Vick Pleads Guilty to Dogfighting Charges

Mike Vick has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of dogfighting. To read the Washington Post story, click on this link. To read the CNN article, click on this link.

In the Post article, Vick's attorney - Billy Martin - is quoted as saying "Michael is prepared to take full responsibility for allowing any and all of this to happen." Perhaps a more accurate statement would have been "Michael is prepared to admit to being responsible...."

While it's said that Vick's plea deal details are to be kept confidential, it's rumored that he will serve at least one year in jail. However, the plea is yet to be accepted by the judge assigned to the case. Vick will enter his plea formally next week in a Richmond, Virginia, court.

A quote in the CNN article differs slightly from that in The Washington Post: "Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his action and the mistakes he has made. "

The use of the word "mistake" is surely used to garner sympathy for or empathy with Vick. There was no mistake about anything that he did. He knew that dogfighting is illegal, and he chose to do it. No mistakes there; it was all conscious decision making and as overtly covert as possible. That type of behavior is not the result of a mistake, and undermines those people that need consideration for their actions that truly were the result of a mistake.