The saga of former NFL standout Michael Vick is over. Today, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Vick to 23 months in prison for his role in an illegal dog fighting ring.
He faced a maximum sentence of five years.
Vick began his prison term early, turning himself in several days before Thanksgiving. He arrived in court not in suit and tie—as he has done for his other hearings—but in a black and white prison suit.
After Hudson handed down the sentence—which was more severe than many originally thought—Vick apologized to the court and his family. Hudson responded, telling him he needs to “apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you.”
AD LOADING...
Hudson—who has a reputation for being a tough, but fair judge—did not appear phased by the apology and voiced his concern that Vick knew exactly what he was doing during his participation in the dog fighting ring.
“I’m convinced it was not a momentary lack of judgment on your part. You were a full partner,” he said to Vick.
While the federal aspects of Vick’s troubles have come to an end, he’s not out of the legal woods yet. Vick and his three co-defendants—who cut deals to avoid a trial—will face charges from the state of Virginia. All four men are accused of “torturing and killing dogs and promoting dog fights” according to a CNN report.
Those charges carry a maximum sentence of five years. He is scheduled to begin trial in April.
In addition to the jail time and additional charges, Vick is also responsible for financially providing for 54 dogs seized from his Virginia property during the initial dog fighting investigation. The tab came to $928,000.
AD LOADING...
After Vick is released from prison, he won’t have much of a fortune to come home to. Prosecutors have also disclosed the financial implications of Vick’s participation in dog fighting.
His former team, the Atlanta Falcons, are trying to recoup bonus money paid on his 10 year, $130 million contract. He has also defaulted on a $1.3 million bank loan for a wine store and two other financial institutions are seeking repayment on loans and lines of credit totaling $4.5 million.
Vick‘s Atlanta home is reportedly up for sale with an asking price of $4.5 million and his Virginia residence—the site of the infamous dog fighting ring—is expected to net an additional $750,000.
With credit for time served, Vick may be released from Prison in October 2009.
