Vick faces prison time after agreeing to plead guilty

[Whoda Thunk?]

RICHMOND, Va. -- Michael Vick agreed Monday to plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, a deal that leaves the Atlanta Falcons quarterback facing up to 18 months in prison and puts his NFL career in jeopardy.


Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend Vick be sentenced to between a year and 18 months in prison, according to a government official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not yet been made final.

The rest:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2983121&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

[pinky]

Scumbag. I hope he gets the full 18 months.

[Paulie]

Actually, he can go to jail for up to five years. In a federal case, the government can only recommend the term in a plea bargain. The judge can impose whatever term he wants, and from what I understand, the judge in this case is a hardliner.

Hopefully, Vick will be a guest of the federal government for the longest time possible.

Personally, I'd like to see him treated in the same manner he treated those poor animals.

Paulie

[pinky]

The report I read said the prosecutors will recommend 18 months, although the maximum would be 5 years.

If it were up to me, he'd spend the rest of his life in a pen with some trained pit bulls. Short life, but an appropriate sentence.

[Rockstarbaby]

i say everytime he loseds a football game we beach the livin crap out of him...andtorture...be really he dserves to be stoned...sick..bastard

[silvergirl]

He's going to be prosecuted by the state of Virginia, too. That could add up to six years more jail time.

[Stopanimalabuse]

This is being talked about an awful lot in the news. If it was a player like Brett Favre, it would be understandable. I've never heard a football fan claim Vick is even that good. He can run as well as anyone, but his passing ability is very debatable. It is good that something evil like dog fighting is getting such negative press. Articles I've read say Vick would kill and sometimes drown dogs which didn't perform up to his standards, so behavior like that is disgusting but I wouldn't say torturing him is the best idea.

[pinky]

Vick is (was) one of the top players in terms of popularity. His jersey was sold all over the country.

I'm surprised to hear that Virginia's prosecution could add that much more jail time. Originally, it was reported that the reason he faced such a long potential sentence was because he had crossed state lines, and the feds were involved. In Virginia, I thought what he did was considered a misdemeanor.

[Stopanimalabuse]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-marbury-vick&prov=ap&type=lgns
That's amazing. I thought Marbury is smarter than that.

[pinky]

Apparently, he's not. :greyno:

[db44]

Where'd you get that idea, about "Starbury."

[pinky]

Probably from the fact that it's almost impossible to be that stupid, Dave.

And yet, he is.

[Stopanimalabuse]

Does anyone really think this will hurt the Falcons too much? I'm assuming his shirts do sell well, but is he really that good? Who is his back-up?

[pinky]

Joey Harrington and Chris Redman? Nothing like Vick, either of them. Add the fact that they have a new coach (new to the NFL) this year, and I think it's going to be a long 16 games in Atlanta.

[Stopanimalabuse]

Joey Harrington and Chris Redman? Nothing like Vick, either of them. Add the fact that they have a new coach (new to the NFL) this year, and I think it's going to be a long 16 games in Atlanta.
Weren't Eagles fans saying the same thing when Mcnabb got injured? That didn't turn out too bad for Philadelphia. I'm not saying that will happen here, but there is always that possibility.

[sarah8705]

Scumbag. I hope he gets the full 18 months.

ONLY 18 MONTHS???????!!!!! Okay that irks me! He should be put away to ROT for what he did to those animals! It's disgusting!

I'm disgusted that people think ' Oh they're JUST ANIMALS! Let him off easy.' In my opinion, he should be put in a cage with another 'vicious' animal and mauled to death. I may sound cruel, but what he took part in with the unnecessary MURDERING of those animals, he deserves that kind of punishment!

[pinky]

Apparently, the prosecutor agreed to recommend only 18 months on the dog fighting charges. The conspiracy charges could get him up to 5 years.

[Stopanimalabuse]

I'm disgusted that people think ' Oh they're JUST ANIMALS! Let him off easy.'
Who are you referring to? I don't remember anyone here saying that.

[sarah8705]

I'm not refering to anyone on here! That's just the impression I get from the people involved with the case, since they weren't/aren't pushing for a harsher punishment.

Who are you referring to? I don't remember anyone here saying that.

[Stopanimalabuse]

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/08/28/hank-aaron-michael-vick-a-very-good-guy/
Hank Aaron is respected a lot, so this statement amazes me. I guess, by his logic, most of my family eats meat so that means I'm going to as well. Makes a lot of sense.

[Stopanimalabuse]

http://groups.google.com/group/AR-News/browse_thread/thread/a366582d1a948d4f/dd33e59ea3cb1dd0#dd33e59ea3cb1dd0
Comparing animals killing for their survival to dog fighting is a bit ridiculous, but otherwise it's a very good article.

[Stopanimalabuse]

Not looking good so far. It's still early though.

Onto a slightly different subject, but I didn't know where else to put this. One of the reasons I don't consider myself a fan of the sport is what happened with Randy Moss. The Patriots acquired him for I believe a fifth round draft pick. Does anyone really think they are the only team who was willing to get rid of a draft pick for him? They're one of the last teams in football who should have acquired him. How any ridiculous trade like that can be made in the first place is insane. It just seems so rigged that the Patriots will be allowed to do pretty much everything to become a better team and get away with it.

[pinky]

Randy Moss has not been known as a good team player for quite a while now. The Patriots are one of the few teams with the depth to be able to offer him a contract and still be able to sit him if he becomes toxic to the team's chemistry.

Plus, he's not the receiver he once was (that may be due in part to not having the best QBs passing to him). Most teams didn't think he was worth the price tag.

[Paulie]

Not looking good so far. It's still early though.

Onto a slightly different subject, but I didn't know where else to put this. One of the reasons I don't consider myself a fan of the sport is what happened with Randy Moss. The Patriots acquired him for I believe a fifth round draft pick. Does anyone really think they are the only team who was willing to get rid of a draft pick for him? They're one of the last teams in football who should have acquired him. How any ridiculous trade like that can be made in the first place is insane. It just seems so rigged that the Patriots will be allowed to do pretty much everything to become a better team and get away with it.

What is so "rigged" about it?? The Pats made an offer, the Raiders accepted, Moss agreed to re-work his contract...all fair, legal and above-board.

Paulie

[Stopanimalabuse]

What is so "rigged" about it?? The Pats made an offer, the Raiders accepted, Moss agreed to re-work his contract...all fair, legal and above-board.

Paulie
I guess you believe that the Patriots are the only team willing to offer a fifth round draft pick for him? Dream on. And I guess that fumble Brady had against Oakland that was never called that should have eliminated them in their first Super Bowl was a good call too, right?

[Stopanimalabuse]

Plus, he's not the receiver he once was (that may be due in part to not having the best QBs passing to him). Most teams didn't think he was worth the price tag.
Randy Moss is no Jerry Rice. Rice did well with every quarterback until he became old, and I even remember him having some of his best games with Elvis Grbac as quarterback. On the other hand, Moss is still one of the best receivers in football. He had some very good years with Minnesota and two poor to mediocre years with Oakland and a lousy quarterback. Common sense says it's the quarterback that was the problem, so you should have had 5-10 teams jumping at the chance to pick him up.

[Paulie]

I guess you believe that the Patriots are the only team willing to offer a fifth round draft pick for him? Dream on.

Don't try guessing what I do and do not believe...you will be wrong more often than not.

I don't know what the other 30 teams in the league were thinking. If any of them thought he was that valuable and they thought he would be of benefit to their team, they would have offered more than the Patriots did, wouldn't they? It was no great secret that the Pats were offering a second-day draft pick...that's pretty easy to trump.

But, in the end, it's all moot. He's in New England and off to a fantastic start. Whether he will continue at this pace, I have no idea...but I can certainly hope so.

Paulie

[Stopanimalabuse]

Don't try guessing what I do and do not believe...you will be wrong more often than not.

I don't know what the other 30 teams in the league were thinking. If any of them thought he was that valuable and they thought he would be of benefit to their team, they would have offered more than the Patriots did, wouldn't they? It was no great secret that the Pats were offering a second-day draft pick...that's pretty easy to trump.

But, in the end, it's all moot. He's in New England and off to a fantastic start. Whether he will continue at this pace, I have no idea...but I can certainly hope so.

Paulie
So, are you a Celtics fan too? The problem I have is that the team is jammed down our throats, and I don't even watch much football. Brady and Manning are treated like they're God and Jesus, while other football players who are more dominant in their positions(Urlacher, for instance) don't receive close to the same recognition. They act like Belichick(sp?) is some amazing coach when he couldn't lead the Browns anywhere. He's no Bill Parcells by any means. The Patriots also have to buy off a big portion of their team, but I realize most good teams in sports are like that. I just don't like that team, and it's a shame that the Celtics play so close to them.

[Stopanimalabuse]

It's funny that just as we're talking about them this news comes up that they could be taping other teams. That's called cheating. A good rule should be, if they're proven guilty, the team should be suspended for the rest of the season. You have to be consistent though and give other guilty teams the same suspension. The team will likely be able to buy off players next off-season just like they did this past one, so taking away a few draft picks is really just a slap on the wrist.

[pinky]

Randy Moss is no Jerry Rice. Rice did well with every quarterback until he became old, and I even remember him having some of his best games with Elvis Grbac as quarterback. On the other hand, Moss is still one of the best receivers in football. He had some very good years with Minnesota and two poor to mediocre years with Oakland and a lousy quarterback. Common sense says it's the quarterback that was the problem, so you should have had 5-10 teams jumping at the chance to pick him up.
So, see my first paragraph.

[Stopanimalabuse]

http://groups.google.com/group/AR-News/browse_thread/thread/f6aff74f1390c0c9/33700503e318dc28#33700503e318dc28
That's funny. It's nice to see the Patriots playing pathetic teams week after week. It looks like Cleveland is next too. The best team they've played thus far at this point. My older brother was going through some of the earlier football seasons, and the undefeated Dolphins had a very, very easy schedule. They're already talking about New England being undefeated, so you can definitely draw the comparisons. It looks like New England's schedule will be slightly more difficult, but not by much.

[pinky]

Maybe so, but it gets a little harder without the cameras. ;)

[Stopanimalabuse]

The New England Yankees win another one. Oops, I mean Patriots. I've never hated a team to the extent that it would turn me off from a sport altogether, but the Patriots are the first exception. Yesterday's game was poorly officiated, and the worst thing was that they had fourth down with maybe 20 seconds left. Other teams would have gone for a field goal or kneeled the ball, but the Patriots had probably the most obvious case of piling up the score that I've ever seen. Yet, it doesn't seem like anyone is complaining. Yet another classless act by that organization. All of that protection and all of those wide-open receivers. It must be hard for Brady to throw all of those completions. Make me 6 inches taller, and even I'd have a shot at throwing some of those completions. There's not another position in any sport where they're more reliant on their teammates than quarterbacks are, so it would be interesting if his offensive line couldn't guard him one of these years. It's embarassing to watch him "run", so his stats would likely drop drastically. It's a shame that the amazing runners who do the Ultramarathon, running 100 miles in Death Valley's amazingly hot weather and making them some of the great athletes in the world, don't receive much if any attention while the Tom Brady's receive enormous amounts of attention. It's also a shame that the Boston Celtics have to play so close to a team which completely lacks class like New England.

[pinky]

Odd, I feel much the same way about the Cowboys, except that they aren't important enough to make me hate football.

I do rather enjoy watching Tony Romo mess up, actually.

[Stopanimalabuse]

Odd, I feel much the same way about the Cowboys, except that they aren't important enough to make me hate football.
Why do you hate Dallas? I can see a Philadelphia fan hating them, but wouldn't you feel the same way about the Giants and Redskins? Their rivalry goes back much further than the one with Dallas. I never really thought one way or the other with New England until Tom Brady came on them. They cheat their way into the Super Bowl. Brady had a mediocre Super Bowl and somehow won MVP the first time around. Brady and Manning are possibly the two most over-hyped athletes ever. I don't even think you can make a case for top 3 quarterbacks at this point. Some people would say players like Larry, Magic, and Michael were over-hyped, but you can make a legitimate case for them being the best small forward, point guard, and shooting guard to ever play. With players like Montana, Favre, Young, Marino, and even Aikman, you could make a case that neither Manning nor Brady are top 5. On second thought, I feel like I'm insulting the Yankees by comparing them, so the Patriots are in their own category IMO.

[Stopanimalabuse]

The Falcons have not had back-to-back winning seasons in 41 years, or their entire history. I realized they haven't been good, but I thought they were better than that. The Indians, Clippers, and maybe Arizona Cardinals have been mocked for their losing, but I don't see how the Falcons are much better. At least they'll have a good draft pick this year.

[pinky]

Why do you hate Dallas? I can see a Philadelphia fan hating them, but wouldn't you feel the same way about the Giants and Redskins? Their rivalry goes back much further than the one with Dallas. I never really thought one way or the other with New England until Tom Brady came on them. They cheat their way into the Super Bowl. Brady had a mediocre Super Bowl and somehow won MVP the first time around. Brady and Manning are possibly the two most over-hyped athletes ever. I don't even think you can make a case for top 3 quarterbacks at this point. Some people would say players like Larry, Magic, and Michael were over-hyped, but you can make a legitimate case for them being the best small forward, point guard, and shooting guard to ever play. With players like Montana, Favre, Young, Marino, and even Aikman, you could make a case that neither Manning nor Brady are top 5. On second thought, I feel like I'm insulting the Yankees by comparing them, so the Patriots are in their own category IMO.
Have I ever said I don't hate the Giants?

Among Philadelphia fans, the Cowboys are hated because of the arrogance of their franchise. "America's Team" my @$$. And the Giants aren't much better in that regard. In all the years I've been paying attention, I can honestly say that I've respected all of 2 Giants players, Dave Meggett and Tiki Barber, because they were just good players who went out and did their jobs without trash talking or acting like crybabies when things didn't go their way.

At least the Redskins have been a bit classier. And in recent years, they haven't been a factor.

[Stopanimalabuse]

Have I ever said I don't hate the Giants?

Among Philadelphia fans, the Cowboys are hated because of the arrogance of their franchise. "America's Team" my @$$. And the Giants aren't much better in that regard. In all the years I've been paying attention, I can honestly say that I've respected all of 2 Giants players, Dave Meggett and Tiki Barber, because they were just good players who went out and did their jobs without trash talking or acting like crybabies when things didn't go their way.

At least the Redskins have been a bit classier. And in recent years, they haven't been a factor.
I thought Tiki was complaining for much of last season. Considering how football is becoming, I think you can say that most teams have players who act like that. I remember McNabb complaining about racism when it was obviously not there, and many Eagles fans have given the team a bad name in other ways. I don't see how teams are different in that regard. I'm not sure about the Cowboys. Was "America's Team" more the team or the media who made those claims?

[Stopanimalabuse]

I haven't watched much of the game, but saw some highlights. There were two throws that resulted in Patriots touchdowns which should have been intercepted by Dolphins. There was one throw in particular where the Dolphins looked just simply awful. I think I will pay attention to Vick's return, but otherwise I am officially through with football.

Claire, why the Giants or Cowboys? I think the Bengals had 8 players arrested last season, so if it's a moral issue, wouldn't they bother you more than any other team? For me, it's when one or a few players are so over-hyped that it's sickening, and I would consider Brady as the most over-hyped player in sports ever. He seems to accept it, which makes it much worse.

[pinky]

We don't bother to think about the Bengals much, because we almost never play them. The Giants and Cowboys are division rivals, so the Eagles play them at least twice every year. Plus, the Giants are a New York team, and we just don't like them at all in any sport.

The Cowboys as an organization pretty much overlooked Michael Irvin's drug use, and acted like he was a great guy. As a football player, he was great. But he's a dirtball of a person.

I also remember many years ago (back in the '80s), when Harold Carmichael held the record for consecutive games with at least one reception, and every week he was adding to the total. Playing against the Cowboys, he was hit late and out of bounds by Dennis Thurman, and injured on the play prior to making a catch that day. No call was made, even though it was a blatant foul, because the refs back in those days almost never made calls against the Cowboys.

It's things like that that make us hate them so much.

[Stopanimalabuse]

According to the article I read, they kept Brady in until 11 minutes remained. His reserve threw an interception, then they put him back in for his sixth touchdown. They led 42-7 at half time, so you'd think they'd take their starters out for the second half. How arrogant does this make Brady look? There's always that risk of injury, but they could always add to his statistics so he is put in. I've never felt this way about a pro athlete before.

[pinky]

I think it makes Belichick look worse than Brady, because it's the coach who makes those decisions.

[Stopanimalabuse]

I think it makes Belichick look worse than Brady, because it's the coach who makes those decisions.
Can't Brady refuse that though?

[Stopanimalabuse]

We don't bother to think about the Bengals much, because we almost never play them. The Giants and Cowboys are division rivals, so the Eagles play them at least twice every year. Plus, the Giants are a New York team, and we just don't like them at all in any sport.

The Cowboys as an organization pretty much overlooked Michael Irvin's drug use, and acted like he was a great guy. As a football player, he was great. But he's a dirtball of a person.

I also remember many years ago (back in the '80s), when Harold Carmichael held the record for consecutive games with at least one reception, and every week he was adding to the total. Playing against the Cowboys, he was hit late and out of bounds by Dennis Thurman, and injured on the play prior to making a catch that day. No call was made, even though it was a blatant foul, because the refs back in those days almost never made calls against the Cowboys.

It's things like that that make us hate them so much.
I was very young then and wouldn't remember much at all about football from the early-1980's or even mid-1980's. What about the recent teams? Parcells, Phillips, Romo, and Bledsoe, do they anger you? Owens is understandable, but I don't recall any other player acting like he does. I don't recall the term "America's Team" being used lately.

[pinky]

No, it hasn't been used lately, but there's a long tradition of disliking them. That doesn't go away just because their quarterback can't hold the ball on a potential game-winning field goal try. :roll:

For the record, I can't stand Parcells. It never mattered which team he coached, I have never liked him.

[Paulie]

Can't Brady refuse that though?

Only if he wants to lose his job real quick.

Paulie

[Stopanimalabuse]

For the record, I can't stand Parcells. It never mattered which team he coached, I have never liked him.
Could you give a reason for that? He is easily one of the greatest coaches ever. You have to at least admit that.

[Stopanimalabuse]

Only if he wants to lose his job real quick.

Paulie
Yeah, I'm sure that is going to happen. Could you explain your signature? I thought the Lakers won 3 straight Championships early in the decade, so wouldn't they be the first dynasty of the new millenium?

[Paulie]

Yeah, I'm sure that is going to happen. Could you explain your signature? I thought the Lakers won 3 straight Championships early in the decade, so wouldn't they be the first dynasty of the new millenium?

The Lakers won the first of three titles in the 1999-2000 season, which was part of the last millenium, not the current millenium. Therefore, the Patriots are the first dynastic team whose titles all came in this millenium.

Paulie

[pinky]

But did the Lakers cheat?

:tongue:

[Paulie]

But did the Lakers cheat?

:tongue:

Hmmm...not sure. Guess I'll have to check the videotape to answer that one. ;)

Paulie

[Stopanimalabuse]

The Lakers won the first of three titles in the 1999-2000 season, which was part of the last millenium, not the current millenium. Therefore, the Patriots are the first dynastic team whose titles all came in this millenium.

Paulie
The Lakers were a dynasty and most of that happened in this millenium. I just thought I'd ask, but it seems false to me. The phrasing should be changed or something.

[Stopanimalabuse]

I turned it quickly just to see what the score was, and the Redskins QB completely under-threw his receiver and the Patriots had an interception on the first play I saw. I didn't watch any more of the game. It seems like that happens a lot against NE where teams don't even look like they're trying. I think Sunday's game will be a blowout by one team(I'd say Indianapolis), but I won't be watching it.