Atlanta Falcons quarterback will face seven hostile witnesses if he chooses to go to trial in a grisly, deadly federal dogfighting case.
In the words of Atlanta-based defense attorney Bill Johnston, NFL star Michael Vick is “toast.”
Stick a fork in him; he’s done.
Even if Vick still has time to cut a deal with federal prosecutors concerning that grisly dog fighting case he apparently bankrolled, the statements of facts sworn to by his remaining two co-conspirators have sunk his ship.
It was bad enough that the first of his three co-defendants seemingly inextricably implicated him in the on-going, inhuman venture, alleging that Vick ponied up all the dough for the endeavor and heavily gambled on the outcome of dogfights.
But the statements entered with federal district court Friday have sealed the deal: Vick is headed to prison. There’s no doubt. Now he will face seven hostile witnesses if he chooses to go to trial Nov. 26. The handwriting’s on the wall. Not only has Vick played his last game as the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, he may very well have played his last game in the National Football League.
Everybody’s jumped ship. Vick is the last man standing. The feds began the case with four cooperating witnesses. Then Tony Taylor dropped a dime on his former pal July 30. And now Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace have piled on. Vick’s sacked. No question. Because apparently he lied to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last spring after Vick’s Virginia estate was raided by state authorities. He’s cooked, and virtually untouchable.
To compound matters for the embattled NFL star the feds are convening another grand jury Monday to consider more charges against the man the Falcons attached their star to. And word has it that those charges expected shortly in a so-called superceding indictment will include racketeering charges – RICO, in the vernacular – and Vick could ultimately face a 20-year prison sentence if convicted of racketeering. Then factor in the state grand jury slated to convene in September.
Phillips and Peace have signed statements alleging that Vick personally participated in the execution of at least eight pit bulls that didn’t fight well enough. Peace, Phillips and Taylor have all admitted to shooting at least one dog apiece, while Vick allegedly took a less humane route – hanging, drowning and slamming dogs to the ground. And that doesn’t include electrocuting another hapless hound.
It’s sickening. But what’s even more sickening is that a variety of news sources report that the plea deal Vick is considering includes but an utterly ludicrous, one-year jail sentence. Yet apparently he’s balking at it. Numerous news outlets maintain that Vick is trying to cut a deal with the NFL before he agrees to a deal with the feds.
No way is that going to happen, Goodell says. The league’s investigation is still underway. And even Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank Friday night expressed his disgust with the latest revelations. Yet – assuming Vick does plea bargain, and Goodell doesn’t ban him for life for violating the NFL’s stringent anti-gambling policy – I wouldn’t bet against him finding some NFL franchise that will ultimately take a flier on him.
But unless that happens, kiss him goodbye. His broken-field running prowess won’t elude this dragnet. Oh, he’s gone. What a waste.
On a Personal Note...
I’d like to apologize to all you Suite101 football fans out there for my lack of story production during the past month. I underwent open-heart surgery July 16 and have been suffering from a few complications in its wake. Hopefully I’ll be back burning up the keyboard real soon. God bless!
