Guru
08-13-2007, 11:49 PM
Vick co-defendants to plead guilty
Star News Services
RICHMOND, Va. | By Friday, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick could be the last man standing.
Vick’s remaining two co-defendants, Purnell A. Peace and Quanis Phillips, have set court dates for later this week to change their pleas to guilty in federal conspiracy charges related to dogfighting.
The hearings come about two weeks after another one of Vick’s co-defendants, Tony Taylor, entered a guilty plea before the same judge, and pointed to Vick as the person who bankrolled the operation.
If the judge accepts pleas from Peace and Phillips, Vick will be the only defendant left facing trial in the case. Last month all four pleaded not guilty.
“It surprises Michael Vick’s legal defense team,” said Collins Spencer III, a spokesman for Vick’s defense team. “Is it going to be a problem for them to move forward with their defense? No.”
Meanwhile a report from Yahoo Sports indicated that the NFL already has decided to make Vick’s indefinite suspension permanent, citing other issues besides the dogfighting. The league denies any decision on Vick’s suspension has been made.
But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told USA Today that the high-stakes gambling associated with dogfighting concerns the NFL as much as the dogfighting charges themselves.
The NFL has a strict policy against gambling that includes a potential lifetime ban for associating with gambling in a manner that discredits the league.
“Listen, we’re sickened by the allegations and the predicament Michael has put himself in, but there are a lot of things in the indictment that concern the NFL that may not be of a greater concern from a law-enforcement standpoint,” Goodell told the newspaper.
Other NFL news
•KIFFIN HOSPITALIZED: Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was taken to a hospital to get treatment for a viral invection. Kiffin, 32, had been sick for a few days and hadn’t gotten better.
•VETS WANT REPORT: Twenty military members who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to help second the release of all documents related to the death of Pat Tillman. President Bush has cited executive privilege to withhold some of the communications and documents the House has requested.
•POOR PACMAN: Suspended Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, in an interview scheduled to air on HBO’s “Real Sports” today, said he was an innocent bystander in the Las Vegas strip club before an altercation that led to a triple shooting. Police have cited him as the “inciter” of the fight. He also told Bryant Gumbell that he didn’t feel he “got a fair say” in his April hearing with Goodell.
•STILL IN GAME: Both Michael Vick and Pacman Jones are included in the “Madden 08” video football game because the rosters were set before the players were suspended. As the season progresses, EA Sports will provide downloadable updates in which both players might be removed from the rosters.
Star News Services
RICHMOND, Va. | By Friday, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick could be the last man standing.
Vick’s remaining two co-defendants, Purnell A. Peace and Quanis Phillips, have set court dates for later this week to change their pleas to guilty in federal conspiracy charges related to dogfighting.
The hearings come about two weeks after another one of Vick’s co-defendants, Tony Taylor, entered a guilty plea before the same judge, and pointed to Vick as the person who bankrolled the operation.
If the judge accepts pleas from Peace and Phillips, Vick will be the only defendant left facing trial in the case. Last month all four pleaded not guilty.
“It surprises Michael Vick’s legal defense team,” said Collins Spencer III, a spokesman for Vick’s defense team. “Is it going to be a problem for them to move forward with their defense? No.”
Meanwhile a report from Yahoo Sports indicated that the NFL already has decided to make Vick’s indefinite suspension permanent, citing other issues besides the dogfighting. The league denies any decision on Vick’s suspension has been made.
But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told USA Today that the high-stakes gambling associated with dogfighting concerns the NFL as much as the dogfighting charges themselves.
The NFL has a strict policy against gambling that includes a potential lifetime ban for associating with gambling in a manner that discredits the league.
“Listen, we’re sickened by the allegations and the predicament Michael has put himself in, but there are a lot of things in the indictment that concern the NFL that may not be of a greater concern from a law-enforcement standpoint,” Goodell told the newspaper.
Other NFL news
•KIFFIN HOSPITALIZED: Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was taken to a hospital to get treatment for a viral invection. Kiffin, 32, had been sick for a few days and hadn’t gotten better.
•VETS WANT REPORT: Twenty military members who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to help second the release of all documents related to the death of Pat Tillman. President Bush has cited executive privilege to withhold some of the communications and documents the House has requested.
•POOR PACMAN: Suspended Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, in an interview scheduled to air on HBO’s “Real Sports” today, said he was an innocent bystander in the Las Vegas strip club before an altercation that led to a triple shooting. Police have cited him as the “inciter” of the fight. He also told Bryant Gumbell that he didn’t feel he “got a fair say” in his April hearing with Goodell.
•STILL IN GAME: Both Michael Vick and Pacman Jones are included in the “Madden 08” video football game because the rosters were set before the players were suspended. As the season progresses, EA Sports will provide downloadable updates in which both players might be removed from the rosters.