Vick Pleads Guilty, Calls Dogfighting a 'Terrible Thing'

"I think time will tell if he is able to redeem himself from this horribly cruel crime," said Ann Chynoweth, director of the animal fighting and cruelty campaign of the Humane Society of the United States. "He said dogfighting is a terrible thing, so that is a start as far as being a positive role model goes."

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he accepted Vick's apology. "My hope and my wish for Michael is that this is the beginning of a long journey," Blank said at a news conference in Atlanta. "This is not about Michael Vick the football player now. It's about Michael Vick the human being, the young man -- a gifted young man who needs to refocus his life."

Blank also said he was "profoundly disappointed and saddened" by Vick's actions and that the team will try to force him to return a portion of the $37 million in bonuses in his 10-year, $130 million contract.

On Friday, the NFL suspended Vick indefinitely, and the quarterback also has lost endorsement deals from athletic equipment companies.

"Maybe he'll have an opportunity to play again in the National Football League," Blank said of Vick, but he stopped short of saying whether that could be for the Falcons.

Also left unclear Monday was Vick's precise role in Bad Newz Kennels, the dogfighting venture that he started in 2001 with his co-conspirators and based on his property in Surry County, Va. Vick was not asked for specifics in the 20-minute court hearing, and he did not offer any in his public statement.

Linda Malone, a law professor at the College of William and Mary, said Vick had admitted enough to satisfy prosecutors but "is not going to volunteer any more factual details than necessary" because he could face additional state charges. A prosecutor in southeastern Virginia has said he is likely to seek indictments against Vick and his three co-defendants, who have also pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Absent any state charges or additional defendants in federal court, Friday's court papers would likely stand as the final public rendering of Vick's role, legal experts said. In those documents, Vick admitted that he agreed to the killing of six to eight dogs through the "collective efforts" of him and his co-conspirators. He did not admit to actually participating in the killing.

Vick also acknowledged that he provided most of the gambling money for fights that had purses in the thousands of dollars, but court documents do not say that he placed bets. They also do not indicate that he profited from the fights, saying instead that his co-conspirators pocketed winning purses.

Although Vick's ultimate sentence is unclear, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said federal guidelines had appeared to call for a prison term of as long as six months and that a first-time offender like Vick might have received no jail time.

But because Vick's conduct was so "heinous, cruel and inhumane," Rosenberg said, prosecutors insisted that the sentencing range be adjusted upward to 12 to 18 months. Vick's attorneys agreed, an action Rosenberg called "highly unusual" for defense lawyers.

Prosecutors are working with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Rosenberg added, to find homes for the estimated 50 pit bulls removed from Vick's property.

Staff writers Mike Wise and Mark Maske contributed to this report. Maske reported from Washington.