling the Falcons to do nothing, and wait for their investigation. How are they supposed to determine the facts or the truth of the situation, since when is it the NFL's business to attempt to validate the FBI ? They either missed the whole thing when it was going on, or are so corrupt they turned a blind eye. Training camp is almost over and Vick could be driving into the Falcon's complex for game 1 (if he isn’t going to be sentenced until November).

They are again doing nothing, but using Schefter, a PR hack who works for them on the NFLN, to float a trial balloon of indefinite suspension. Translation: we won't do anything like prevent him for ever coming back in the league, we will just look like it. Then in 2-3 years when the fans forget or their attention is elsewhere we will let him back in.

Schefter also did this piece about the fact that the drug bust that led to all the trouble was initiated by a dog smelling the drugs. Which is true and ironic, but then he goes on to say that its all because of the dog. Without him none of this would be happening. Completely ignoring that Vick was conducting an illegal enterprise for six years, and torturing and killing animals. As though it would have been better to keep thing as they were, and now its all the dog’s fault.

If the NFL had shown some guts and banned him for shameful conduct, as Goodell said was the standard when he cleaned house with the others, Vick would not be jockeying around trying to turn the non-apology, apology into the non-guilty, guilty plea. Yes, I did it but I don't want the stigma, hassle or punishment that goes along with it, just the lesser sentence.

I hope the judge throws it out, or accepts it for one charge and they go forward on the others, including RICO.

Since the other 3 defendants have pled guilty and submitted their statement of facts (theoretically accepted), and theirs contradicts Vick's, can the judge bag him for Perjury ?

A nice 20 year jail term will clear up any questions about his NFL future.

 

[scout]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

A plea has been accepted (breaking news). I don't see additional jail time from what we have read recently.

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

I blame the NFL for this latest development. They have done NOTHING and are simply going through the motions to look good in the media and fool people.

Actually, this is false. When the allegations 1st came up, the league brought Vick in and he had a rather LONG chat with the Commissioner. Its known, NOW, that Vick lied to the Commissioner.

Their first response was wait and see, and the public outrage forced the training camp ban. Now they are telling the Falcons to do nothing, and wait for their investigation. How are they supposed to determine the facts or the truth of the situation, since when is it the NFL's business to attempt to validate the FBI ? They either missed the whole thing when it was going on, or are so corrupt they turned a blind eye. Training camp is almost over and Vick could be driving into the Falcon's complex for game 1 (if he isn’t going to be sentenced until November).

This isn't factually correct either. The league's 1st response was to have its investigators start working with the police on the issue. They took Michael Vick at his word. It came out later that he lied to them. It was then that they started to consider the TC ban. The public "outcry" coincided with the events.

The NFL hasn't attempted to "VALIDATE" the FBI and its findings. What the NFL has been trying to do is to cover their arse and to see just how widespread the dog-fighting is in the league.

This speculation of yours that Vick will be driving into the Falcon's complex for game 1 is really laughable. Do you really think that Vick isn't going to be incarcerated while he waits for the sentencing? If you do, I have some beach front property in Afghanistan that I have for sale... Would you like some of it?

They are again doing nothing, but using Schefter, a PR hack who works for them on the NFLN, to float a trial balloon of indefinite suspension. Translation: we won't do anything like prevent him for ever coming back in the league, we will just look like it. Then in 2-3 years when the fans forget or their attention is elsewhere we will let him back in.

Schefter also did this piece about the fact that the drug bust that led to all the trouble was initiated by a dog smelling the drugs. Which is true and ironic, but then he goes on to say that its all because of the dog. Without him none of this would be happening. Completely ignoring that Vick was conducting an illegal enterprise for six years, and torturing and killing animals. As though it would have been better to keep thing as they were, and now its all the dog’s fault.

I did not see the piece that Schefter did. When was it put out? Do you have a link to it?

If the NFL had shown some guts and banned him for shameful conduct, as Goodell said was the standard when he cleaned house with the others, Vick would not be jockeying around trying to turn the non-apology, apology into the non-guilty, guilty plea. Yes, I did it but I don't want the stigma, hassle or punishment that goes along with it, just the lesser sentence.

I am sure the league will be doing something. However, they are taking a wait and see attitude with what the charges are so that they can set the league punishment accordingly. While I agree that any of the charges that have been bandied around should result in a life-time ban for Vick, the is a huge step for Gooddell to make and its a minefield when it comes to the Union.

I hope the judge throws it out, or accepts it for one charge and they go forward on the others, including RICO.

Since the other 3 defendants have pled guilty and submitted their statement of facts (theoretically accepted), and theirs contradicts Vick's, can the judge bag him for Perjury ?

A nice 20 year jail term will clear up any questions about his NFL future.

This is the part I agree with. Then the league wouldn't have to worry about Michael Vick anymore. They wouldn't have to worry about whether to ban him for life or anything like that because he'd be in jail well beyond his playing days.

 

[DaBruinz]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

A plea has been accepted (breaking news). I don't see additional jail time from what we have read recently.

Well, that all depends on whether or not the IRS decides to go after him for gambling and tax evasion.

Honestly, my understanding was that Vick had said he'd plea guilty, but all specifics weren't finalized. And if Vick is trying to take things off the table, now, then the Judge has a right to NOT accept the plea bargain even if the Prosecutor did.

 

[Tunescribe]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

I think that is partly right. I think he announced he would plead guilty on Monday to stop the Grand Jury proceedings, which it did when Hudson put them on hold, and his team is now trying to re-negotiate terms that were non-negotiable last week. One of three things will happen on Monday: either Vick will plead guilty to a lesser charge, which makes no sense from a prosecution standpoint since that was never an offer prior to his public announcement, or Vick will plead guilty as charged, and his supporters will spin it as he had to plead to things he didn't do because the government made him and the alternative was worse, or the plea agreement will fall apart and the Grand Jury will be re-convened.

Last man in with no one to implicate doesn't get the best deal. Particularly when he was the ringleader...

The ESPN article, which Mike Florio notes is attributed to no ESPN reporter, smacks of the Vick will not be indicted articles of last month. Someone on team Vick, perhaps his agent whispering in Pastabelli's ear, is trying to re-set the spin cycle. It has now even been updated to say not that a deal has been agreed upon but that Vick's attorney's BELIEVED on Thursday that they had an agreement in place. There is no comment from the Feds because as Hudson stipulated on Monday there would be no release of the terms until the plea is actually entered. There are however sources in the prosecutors office still saying the recommendation will be 12-18 months - which of course Hudson is under no obligation to adhere to.

I think the prosecutor was pissed on Monday when Vick's supposed "plea" was announced to the public and not the prosecutors office or the court first. They had already convened the Grand Jury, so obviously there was no agreement on Friday even though team Vick has since insisted that was when the decision to plead out was made. What happens amongst Vick and his defense team is not the same as what happens between them and the prosecution.

I sincerely hope that the desire to wrap this up quickly doesn't inexplicably result in the Federal prosecutor agreeing to anything short of a guilty as charged on all counts in the indictment plea. I for one am perfectly willing to see them spend a few more of my tax dollars to get this thing done right, even if that means a full blown trial including additional RICO charges.

This is, however, proof positive that nothing has changed with Ookie. He remains among other things a pathological liar (and they can be absolute charmers in the process) who will never take full responsibility for his actions and whose only true remorse is in being caught in the act and cornered. And that is why he should never participate in another down in the NFL.

Mo, just a note to say that your posts on the Vick case have been excellent.

 

[Flying Fungi]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

I blame the NFL for this latest development. They have done NOTHING and are simply going through the motions to look good in the media and fool people.

Their first response was wait and see, and the public outrage forced the training camp ban. Now they are telling the Falcons to do nothing, and wait for their investigation. How are they supposed to determine the facts or the truth of the situation, since when is it the NFL's business to attempt to validate the FBI ? They either missed the whole thing when it was going on, or are so corrupt they turned a blind eye. Training camp is almost over and Vick could be driving into the Falcon's complex for game 1 (if he isn’t going to be sentenced until November).

They are again doing nothing, but using Schefter, a PR hack who works for them on the NFLN, to float a trial balloon of indefinite suspension. Translation: we won't do anything like prevent him for ever coming back in the league, we will just look like it. Then in 2-3 years when the fans forget or their attention is elsewhere we will let him back in.

Schefter also did this piece about the fact that the drug bust that led to all the trouble was initiated by a dog smelling the drugs. Which is true and ironic, but then he goes on to say that its all because of the dog. Without him none of this would be happening. Completely ignoring that Vick was conducting an illegal enterprise for six years, and torturing and killing animals. As though it would have been better to keep thing as they were, and now its all the dog’s fault.

If the NFL had shown some guts and banned him for shameful conduct, as Goodell said was the standard when he cleaned house with the others, Vick would not be jockeying around trying to turn the non-apology, apology into the non-guilty, guilty plea. Yes, I did it but I don't want the stigma, hassle or punishment that goes along with it, just the lesser sentence.

I hope the judge throws it out, or accepts it for one charge and they go forward on the others, including RICO.

Since the other 3 defendants have pled guilty and submitted their statement of facts (theoretically accepted), and theirs contradicts Vick's, can the judge bag him for Perjury ?

A nice 20 year jail term will clear up any questions about his NFL future.

I disagree. I think that the NFL is acting in perfect stead. The National Football League is a company, and they reserve the right to handle this in their own manner. That said, their authority does not supercede that of the US Federal Judicial System. Not that it is likely, but imagine the position they would be in if they banned Vick and he was then found not guilty on all charges and a free man?

I like how Goodell has been doing his job so far.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

I think the NFL is doing exactly what they should, not screwing up their long term options to effectively deal with the situation as it evolves. And you misinterpreted Schefters comments on the dog - without him none of this would have ever been uncovered. He's wasn't lamenting that, just commenting on it's incredible irony.

I said this a while ago, and now Jason Whitlock has articulated it from a black man's perspective. While I don't agree with his undertone that Vick only did this to keep it real with his boys, his daddy makes it pretty clear that this was Mike's thing from the get go, he makes the point that Emmet missed. If they won't follow, absolutely you leave them to their own devices. But first you try to lead your crew out of the life football allowed you to escape. Unless of course you never really wanted to escape the lifestyle, so much as to live it with lots more money...

Vick lacked the courage to help
By JASON WHITLOCK

So let’s go ahead and redefine “keeping it real,” shall we?

We might as well, now that Michael Vick kept it real stupid and probably is headed to a federal penitentiary, the vacation destination of choice for men who believe criminal behavior and a lack of education are cultural benchmarks.

This column will be about the lesson we all should take from Vick’s dramatic fall. Not long ago, the man did have the world by the tail. He owned a $130 million contract in a city, Atlanta, that adored him, and he was labeled a “franchise” quarterback.

He threw it all away because he bought into the self-destructive, immature, hip-hop model of “keeping it real.”

The Atlanta Falcons and owner Arthur Blank introduced and ushered Michael Vick into a brand-new world, a world that required Vick to carry himself in a more mainstream manner, a world of wealth, privilege, responsibility and the appearance of ethics and morality.

Vick wanted to do things his way. He wanted to customize the position in terms of style of play and off-field demeanor. He wanted to keep it real by keeping his feet in the seedy world he once knew and the new world that demanded a squeakier image.

The worlds don’t mix.

Michael Vick should not have abandoned his boyz from the hood, the gentlemen who predictably and quickly accepted plea agreements and squealed on Vick. He should’ve demonstrated the courage to demand that they join him on his new journey. He should’ve forced them to abandon him.

You follow?

It’s my belief that if Vick stayed involved with dogfighting, he did so primarily because it was a way to stay involved in an activity in which his “boys” still participated. It was Vick’s way of keeping it real. He was fearful of being labeled a sellout, fearful of having his blackness questioned.

This is a burden we’ve created for ourselves. We fight our own evolution. This must end. We need to redefine keeping it real.

For athletes and other people who experience professional success, keeping it real should mean offering your lifelong friends and family members an opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to join the mainstream.

This may sound naïve and a bit comical, but it’s the truth: Rather than financing dogfighting, Vick should’ve paid for educational opportunities. He should’ve tried to help establish his cousins and friends in a legitimate business.

If they were uninterested in that, Vick should’ve informed them that he had nothing but love for ’em. Vick, to me, is a coward. He wasn’t man enough to define for his friends what was in his best interest and what he would and would not tolerate.


http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/240088.html

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

A plea has been accepted (breaking news). I don't see additional jail time from what we have read recently.

Where are you seeing/hearing this?

ESPN.com still has just the Vick camp's belief they have an agreement. In fact on PFT.com they quote Roger Cossack saying that Hudson will not take kindly to any effort fromt he Vick camp to engineer a lesser plea that counters facts stated in pleas already accepted. Says he could either throw the book at him for the effort or refuse to accept a plea that calls the veracity the others into question.

 

[scout]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

Well, that all depends on whether or not the IRS decides to go after him for gambling and tax evasion.

Honestly, my understanding was that Vick had said he'd plea guilty, but all specifics weren't finalized. And if Vick is trying to take things off the table, now, then the Judge has a right to NOT accept the plea bargain even if the Prosecutor did.

Just from reading this morning paper (Vick not pleading to killing dogs or gambling), I'm assuming the plea deal did not involve those items. I never even thought about the IRS, wow. In addition, if he somehow gets off relatively easy, I think the NFL will give him a bitter pill. We should know Monday as far as the courts.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

Great Whitlock article. I know he has a thing against the Pats but he does write some good stuff. "Michael Vick kept it real stupid and probably is headed to a federal penitentiary, the vacation destination of choice for men who believe criminal behavior and a lack of education are cultural benchmarks."

Some cultures have very disfunctional aspects. Glad to see folks speaking out.

 

[captain stone]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

Where are you seeing/hearing this?

ESPN.com still has just the Vick camp's belief they have an agreement. In fact on PFT.com they quote Roger Cossack saying that Hudson will not take kindly to any effort fromt he Vick camp to engineer a lesser plea that counters facts stated in pleas already accepted. Says he could either throw the book at him for the effort or refuse to accept a plea that calls the veracity the others into question.

No mention of an accepted plea on either espnnews or on espn2's bottom line.

 

[Maroney TD]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

Great Whitlock article. I know he has a thing against the Pats but he does write some good stuff. "Michael Vick kept it real stupid and probably is headed to a federal penitentiary, the vacation destination of choice for men who believe criminal behavior and a lack of education are cultural benchmarks."

Some cultures have very disfunctional aspects. Glad to see folks speaking out.

Great source of information using Whitlock, who blames rap for every problem in America. He said it was rap's fault that the All Star Weekend in Vegas was violent and that rap was also at fault in the Ruters women situation with Imus. Whitlock is a joke IMO.

 

[Flying Fungi]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

No mention of an accepted plea on either espnnews or on espn2's bottom line.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/08/24/michael.vick/index.html

 

[Flying Fungi]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

i will be very disappointed if the judge accepts this

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

Vick admits to gambling!!!

The agreement has been leaked. The local news (Richmond) just cut in and had an update. Vick will admit to gambling. (The newscaster HAD a copy of the agreement and was reading from it).

Will get link as soon as they have one up.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Vick accepts plea deal

No mention of an accepted plea on either espnnews or on espn2's bottom line.

It's done. This is the plea agreement and statement of facts. Spin it as you will, and different media will take different tacks. But he did admit to gambling and killing dogs (the as a result of their combined efforts, no specifics as in Peace and Phillips version, but no denial of it). Statement of facts starts at page 13.

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/pdf/vickplea.pdf?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab