Michael Vick Released From Federal Custody, Wants To Resume Football Career (VIDEO)

By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer

HAMPTON, Va. - Suspended NFL star Michael Vick ended his federal dogfighting sentence Monday, freeing him to lobby for a return to the field.

Vick's attorney Lawrence Woodward told The Associated Press outside Vick's suburban Virginia home that the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback had been released from federal custody as scheduled. That means Vick no longer has to wear the electronic monitor he's had while under home confinement for the last two months of his 23-month sentence.

Shortly before Woodward came out of the house, two men in a government car with a U.S. Probation Services folder on the dashboard paid a brief visit to the home. They carried a large case similar to the one that Vick's ankle monitor was delivered in when he started home confinement. The men declined to identify themselves or speak to waiting reporters.

Vick then drove to the federal courthouse in nearby Norfolk to meet federal probation officials to take care of paperwork. Vick declined to answer reporters' questions as he left the courthouse with Woodward about an hour and 45 minutes later.

Freedom will allow Vick to step up his efforts to resume his pro football career. Vick hopes to soon meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has said he would review Vick's status after Vick completed his sentence.

Goodell has said he wants to sit down with Vick, but it's unclear when that face-to-face meeting will take place.

"The review of his status is ongoing, but we are providing no other details at this time," league spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday.

If Vick is able to return to the NFL, it won't be with Atlanta. The Falcons released him in June.

"Michael did an egregious thing," Goodell told The Associated Press in April. "He has paid a very significant price for that."

He said people are forgiving when someone who has done wrong shows remorse and is prepared to live a different life.

"That's something he has to prove to myself and the general public," Goodell said.

Vick did not initially show enough remorse to satisfy U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson. The 29-year-old player apologized in court in 2007, but Hudson denied him an "acceptance of responsibility" credit that could have reduced his sentence. He sentenced Vick to 23 months in prison -- more than any of Vick's three co-defendants.

Under the federal truth-in-sentencing law, Vick had to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. He served the first 18 months in the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., before being transferred to home confinement in May.

While on home confinement, Vick -- once the NFL's highest-paid player -- worked a $10-an-hour construction job for a few weeks. He switched jobs last month, assisting in children's health and fitness programs at the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Vick will remain on probation for three years. He also is under a three-year suspended sentence for a state dogfighting conviction.

(This version CORRECTS ADDS Vick courthouse meeting with probation officials. corrects agency name in graf 3 to U.S. Probation Services,. Moving on general news and sports services.)

Comments

[sftbreeze1970]

10:57 AM on 07/28/2009

Leave this man alone! He has done what was required of him. He has a family to take care of and there is no reason why he shouldn't take care of them doing what he does best. Michael Vick is a talented athlete. He has options, and if he takes advantage of this second chance, he can stand as an example to others. Like the many people in prison for possessing a certain amount of "crack" cocaine as opposed to powder cocaine. People addicted to drugs and sent to prison, an environment where they learn all about the lowest in human behavior. Vick's indictment and conviction was just as arbitrary as cocaine laws in this country. To all these people talking about Vick working at an animal shelter, how about him finding the right people and providing funding to start a strong support system for ex-cons convicted of these "pick and choose" crimes to have access to therapy, job training, and job placement. How about we encourage Vick to help people who have been caged and herded like animals and then are expected to return to society as human beings. Instead of making demands, as if you have the right. Michael Vick made his bed, he laid in it. Now leave him alone.

[Sportswoman]

01:47 PM on 07/24/2009

I think Vick should play for The Raiders-the fans enjoy a good felony or two before during and after games!

[roblabrousse]

01:38 PM on 07/21/2009

I meant he should do that during the interim before he goes on to a new career in football or anything else.

[roblabrousse]

01:35 PM on 07/21/2009

Why doesn't Vick show true remorse and true humility...go work in a animal shelter. Do some front line volunteering for the SPCA. Demonstrate that he understands totally that what he did has wrong? Actions always speak louder than words.

[SwingVoter]

02:17 AM on 07/21/2009

Time to boycott google: http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/01/29/google-maps-car-hits-a-deer-records-it-all

[dct1999]

01:43 AM on 07/21/2009

This is the funniest thread on hp. We have uneducated people claiming to have Ivy League degrees. People who think they can fool other posters about their education. People calling for the de.at.h of a man while proclaiming their love for animals. People using more than one identity to talk to themselves.

Pure comedy!

[nemain]

02:05 AM on 07/21/2009

and you have children....frightening....really frightening

[nemain]

02:15 AM on 07/21/2009

You have NO proof of people being uneducated.
You have NO proof of whether they havy Ivy league degrees or not.
You have NO proof of anyone fooling others with their education background
You have NO proof of anyone on this post calling for a man's death
You have NO proof that people ar using more than one identity.

What is wrong with you man?woman?it?

All of the people that disagreed with you are now all of the aforementioned? Now it is clear why you would defend a con. You are a projectionist. You who are probably guilty of doing all of the aforementioned, therefore you feel everyone else does it to.


Pure stupidity

[dct1999]

09:24 AM on 07/21/2009

Methinks you protest too much.

[remf]

12:15 AM on 07/21/2009

They slaughter cows, chickens and fish every day by the thousands so you can fill your bellies and last time I heard vegetables are alive too. Unless you eat things that die from old age, you’re a hypocrite.

I love dogs but he did his time paid his fine and lost more money than you’ll earn in 3 lifetimes, it’s over. Some of you act like he drove the get away car for OJ, they’re dogs.

[peacekitten]

12:56 AM on 07/21/2009

they were innocent lives who had no choice in the matter of their own fates.

he knew what he was doing was wrong and did it anyway.

i'm still waiting for someone to tell me why he should be treated differently than any other ex-con who gets out of prison on any given day of the week. so far, zip. no logical reasons.

[nemain]

01:53 AM on 07/21/2009

fanning

[jeremyemilio]

10:49 AM on 07/21/2009

He shouldn't be treated any differently than any ex-con. That's the whole point. If an employer thinks an ex-con will be good for business, in any field, the employer has the right to hire that ex-con, at any price. That's the way it goes for all ex cons, not just Vick.

[SwingVoter]

12:07 AM on 07/21/2009

peacekitten, you are a loon? In an earlier post, you commented that you hope someone who disagreed with you would become a victim of crime. Are you serious, do you equate the life of an animal to that of a human?

Michael Vick has done his time. He should be allowed to play in any league he wants. I prefer football not handegg if you know what I mean.

[peacekitten]

12:33 AM on 07/21/2009

and yes, i am totally serious..

a life is a life.

were you aware that the aspca is the oldest protector of CHILDREN'S rights in this country? it has been in their mandate since the beginning and they STILL carry it out.

[roblabrousse]

01:50 PM on 07/21/2009

Michael Vick's personality, ethics, mentality , brutish mind whatever will be on trial for the rest of his days. He will always be known for his heinous acts. He's branded. Our justice system dealt with his crimes. He still has to run the gauntlet of society to see how he's accepted. He may not be a valuable commodity anymore. One thing is for sure he's spent all benefit of the doubt cash should he ever pull anything horrendous again. Any violent act worthy of incarceration will have him behind bars pronto.

It doesn't seem as though he grasped the depth of how wrong his actions were. Let's wait and see. He is entitled to pursue his life no matter what.

[jeremyemilio]

11:57 PM on 07/20/2009

First, as a dog lover, I believe that Vick's sentence was way too light for his crime. Second, I would never, ever, pay to watch a football game in which Michael Vick was playing, and would be unlikely to watch on television (I say unlikely, because if his team made it to the conference championship or the Super Bowl I'd have trouble not watching, I admit... although I would be rooting against him).

Nevertheless, it's not the job of the NFL, or any NFL team to punish Vick for punishment's sake. They will have to make a decision based on business and competitiveness. If fans aren't willing to watch him, he won't be playing, regardless of how good he may or may not be. If they are, though, a team will sign him, and should sign him (even if I'm not one of the fans who will watch). It's simply not up to me, or anyone else here, to determine what type of behaviour people should or should not be allowed to put up with.

[ohio4obama]

12:08 AM on 07/21/2009

A reasoned argument not based on wishing someone else pain? Bravo, jeremyemilio. Sorry if you don't get the joke, but I had to say it. And I cosign with your last paragraph.

[peacekitten]

12:35 AM on 07/21/2009

if there is no market to watch him play, then his career will end.

[jeremyemilio]

10:45 AM on 07/21/2009

Yep. That's basically the point I was making.

...but if there is a market, then his career will continue. I'm no free market true believer, but in this case I think that's the way it should be. If I can decide that people should not be allowed to watch Vick because he has done something I find morally reprehensible, then who's to stop someone else from deciding I can no longer watch Phelps because he was photographed getting high? I, like you, hope Vick proves radioactive for any NFL team that decides to sign him. But if he doesn't, well that's the way it goes sometimes.

[peacekitten]

11:42 PM on 07/20/2009

those of you here defending vick, why don't you spend some time "hanging out" with him, until you really make him mad at you for something. then see how he reacts.

you need to get it through your thick useless skulls that the life he HAD was a PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT. you say he has a "right to make a living." fine. i never said otherwise. but he can make a living just fine OUT of the nfl.

so he can run, and throw a ball. big deal. he can't cure cancer, he hasn't contributed anything significant to society or the common good, all he's done is enrich himself.

the only thing he has a RIGHT to do now that he's out of jail, is to straighten up and fly right, never do what he did again, and hopefully find a job that will pay him a living wage to put a roof over his head and food on the table. he doesn't have a RIGHT to expect anything else. he doesn't have a RIGHT or some sort of magic entitlement to be rich and famous.

[dct1999]

11:48 PM on 07/20/2009

You don't have the RIGHT to decide what careers he can and cannot pursue. You don't have the RIGHT to limit his earnings.

Your post is nonsensical.

[Siara]

11:52 PM on 07/20/2009

No but given the fact that his job is basically entertaining the public and she IS the public, she has a right to discourage his being rehired. I don't want him rehired either. We have plenty of brilliant athletes in this country who aren't sadists.

[peacekitten]

12:06 AM on 07/21/2009

he doesn't have the right to be treated any differently from any other former convict either.'

his former life was a PRIVILEGE. period. it's not my fault he chose to throw it away. that was entirely his own choice, and he needs to learn to deal with it, period.

you're really a sad excuse for a person. i feel sorry for you.

[Siara]

11:49 PM on 07/20/2009

"the only thing he has a RIGHT to do now that he's out of jail, is to straighten up and fly right, never do what he did again, and hopefully find a job that will pay him a living wage to put a roof over his head and food on the table. he doesn't have a RIGHT to expect anything else. he doesn't have a RIGHT or some sort of magic entitlement to be rich and famous."

Exactly. Thank you for a moment of common sense. His rights are identical to the rights of everyone else finishing a jail term.

[ohio4obama]

12:36 AM on 07/21/2009

You yourself said he should take whatever job he can get. That may very well be professional football, NFL or otherwise.

[SocialConscience]

11:40 PM on 07/20/2009

I'm amazed at the deficit of humanity in some of these comments. Dogs are living, breathing, emotional, domesticated beings. Anyone who can manipulate them into tearing each other apart for sport and profit lacks essential human elements. How can one say "They were only dogs"? Makes me question that persons sanity, decency, and compassion. This world would be a better place without humans that think the world is their dollhouse and everything is their "plaything" to be brought into the world and demolished at will. Goodall needs to understand the huge ethical violation of allowing Vick to enter the sport again.

[peacekitten]

11:46 PM on 07/20/2009

the lack of humanity is stunning, and quite frankly, those displaying it should be embarrassed to their core. but they simply don't have the ability to do that.

there's no need to question their sanity, decency and compassion. they obviously have none.

which is sad and scary all at the same time.

[ohio4obama]

11:48 PM on 07/20/2009

Grow a pair.

[peacekitten]

11:49 PM on 07/20/2009

ohio4obama,

you first.

i don't need them.

[dct1999]

11:49 PM on 07/20/2009

Are you amazed at the commenters who called for Vick's d.e.ath?

[Siara]

12:03 AM on 07/21/2009

Yeah, I think that's way over the top.

[j-tho]

11:25 PM on 07/20/2009

Personally, I think we should put him in a ring with fight dogs ~

[ohio4obama]

11:29 PM on 07/20/2009

Oh, ok. Good grief.

[dct1999]

11:29 PM on 07/20/2009

Personally, I'd like to see you try.

[nemain]

11:47 PM on 07/20/2009

Collectively we can and we sure would have a good time doing it. I would be first in line.

[trippingrady]

10:45 PM on 07/20/2009

He can run really fast and throw a ball...it's not really a big deal.

I wonder if the same people here decrying Michael Vick are the same ones lauding Henry Louis Gates....are they same person, situation, etc etc? No of course not. But that doesn't stop any one from using racially loaded language like thug and ghetto to describe him.

But when sensitive liberals think about social justice they cannot help but cry out against the disportionate imprisonment of black men, and yet here we are.

So what is it then, the nature of the crime itself? Some precious myth that athletes are supposed to be role models? What? This story is so much more complicated than "The mean man killed dogs." And yet you have no problem suggesting that he gets no more chances.

This country treats people terribly...and the prison system which so many people are against is actually allowing someone to pay back his debts...and get a good job without all the stigma and legal boundaries afforded felons, and you say it's bad.

There is no consistency. I imagine that a lot of you are the same people who try to get football banned simply because you weren't any good at it, and because people consenting to play it sometimes get hurt.

Feel free to look at my past posts before you call me a troll or a rethuglican or your other reductive unproductive terms.

[BobSacomano]

10:39 PM on 07/20/2009

All the Vick apologists are acting as though he did 25 years in the state pen for shoplifting and should now be welcomed back into society with a ticker tape parade and a welcome wagon. I'm not sure about the motivation for all the outpouring of love for this man but some folks better check their humanity meters.

[robXdion]

10:59 PM on 07/20/2009

No one is saying that. They aren't even apologists. That would mean they're excusing his crime. But you Vick haters are just upset because people won't join your lyn.ching party. The man served the time he was assigned. If that bothers you, talk to the judge on the case or drive to Vick's house and whup him yourself. But I highly doubt you'd do either. It's easier to pretend others are worshiping the man because they don't carry your misplaced anger.

[dct1999]

11:03 PM on 07/20/2009

No doubt. One of these "people" went so far as to say that he/she wished I'd become a crime victim.

I have to LMAO @ people who have such misplaced anger and absolutely no sense of proportion. It's strange.

[BobSacomano]

11:37 PM on 07/20/2009

You say 'Vick haters' as though there is some sort of conspiracy to get even with this guy somehow - and you totally miss the point. I hate what this guy did, he's free, and that's that, but because he served his 18 months doesn't change the violent, horrendous deeds he perpetrated on these creatures. I don't need to 'get even' or drive to his, or the judge's house. I have no problem and feel no hypocrisy whatsoever expressing my disgust with this guy and people like him. It's sad that you actually feel nothing.

[LCDTV]

10:37 PM on 07/20/2009

he should play again in the nfl. he paid his debt and he should be allowed to earn a living. he is a bloody football player. there are nfl players who have killed people still playing in the nfl. he is not that good of a QB. He played 6 years in the NFL and in his sixth season he finally had a game he threw 2 touchdown passes in the same game. there is no reason ruin his life forever over this.