Ex-Tech quarterback Vick pleads guilty to disorderly conduct, traffic charges
By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press Writer
March 6, 2006
HAMPTON, Va. (AP) -- Former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick resolved his recent legal problems Monday, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct charges in one court and speeding and driving without a valid driver's license in another.
The younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick first pleaded guilty in Hampton to the traffic violations that helped cost him his college football career.
Later in Suffolk, Marcus Vick pleaded guilty to the disorderly conduct charges as part of a plea bargain, prosecutor Phil Ferguson said. Vick was originally charged with three counts of brandishing a firearm after he was accused of pulling a gun on three teenagers.
Ferguson said "seriously conflicting evidence" led to the plea deal.
Vick was sentenced to six months in jail and a $500 fine. His jail time was suspended on condition of good behavior for one year.
"In light of all the facts in this case, this was a fair resolution," Ferguson said. "We believe there would have been seriously conflicting evidence."
Ferguson said other witnesses had said that it may have been a cell phone, not a gun, that Vick pulled on three people in a restaurant parking lot in January.
The 21-year-old Vick could have faced up to three years in jail and a $7,500 fine.
After Vick stomped on the calf of a fallen opponent during the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl, Tech kicked him off the team for unsportsmanlike conduct and for violating a "zero tolerance" policy with the two traffic tickets.
Vick's license had been taken away in 2004 when he was cited for reckless driving and marijuana possession in New Kent County. University president Charles Steger suspended Vick from school at that time and warned that any additional problems off the field would end his time as a member of the football team.
Vick also was convicted of serving alcohol to underage girls during the 2003 school year.
Three days after being kicked off the team, Vick was charged with pulling a gun on three teenagers during an altercation in a McDonald's parking lot.
Vick still must pay $236 in fines and court costs for the traffic charges.
The traffic charges were related to a Dec. 17 stop by police, who said Vick was driving 38 mph in a 25 mph zone and with a suspended license. That charge was reduced to driving with an invalid license.
"It's just a traffic situation," said Vick, who made himself eligible for the NFL draft in April.
Vick made himself eligible for the NFL draft in April.
"Marcus is doing fine and he's looking forward to his future," his attorney, Lawrence Woodward, said after the hearing.
Associated Press Writer Michael Felberbaum contributed to this story from Richmond, Va.
By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press Writer
March 6, 2006
HAMPTON, Va. (AP) -- Former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick resolved his recent legal problems Monday, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct charges in one court and speeding and driving without a valid driver's license in another.
The younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick first pleaded guilty in Hampton to the traffic violations that helped cost him his college football career.
Later in Suffolk, Marcus Vick pleaded guilty to the disorderly conduct charges as part of a plea bargain, prosecutor Phil Ferguson said. Vick was originally charged with three counts of brandishing a firearm after he was accused of pulling a gun on three teenagers.
Ferguson said "seriously conflicting evidence" led to the plea deal.
Vick was sentenced to six months in jail and a $500 fine. His jail time was suspended on condition of good behavior for one year.
"In light of all the facts in this case, this was a fair resolution," Ferguson said. "We believe there would have been seriously conflicting evidence."
Ferguson said other witnesses had said that it may have been a cell phone, not a gun, that Vick pulled on three people in a restaurant parking lot in January.
The 21-year-old Vick could have faced up to three years in jail and a $7,500 fine.
After Vick stomped on the calf of a fallen opponent during the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl, Tech kicked him off the team for unsportsmanlike conduct and for violating a "zero tolerance" policy with the two traffic tickets.
Vick's license had been taken away in 2004 when he was cited for reckless driving and marijuana possession in New Kent County. University president Charles Steger suspended Vick from school at that time and warned that any additional problems off the field would end his time as a member of the football team.
Vick also was convicted of serving alcohol to underage girls during the 2003 school year.
Three days after being kicked off the team, Vick was charged with pulling a gun on three teenagers during an altercation in a McDonald's parking lot.
Vick still must pay $236 in fines and court costs for the traffic charges.
The traffic charges were related to a Dec. 17 stop by police, who said Vick was driving 38 mph in a 25 mph zone and with a suspended license. That charge was reduced to driving with an invalid license.
"It's just a traffic situation," said Vick, who made himself eligible for the NFL draft in April.
Vick made himself eligible for the NFL draft in April.
"Marcus is doing fine and he's looking forward to his future," his attorney, Lawrence Woodward, said after the hearing.
Associated Press Writer Michael Felberbaum contributed to this story from Richmond, Va.
