Vick Offered Minimum One Year Prison Sentence as Part of Plea Deal

[BleedBurgundy]

[QUOTE=JoeRedskin;340673]

Cruelty to those in your care, whether they be animals or human is simply wrong. For those who say, "it's just dogs", that has already been factored into the equation. If Vick had been accused of this type of cruelty to humans, there would be no question he would be going away for life or subject to the death penalty. Thus, to me, just on the cruelty issue, a one year prison term is not out of line for the nature of his actions. (As an extreme example of the other end of the spectrum - "cruelty to plants" wouldn't even warrant a storyline).



QUOTE]

VERY well said.

[Longtimefan]

I said in the last M. Vick thread that he would change his plea before No. 26th, it would apear he's now getting the kind of advice that may enable him to reestablish himself in the NFL if at all possible.

I know of no other player in the history of the league who has been convicted of a felony, and come back to play. Maybe Vick will be a first, we'll just have to wait and see.

[saden1]

5+ years vs 1 year? This is an easy choice even if he believes he is innocent. You would be pretty f'ing stupid to fight it and risk going to the shitter for 5+ years.

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by CHIEF CHUCKING MY SPEAR

getting off easy

One year is not easy. The max sentence was 5-6 years correct? There is kinda an unwritten rule that in most cases of first time violators you would get half the time if convicted. So that would be 2.5-3 years. But usually when someone takes a plea they are looking for about half the max sentence, which in this case would be 1.25-1.5 years. So 1 year seems to be a fair offering.

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by saden1

5+ years vs 1 year? This is an easy choice even if he believes he is innocent. You would be pretty f'ing stupid to fight it and risk going to the shitter for 5+ years.

I doubt he would go for 5, more like 3 if convicted.

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

No sense in piling on but are you serious with this post or just trolling?

I am serious (and not blog savvy enough to know what trolling means). I understand that my opinion is a minority on this site so Id rather stay out of this issue as much as possible, but one year seems extremely excessive to me for a first time offender.

However I have not read the indictment so my knowelge is only limited to everything Ive read here and have heard on tv.

Go Skins!!!

[irish]

Originally Posted by GhettoDogAllStars

If I ran the league, I would probably institute a policy of restricting felons from participating in the the league. I just don't think it sounds right for felons to be playing in the NFL.

I agree 100%. The league does not need this type of player to be successful and popular. If anything they just hurt the league's image which could hurt popularity. The league does not need guys like Vick and the other trouble makers. They could go away tomorrow and the league would not miss a beat.

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

I am serious (and not blog savvy enough to know what trolling means). I understand that my opinion is a minority on this site so Id rather stay out of this issue as much as possible, but one year seems extremely excessive to me for a first time offender.

However I have not read the indictment so my knowelge is only limited to everything Ive read here and have heard on tv.

Go Skins!!!

As you said, your opinion is in the minority, I was just wondering if you were serious or just looking to piss people off (trolling...). As you see on this site, differing opinions are welcome as long as you can rationally discuss them...

Don't you think the severity of the crime warrants a little more than one year?

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

I am serious (and not blog savvy enough to know what trolling means). I understand that my opinion is a minority on this site so Id rather stay out of this issue as much as possible, but one year seems extremely excessive to me for a first time offender.

However I have not read the indictment so my knowelge is only limited to everything Ive read here and have heard on tv.

Go Skins!!!

I would ask you to think about it fully, not just the fact it is dogs. We are talking about how Vick has been doing this since he entered the NFL. It is one story if he just watched dogfights, or bet on them, but in this case he set up his own illegal business to make money off fighting dogs. If you just forget about the cruelty aspect, imagine all the years he has been running an illegal business(no permit, no taxes, etc). That alone is enough for the Feds to charge you.

Also he was directly linked to the execution of dogs in ways such as drowning, hanging, etc. Plus his operation had rape stands for female dogs to force them to breed. He was one of the main people who paid for this operation.

And finally, you also have to consider the society we live in. The laws reflect our way of life, and America is a dog lover country. Many families here have dogs, and they are very close to us, even family at times.

I think if you weigh all these facts you will see why Vick deserves to be jailed for atleast one year.

[dmek25]

can someone explain to me why i can go out on the street and sell drugs, and walk away with a citation. but if i fight dogs, i do jail time? something doesnt seem quite right with that picture

[DGreene28]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

I am serious (and not blog savvy enough to know what trolling means). I understand that my opinion is a minority on this site so Id rather stay out of this issue as much as possible, but one year seems extremely excessive to me for a first time offender.

However I have not read the indictment so my knowelge is only limited to everything Ive read here and have heard on tv.

Go Skins!!!

All things considered 1 year seems like too short of a sentence. Do I want Vick to be jailed at all? No, I love watching the guy play he is one of the most exciting athletes I've ever seen. I've been a fan of his from way back at VT. I also met him a few times and he was a real cool cat, very laid back. However, the fact he could associate himself with such a disgusting practice is beyond me. I still believe "inncocent until proven guilty" no matter how bad it looks... I thought Sean Taylor was going to go away for a while too when he had his issues last year but I was pleasantly surprised and glad the prosecuter was such a buffoon.

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by dmek25

can someone explain to me why i can go out on the street and sell drugs, and walk away with a citation. but if i fight dogs, i do jail time? something doesnt seem quite right with that picture

No doubt but the argument to that is two wrongs don't make a right. Just because our punishment of one crime is woefully undervalued doesn't make it ok to not go after violators of other laws. That's kind of a slippery slope.

[Chief X_Phackter]

Originally Posted by dmek25

can someone explain to me why i can go out on the street and sell drugs, and walk away with a citation. but if i fight dogs, i do jail time? something doesnt seem quite right with that picture

Well, your average pinhead small time dealer walking the streets selling dimebags of marijuana doesn't compare to the savage cruelty of being the ring leader of an illegal dog fighting organization. It is a federal offense...

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by dmek25

can someone explain to me why i can go out on the street and sell drugs, and walk away with a citation. but if i fight dogs, i do jail time? something doesnt seem quite right with that picture

Thats what I dont understand. I guess its that we're more excepting of people selling drugs then people fighting dogs. Maybe becuase there are no big interest groups that put up huge legal fights to make their views of illegal drug dealing forced on society. But groups like peta have the backing and little opposition to enforce their views (in forms of laws) on us.
As someone said above America is a dog loving society (myself very included), so i guess its easier to get people to go along with laws that are anti-dog fighitng even though the laws may be extreme (prison time for a first time offender).

Redskins Rule!!!

[Paintrain]

Do any of you guys calling for a longer sentence for the dogfighting realize that the MAXIMUM sentence for the dogfighting allegation alone is only 1 year? The interstate gambling carries a maximum of 5 years (which is the total of 6 years of possible sentencing) so if anything he's getting off very lightly on the gambling and paying his penance for the dogfighting..
From the Atlanta Journal Constitution Vick facing tricky legal options | ajc.com

Vick faces a single count that charges him with conspiring to violate three laws: the interstate travel act by crossing state lines to engage in illegal gambling; sponsoring a dog in an animal fighting venture; and buying, transporting and receiving dogs for animal fighting.

If Vick is convicted of conspiracy to engage in illegal gambling, the federal guidelines call for a sentence of between 10 and 16 months, Sadow said, noting the sentence can be split with a term of prison and home confinement. If Vick were to plead guilty and accept responsibility for this offense, Sadow said, his potential sentence under the guidelines would drop to six to 12 months.

If Vick is convicted only of conspiring to violate either of the two dogfighting laws, the guidelines call for a sentence of no more than six months, Sadow said. This time could be served on probation, home detention or in a halfway house.

As for his NFL status, I think he'll get an 8 game suspension when he is released and be back in the NFL in late 2008 or 2009. Yes he lied and violated the conduct policy.. Yes he will be a convicted criminal (we'll see if it's a felony or a misdemeanor when it's plead out) as a 1st time offender.. The league has to be careful however in setting a precedent because if they suspend him for 1 or 2 years for a first offense/conviction then what happens the next time a player bounces his wife off of a couple of walls? If he gets less than is the NFL saying a dog is worth more to it than a woman? I'll be somewhat surprised if he gets a season long suspension after he's out of prison.