Vick gets 23 months

Michael Vick has received his sentence for the federal dogfighting charges for which he pled guilty in August.

Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison today for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls.

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vick, who turned himself in Nov. 19 in anticipation of his sentence, was wearing a black-and-white striped prison suit.

After Vick apologized to the court and his family, Hudson told him: "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you."

"Yes, sir," Vick answered.

Vick acknowledged he used "poor judgment" and added, "I'm willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions."

Federal rules governing time off for good behavior could reduce Vick's prison stay by about three months, resulting in a summer 2009 release.

We'll defer on the question of whether or not he'll ever set foot on an NFL playing field again - it seems highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Vick still has state charges to worry about, so he hasn't even come to the end of this part of his journey. But if there is a third act for him some day, today is the day he starts working towards it. I still think he can rehabilitate his image and make something good come out of the mess he created, but let's see where we are in 2009 first.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 11, 2007 to Crime and Punishment