Shortly after suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick plead guilty to illegal dogfighting charges and held a press conference to apologize for his actions, team owner Arthur Blank said it was not in the organization’s best long-term interests to cut the convicted star from the squad.

      “We cannot tell you today that Michael is cut from the team,” Blank said during a press conference Monday. “Cutting him today may feel better emotionally for us and many of our fans. But it’s not in the long-term best interests of our franchise.”

      The announcement followed a long morning in Richmond, Va. that began with Vick’s plea of guilty to a federal dogfighting charge. The athlete’s family members, including his brother and mother Brenda Vick, sat in the front row of the packed courtroom as the suspended NFL star stood flanked by two of his five lawyers.

      U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted Vick’s guilty plea before asking: “Are you entering the plea of guilty to a conspiracy charge because you are in fact guilty?

     Vick answered yes, and Hudson emphasized his broad latitude in sentencing. “You’re taking your chances here. You’ll have to live with whatever decision I make,” he said.

      Prosecutors have proposed a 12- to 18-month prison term, however, Hudson underscored that he is not bound by sentencing guidelines or the recommendations of prosecutors and can impose the maximum sentence.

      After the court appearance, Vick shuttled down to the nearby Omni Hotel and addressed media for the first time since he was charged. (Read full text here: http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur36278.cfm)  

      “I made a mistake of using bad judgment and making bad decisions,” he told assembled reporters. “Those things just can’t happen. Dogfighting is a terrible thing, and I didn’t reject it.”     

      He singled out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Blank, coach Bobby Petrino and his teammates for personal apologies, saying “I was not honest and forthright in our discussions.”     

      He also apologized to “all the young kids out there for my immature acts and what I did — and what I did was very immature. So that means I need to grow up. …I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player.”

      Meanwhile, the Falcons will receive a $6 million cap credit for Vick’s salary this year since he’s been suspended without pay. They are still on the hook for approximately $22 million in prorated bonus obligations spread out over this season and the next two.

      The Atlanta Journal-Constitution crunched the numbers and determined that Vick stands to lose well over $100 million because of the guilty plea. Should the Falcons decide to terminate his contract, the QB would lose $71 million in salary over the next seven years, the paper reports.

      He could also lose as much as $50 million in endorsement money over the next decade, according to an estimate by the University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.     

      His legal fees are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars if not higher, legal experts say - and he faces a possible fine of up to $250,000.

EUR Web

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