USA Atlanta Folcon's Quaterback Michael Vick Enters Guilty Plea

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By Jerry Markon and Jonathan Mummolo
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 27, 2007; 12:02 PM


RICHMOND, Aug. 27 -- Michael Vick formally pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges Monday morning, admitting that he supplied most of the gambling money for fights on his southeastern Virginia property and endorsed the killing of poorly performing dogs.


"What is your plea, sir, guilty or not guilty?" U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson asked the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback at the 20-minute hearing in U.S. District Court here.


"Guilty," Vick responded in a low, almost inaudible voice, his hands clasped behind his back. His only sign of emotion came afterward, when he hugged a woman in the front row, later identified by his attorneys as his fiancee. Vick quietly wiped away a tear.


Hudson set Vick's sentencing for Dec. 10 on the single federal conspiracy charge but repeatedly reminded him that he is not bound by the prison sentence of 12 to 18 months that prosecutors and Vick's attorneys are recommending. "The bottom line is that if I decide you deserve five years and give you five years, you can't appeal it," the judge said. "Do you understand? You're taking your chances here. . . . You have to live with whatever decision I make."

More on the story here

Warning, viewer discretion is advice, as the short clip contains scenes of organized dog fight which is a form of cruelty to animals (Michael Vick Dog Fight Video Clip)

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