Vick Enters Guilty Plea

It was made official yesterday. Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick said he would enter a guilty plea on a federal conspiracy charge.

Again, as is the case with most things, there are many ways one can look at this. I have an uncle and a friend whom are both lawyers, so I've heard many stories in my day. A guilty plea does not always mean what it may suggest. It means the party is probably guilty of something, but plea bargains can be tricky scenarios.

Take this case, for instance. If Michael Vick is even innocent of the charges, he was backed into a corner by some already convicted criminals who said they'd testify against him to lessen their sentence and if Vick didn't accept the deal, chances are he'd receive more charges today. So, with this plea bargain, it's a win-win or a win-lose or even a lose-lose, depending on how you look at it. The prosecution gets their guilty plea and the defense limits the potential damage. Based on inside reports, it sounds as if the prosecution will ask for a 12-18 month prison sentence, which is a lot for a first time offender, but based on the emotional turmoil surrounding the case, it wouldn't surprise me to see Vick receive that kind of sentence.

Another problem with the plea bargain is the fact we'll never know the truth. Only Vick and a few others know exactly what happened and we'll never have a trial and a jury prove beyond a reasonable doubt that either Vick or the others were guilty on all charges, guilty on some charges, or not guilty at all.

No matter how one wants to slice it, Vick has chosen to plead guilty and accept responsibility for the mistakes he's made, as he put it. If he wants to restore any of his former image, that's a good start, but he has a long way to go. Football shouldn't be on his mind right now. All that should be on his mind is bettering himself as a person, improving his lifestyle, making better decisions, especially when it comes to those he associates himself with, and restoring his image. Hopefully his jail sentence and overall punishment will help he and the others improve their lives and themselves.