Vick tales the plea deal

[Franco]

New From The Post
Vick Agrees to Plead Guilty

By Mark Maske and Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 20, 2007; 2:34 PM

Michael Vick has agreed to plead guilty to the federal dogfighting charges against him under a deal reached today between his attorneys and prosecutors, his lawyer said.

Vick's D.C.-based attorney, William R. (Billy) Martin, made the announcement in a written statement released by his office this afternoon. Martin said that Vick accepted full responsibility for his actions and decided over the weekend to accept the plea deal.


The terms of the plea deal were not immediately clear, but previous reports indicated that the two sides were discussing an arrangement by which Michael Vick would spend about a year in jail.


Vick and his attorneys are scheduled to appear in federal court in Richmond next Monday, according to the statement.

The terms of the plea deal were not immediately clear, but previous reports indicated that the two sides were discussing an arrangement by which Vick would spend about a year in jail.

The deal still must be approved by the judge in the case and could collapse at any point until then.

Vick's three co-defendants in the case previously agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the prosecution.

Vick was charged with helping to operate a dogfighting ring based at a property owned by him in southeastern Virginia. He'd been scheduled to go on trial Nov. 26.

NFL discipline against Vick remains pending. Last month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered Vick not to report to the Falcons' training camp and announced that Vick's playing status would be determined by a review being conducted by Washington attorney Eric Holder.

The federal indictment of Vick portrayed him as an active member of the dogfighting operation who attended and even traveled to dogfights, paid bets for losing fights and participated in the killing of dogs that didn't perform well.