Posted: July 21, 2009, 5 a.m. EDT
Michael Vick, a quarterback with the National Football League, was released from federal custody Monday after serving 20 months for his role in an illegal dogfighting operation.
The star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons was convicted on a federal dogfighting charge in August 2007. Authorities discovered more than 50 pit bulls, burial sites for dead dogs, and dogfighting paraphernalia.
It is not yet decided if the 29-year-old Vick, who was released from his $130-million contract with the Falcons in June, will be allowed to play again in the NFL.
According to The Associated Press, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wishes to sit down with Vick to see if the quarterback has “learn[ed] anything from the experience,” if he “regret[s] what happened,” and if “he can be a positive influence going forward.”
Vick was suspended from the NFL indefinitely in August 2007. The NFL is expected to make a decision regarding his reinstatement soon, according to AP. The owners of at least two teams with open quarterback positions – the New York Giants and the New York Jets – have publicly stated that they will not sign Vick.
Vick also might have the option of playing for the fledgling United Football League.
Vick was arrested in on April 25, 2007, after authorities discovered evidence of his Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring at his home in Surry County, Va. Sixty-six dogs, mostly pit bulls, were seized and placed in animal-control shelters.
After pleading guilty to federal dogfighting charges in August 2007, the fallen football star was sentenced to 23 months of incarceration. He served 18 months in a federal penitentiary and another two in home confinement. The judge presiding over the case commuted three months of the sentence. Vick will now begin serving three years of probation.
For more on the Michael Vick dogfighting case, click here.
Kristopher Wardwell is the managing editor of Dog World magazine.