MICHAEL VICK PLEADS GUILTY

In a surprise move, Michael Vick agreed to plead guilty today to chargers of running a dog fighting ring.  His plea was not expected until Monday.  The Smoking Gun says:

Vick has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge for his role in the management of a brutal dogfighting ring. As part of a plea deal, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted that his Bad Newz Kennels operation wagered money–which he provided–in pit bull fights. However, "Vick did not gamble by placing side bets on any of the fights," according to a "summary of the facts" that was filed today in court. That document notes that Vick "was aware" that three of his cohorts killed several dogs that performed poorly in test fighting sessions in mid-2002. The summary reports that "Vick did not kill any dogs at this time." Earlier this year, Vick, and two cronies "agreed to the killing of approximately 6-8 dogs" that fared poorly in testing sessions. Some of the animals were drowned or hanged, and Vick "stipulated" that the animals died via the "collected efforts" of himself (and two others).

I guess I'm not smart enough to know the difference between providing money to go gamble and gambling.  Illegal gambling makes him eligible for a lifetime ban from the NFL, so hopefully no one else can tell the difference either.  The only field I wanna see this dude on begins with the word "mine".