Less Prison Time for Vick?

Guilty plea could get former quarterback out of jail sooner

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick plans to enter a guilty plea in Surry County Circuit Court next week.

The move could qualify him for an early release from federal prison.

Vick was busted last summer for running an illegal dogfighting ring out of his home in Surry County. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection to the dogfighting operation.

Vick plans to plead guilty to Virginia state dogfighting charges on Oct. 30, his lawyers said. If the court approves the plea deal, Vick may be eligible to enter a halfway house before his 23-month sentence is up. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons lists Vick's projected release date as July 20, 2009.

In a statement, Vick attorneys Billy Martin and Lawrence Woodward said their client "is committed to taking responsibility for his actions. He is hopeful that, through this motion, the trial court will allow him to finally resolve these matters and put the charges behind him so that he can begin to focus on his future and to prepare to be reunited with his family."

"I'm not trying to make him suffer," Virginia's Attorney Gerald Poindexter said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. "I'm just trying to make him account for what he's done."

The fallen football star is currently locked up in Leavenworth, Kansas. He will enter his plea via videoteleconference. Poindexter said he's not sure how quickly the judge would rule on the motion.

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