So now the star has officially fallen. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty this morning to a federal dogfighting charge, a plea that will likely send him to federal prison when he's sentenced on December 10th.
But will his off-the-cuff, no-notes apology earn him some leniency from the court? Judge for yourself here. Either way, that apology has been a hot topic on the web and on the radio.
It'll be months before we know Vicky's punishment. His attorneys are pushing for probation for the star. Federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 12 to 18 months, but the judge could punish him more severely than that. But crazy as it sounds, it's conceivable that Vick would be better off with a prison term of slightly longer than a year than with a 12-month sentence. It's even possible that under certain scenarios, Vick could serve his year sentence and still make it back in time for next season - assuming the NFL lets him back on the field that soon.