RICHMOND, Va. — Imprisoned NFL quarterback Michael Vick will be allowed to finish his sentence under home confinement because there is no room at a halfway house for him, a government official told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty to bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in eastern Virginia’s Surry County. He also admitted to participating in the killing of several underperforming dogs.
Vick’s lawyers have said they expected him to be moved any day into a halfway house in Newport News, Va. But because of a lack of space, Vick will be released instead to his Hampton home at some point on or after May 21, said the official, who has knowledge of the case but requested anonymity because the individual was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Vick will be on electronic monitoring and will be allowed to leave home only for activities approved by his probation officer, the official said. Vick is eligible for release in July.
The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback’s lead attorney, Billy Martin, and agent Joel Segal did not respond to messages seeking comment. Another Vick attorney, Lawrence Woodward, said in a telephone interview that he could not immediately respond.
According to Vick’s lawyers, the former Virginia Tech standout plans to resume his pro football career. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who suspended Vick without pay, has repeatedly said he will review Vick’s status after the legal proceedings are completed.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said earlier this month that the Falcons will try to trade the contract rights on Vick to another team. Vick, once the highest-paid player in the NFL and among its most popular, has a contract that runs to 2013 and calls for him to receive a base salary of $9 million and a bonus of $6.43 million in 2009. The remainder of the contract is worth $45.11 million, with an additional possible $3 million in Pro Bowl bonuses.
Officials of some other NFL teams have said they are not interested in Vick because they would rather not face the wrath of pet lovers and groups such as PETA, which has been a constant fixture at Vick’s hearings.
Vick also earned substantial sums from endorsement deals with Nike and other companies, but that income vanished after the dogfighting revelations virtually destroyed his image and well as his finances. Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July, claiming assets of $16 million and liabilities of $20.4 million.
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