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.

That would be a higher penalty than is usually recommended for first-time convicts, and reflects an attempt by the government to show that animal abusers will receive more than a slap on the wrist for their crimes, the official said.

U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson will have the final say on how much time Vick will ultimately spend in jail.

Vick's plea hearing is Aug. 27.

Defense attorney Billy Martin said Vick reached an agreement with federal prosecutors after consulting with his family during the weekend.

"Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made," Martin said in a statement. "Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter."

The NFL noted in a statement that Vick's admission wasn't in line with what he told commissioner Roger Goodell shortly after he was initially charged.

"We totally condemn the conduct outlined in the charges, which is inconsistent with what Michael Vick previously told both our office and the Falcons," the NFL said.

The league, which barred Vick from training camp, said it has asked the Falcons to withhold further action while the NFL's own investigation wraps up.

The Falcons said they were "certainly troubled" by news of the plea but would withhold further comment in compliance with Goodell's request.

In a telephone interview with the AP, Martin said Vick is paying a high price for allowing old friends to influence his behavior, but he emphasized that his client takes full responsibility.

"There were some judgment issues in terms of people he was associating with," Martin said. "He realized this is very serious, and he decided to plead so he can begin the healing process."

The lawyer said salvaging Vick's NFL career was never part of the discussions.

"Football is not the most important thing in Michael Vick's life," he said. "He wants to get his life back on track."

Vick is charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiracy to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. He had pleaded not guilty last month and vowed to clear his name at a November trial.

The plea deal was announced just a new grand jury began meeting. Prosecutors had said that a superseding indictment was in the works, but Vick's plea most likely means he will not face additional charges.

Three of Vick's original co-defendants already have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against him if the case went to trial. Quanis Phillips of Atlanta and Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach signed statements saying the 27-year-old quarterback participated in executing at least eight underperforming dogs by various means, including drowning and hanging.

Phillips, Peace and Tony Taylor, who pleaded guilty last month, also said Vick provided virtually all of the gambling and operating funds for his "Bad Newz Kennels" operation in rural Virginia, not far from Vick's hometown of Newport News.

The gambling allegations alone could trigger a lifetime ban under the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Vick's Atlanta attorney, Daniel Meachum, told the AP that Vick is taking a chance with his guilty plea as far as his career is concerned because there have been no discussions with the league in recent days.

"There's no promise or even a request of the league to make a promise," Meachum said.

Meachum said the plea deal involves only the federal case. He said he doesn't know if there have been any discussions about resolving Virginia state charges that may be brought against Vick.

The case began April 25 when investigators conducting a drug search at a massive home Vick built in Surry County found 66 dogs, some of them injured, and items typically used in dogfighting. They included a "rape stand" that holds aggressive dogs in place for mating and a "breakstick" used to pry open a dog's mouth.

Vick contended he knew nothing about a dogfighting operation at the home, where one of his cousins lived, and said he rarely visited. The former Virginia Tech star also blamed friends and family members for taking advantage of his generosity and pledged to be more scrupulous.

The July 17 indictment said dogs that lost fights or fared poorly in test fights were sometimes executed by hanging, electrocution or other brutal means. The grisly details fueled public protests against Vick and cost him some of his lucrative endorsement deals.

i hop we get what is coiming to him

whatever he has coming to him wont be enough!!!!!

va. was oh so proud of him...I was one of them
why are people so friggen stupid when they have everything?

It was for money. More money! As if he wasn't doing well enough.
But, those poor animals...sickens me. He could get up to 3 years, and that was because he plea bargained. His cohorts were going to turn on him.

Kat

Michael Vick made a terrible mistake.
Like so many yound black men that make it in pro sports he could,nt let go of the past.
When you grow up in the ghetto you always think of helping your friends that you grew up with if you ever made it.

after signing the big money contract his cousin asked him for help with a place to stay then money to get by and finally a
kennel he wanted to invest in.

Vick did it without understanding what his cousin was actually doing.
His cousin and the others were busting for drug related charges
and in exchange for a lighter sentence they served up Vick.

Yes any money that he gave to his cousin that was used in the dog fighting business regardless of if he knew or not is a crime.

There I agree that he should plead guilty.
The rest of it about him farming and killing dogs is crap.

Let this be a lesson to all of the young future pro ball players that there are some friends and even family members that you,ll have to leave behind.

the part about him killing dogs isn't crap redmond but it will never come to light now because of the plea deal. you are right about his friends though and i hope when he resumes his career that he picks some better friends.

pretty ****ty how they rolled on him so quick after all he did for them.

They could all have their toes and fingers shot off for every animal's life they put to an end, just imo

I dont condone what he has done the killing of animals is sick and awfull ...... I do however dont like the way he has become the poster child for dog fighting. It is still happeneing all over this country and worse cases then this. His freinds are typical peices of s*** for throwing it all back on him... Dont hate becuase the media says hate this person ,Hate the whole dog and animal raket in this country Im sure **** fighting in Miami has not hit the media market. I just say this in no defence of Vick but open your minds why now it has been happening for years Vick Poster child

Dubba

i agree with you dubba. there have been a couple dog fighting rings busted in the city i grew up in just in the last year and they didn't get anywhere near the kind of publicity that vick is getting.

it amazes me how someone with a 130 million dollar contract could go off and do something this stupid, I met the man back in 2001, he was nice to me, i guess we all have a few skeletons in our closet, I hope he gets whats coming to him, that kind of behavior no matter how nice a person you are is UNACCEPTABLE

The man made 40 million so far. He will get a small jail sentence and be out before you know it. It's not enough. The act of getting caught with a bag of dope would have gotten him more!!!

the state prosecutor hasn't decided if he's going to pursue charges yet. i heard that the same charges at state level carried a maximum of 40 years or something.

I'd send him up the river if I could. I'm tried of lax laws involving animal cruelty letting scum bags get off after they are caught dog fighting, skinning live domestic animals, or just kill them for hell of it.

I feel for him. He will probably never play football again. Time he is done with the feds and done with the state and done with a couple years suspension, he will be too old and out of shape for football

This is my dog Turk and he is my best friend.
It bothers me what Vick has done.
Even if he tried to help his friends why kill dogs or anything.

Vick will get the minimum because he has money. His plea is to get less than a year in prison. We shall see what they give him but the max according to ESPN will be 3 years.

i dont care hoe much money one has or where they grow up you have to be STUPID to do something like Vic. did how the hell can you as a pro of anything invest and not know whats going on when he singed his pro contract i am sure they know what he could do as an ball player so Redmond in most peoples eyes Vic. deserves to be punshied for what he did

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XBuEBHi3BzU

I am not saying that I agree with what he has done. I am just reporting what I have seen. I wish they would put him away!!