Vick's lawyer pleads for compassion for fallen star

RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - The attorney for disgraced football star Michael Vick pleaded for compassion on Momday for the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback who has "fallen so far, and so hard and so fast."

But Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting operation in rural Virginia.

"Michael has known from the very beginning that there were severe consequences to the bad judgment he used in engaging in dog fighting," Vick's attorney, Billy Martin, told reporters outside the Richmond federal courthouse.

"I am willing to say that when Michael gets a second chance either in society or in the NFL, he will take advantage of it. For now, he's closed this chapter of his life and he's prepared to start another one."

A three-time All-Pro quarterback, Vick has lost an estimated $100 million in salary and endorsements from companies like Nike since trading his Falcons uniform for a prison inmate's jumpsuit.

"For those of you who understand that in life we all make mistakes (you should) treat Michael Vick, somebody who's fallen so far, and so hard and so fast, as being punished for his mistake," said Martin.

Suspended indefinitely by the National Football League, Vick's best-case scenario would have him return for the 2010 season. Martin said he hoped Vick would be released in 18 months.

FOOTBALL FUTURE?

Falcons fans at a Monday night game against the New Orleans Saints were divided over the length of the sentence but applauded Vick's decision to accept responsibility for his offense and begin serving his jail time early.

Some fans said they supported Vick and believed the sentence too harsh. But months after he initially pleaded guilty they displayed little passion over the issue, in part because they said they had grown used to his enforced absence.

"Vick got himself in trouble. When he signed that contract he should have cut all ties with those ghetto thug people," said Kerry Armstrong, 37, an Atlanta warehouse worker, referring to other members of the dogfighting group.

The strong-armed southpaw would be 30 years old during the 2010 campaign, young enough to continue his career. But his time away from the game could prove costly.

Mark Schlereth, a former All-Pro guard who won three Super Bowl rings as a player on the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos, said he doubted Vick would play again.

"As you age obviously you lose some of that dynamic athletic ability, especially when you're in prison and you're not able to train the way you've trained your entire life," he told ESPN. "That's going to take its toll on Michael Vick.

Schlereth also said the mechanics and nuances of playing quarterback would be difficult for him to recover.

"Would you want as an owner of an NFL franchise to take a risk on Michael Vick and have him come back?," he said. "Not only a guy that's been removed from the game for that long but all the activists at your door protesting that move.