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* The same day, Nike announced it has suspended plans to release a fifth Vick signature shoe. However, it has not terminated its contract with the quarterback.
* July 20 - PETA staged protests outside the NFL headquarters in New York City calling for the firing of Michael Vick by the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL. More than 75 protesters attended, holding signs saying "NFL: Sack Vick" and chanting .
* The same day, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said he had sent a letter to Goodell calling for Vick to be suspended. He wrote: "I urge you to treat this issue with the utmost seriousness as the case progresses. In light of the seriousness of the charges, I believe that Mr. Vick should be suspended from the League, effective immediately."
* July 23 - About 50 people, organized by PETA, protest at the Atlanta Falcons training camp. The team had no comment on these protests, or others held recently at the NFL headquarters in New York City.
* Also on the same day, ESPN reported that Vick has retained the services of former federal prosecutor Billy Martin, an attorney with the Washington, D.C.-based legal firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP for his defense against the federal criminal charges. Martin joined the firm in February 2007. His notable past clients have included NBA stars Allen Iverson and Jayson Williams (who was acquitted of his most serious crime of shooting someone while drunk), Monica Lewinsky's mother, and Chandra Levy's parents. He also represented former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell on racketeering, bribery and wire fraud charges; Campbell was convicted of three counts of tax fraud, but acquitted on racketeering charges and taking thousands of dollars in bribes.
* Also on July 23, it was reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had sent Vick a letter ordering him not to report to the first Atlanta Falcons training camp. Goodell said in a letter to the quarterback: "While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy."
* July 24 - The Surry County grand jury met, but did not consider indictments as the local investigation continued. Sheriff Harold D. Brown stated he expects indictments to be returned during the September session for state charges relating to the dog fighting and animal cruelty investigation, but declined to be more specific regarding any names of person(s) likely to be indicted on those felony counts.
* July 26 - Detention and arraignment hearings were held at U.S. District Court in Richmond for Peace, Phillips, Taylor and Vick. All four pleaded "not guilty" and a trial date was set for November 26. Defendants were released without bond, but with pre-trial conditions and direct court supervision.
* On the same day, federal prosecutors announced that they will file a superseding indictment, which could mean new charges and possibly new defendants in the case.
* July 27 - Nike, Inc. announced it "has suspended Michael Vick's contract without pay, and will not sell any more Michael Vick product at Nike owned retail at this time." The company said it had not terminated the contract, as animal-rights activists had urged.
* On the same day, Adidas announced its Reebok division (the official uniform provider for the league) would stop selling Vick football jerseys and the NFL said it had pulled all Vick-related items from NFLShop.com.
* July 30 - Defendant Tony Taylor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture in U.S. District Court.
* July 31 - St. Louis-based sporting goods manufacturer Rawlings, which used Vick's likeness to sell merchandise and modeled a football using his name, ended its relationship. The same day, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Dick's Sporting Goods and Sports Authority have also stopped selling Vick-related goods.
* On the same day, WDBJ-TV News in Roanoke, Virginia reported that both prosecution and defense experts on criminal trial procedure have agreed that specific language included in Taylor's plea documents suggests that the federal prosecutors plan to bring racketeering charges under the RICO statutes.
* August 6 - Grand Jury in Hampton, Virginia indicted Davon T. Boddie on the felony charges from his April 20 narcotics arrest.
* August 14 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing a "person with knowledge of the negotiations" reported that Vick's attorneys were seeking a plea deal with federal negotiators.
* August 17 - Peace and Phillips plead guilty and entered plea agreements in U.S. District Court in Richmond. Phillips' bail was revoked due to failing a drug test. Peace's summary of facts reads in part: "All three participated in executing the dogs. Peace agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick." The Newport News Daily Press reported that because of the "victimization and execution of pit bull dogs" described in court filings, "upward departure" from the sentencing guidelines is "necessary in this case." Judge Hudson told the men that the aggravating factors will be taken into consideration at sentencing, which means they could face harsher punishments at their sentencing, Peace and Phillips were told.
* Also on August 17, Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter told WVEC-TV that the admissions contained in the federal plea agreements filed by Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips were "a road map to indictments in Surry County." Poindexter's looking at two felony counts: dogfighting and killing of a companion animal. The maximum sentence in Virginia for each charge is five years. "We believed we had evidence and this is the first time someone's admitted to it. It's sad and outrageous. It's gruesome." he added. ESPN reported that Vick could face up to 40 years in prison under state law.
* August 20 - Vick's lawyer Billy Martin announced that Vick will plead guilty to the federal felony dogfighting conspiracy charge. He will enter his plea before Judge Hudson on August 27 in Richmond.
* August 24 - Vick signed a plea agreement admitting that he participated in and funded an inter-state dogfighting ring. His official statement maintains that he did not place any bets or take any prize money.
* That same day, the NFL suspended Vick indefinitely without pay. In a letter from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed to Vick, Goodell wrote that Vick's admitted conduct was "not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible." Goodell also freed the Atlanta Falcons to "assert any claims or remedies" to recover $22 million of Vick's signing bonus from the 10-year, $130 million contract he signed in 2004.
* August 27 - Vick submitted the guilt plea before Judge Hudson. Sentencing was set for December 10.
* September 25 - Vick is indicted in the state of Virginia by the Surry County grand jury on two charges: one count of unlawfully torturing and killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. Each is a felony charge that could result in a five-year prison term.
* September 26 - Vick fails a court ordered drug test drawn on September 13 for illegal substances (he tests positive for marijuana) and as a result is ordered by US Federal Judge Henry E. Hudson to "submit to any method of testing required by the pretrial services officer or the supervising officer for determining whether the defendant is using a prohibited substance." He must also participate in substance abuse therapy and mental health counseling "if deemed advisable by the pretrial services officer or supervising officer" at his own expense, the order said. In addition, Vick is now subject to a curfew from 10:00PM to 6:00AM and may be subject to electronic monitoring as part of his pre-sentencing release.
* November 30 - Peace and Phillips are sentenced to federal prison terms which exceed federal guidelines and the plea agreement recommendations of prosecutors. An attorney for one argues that Taylor and Vick had greater roles.
* December 10 - Vick is sentenced to 23 months in prison for the investigation and dogfighting charges by Henry E. Hudson. He can get up to 3 months off his sentence for good behavior. (en)
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