RICHMOND, Va. -- Facing increasing pressure to strike a deal
with prosecutors, Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick conferred with
his attorneys for hours Wednesday.
The conference call came two days after Vick's two remaining
co-defendants scheduled plea hearings, presumably agreeing to
testify against Vick if his federal dogfighting conspiracy case
goes to trial as scheduled Nov. 26.
"The defense and Michael are meeting," Collins R. Spencer III,
a spokesman for Vick's five lawyers, said Wednesday afternoon. At
least some of the parties were participating by telephone in a
meeting that began in late morning and continued well into the
afternoon, he said.
"It seems they're going to be talking a while," Spencer said.
Prosecutors were not involved in the meeting, he said.
Spencer declined to say whether Vick and his lawyers were
discussing a possible plea agreement in hopes of reducing his
punishment and perhaps allowing him to eventually resume his NFL
career.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is awaiting results of the
league's own investigation of the case before determining what
action to take against Vick. Under NFL policy, a player can be
banned for life for gambling or associating with gambling.
The July 17 indictment and a statement signed by former
co-defendant Tony Taylor, who pleaded guilty and agreed to
cooperate with the government, link Vick to betting.
Two other co-defendants -- Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach,
and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta -- will enter plea agreements
Friday morning, and prosecutors have said they will seek a
superseding indictment later this month that could mean additional
charges against Vick.
Scott Sundby, a professor at the Washington & Lee University Law
School and a former special assistant U.S. attorney in Miami, said
Vick could cut a deal even after a superseding indictment is issued
-- but the terms would be less favorable.
"Prosecutors tend to be more lenient early and more hard-nosed
later," he said.
Peace's hearing originally had been set for 9 a.m. Thursday
before U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson. The case has been
rescheduled for 9:15 a.m. Friday, 15 minutes after the hearing for
Phillips.
An entry on the court's docket did not give a reason for
postponing Peace's hearing. However, the revised schedule will
streamline proceedings in the high-profile cases.
According to the statement signed by Taylor as part of his plea
agreement, Vick financed virtually all of the "Bad Newz Kennels"
dogfighting enterprise on Vick's property in Surry County, Va.
Vick, 27, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to travel in
interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to
sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. If convicted, the
Newport News native and former Virginia Tech star faces up to five
years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
A search of the Surry County property in April turned up dozens
of pit bulls, some of them injured, as well as equipment commonly
used in dogfighting.
The indictment said dogs that lost fights or fared poorly in
test fights were sometimes executed by hanging, electrocution or
other brutal means. The grisly details have fueled public protests
against Vick and have cost him some of his lucrative endorsement
deals.